Guide to Chainmaille Crafting

[Gibbtall]

Update from last night, after another three hours, my piece grew from 8x8 to 12x12. I'm defnintely getting the hang of this, though I can see that I'm going to need a lot more rings than I originally thought I'd need. I might look into trying to make my own stainless steel rings. Also, I totally wasn't expecting this, but I woke up this morning, and noticed that my palms are super sore, and tender! Obviously it's from working with the pliers, I suppose I'll need to get some fingerless gloves, or some pliers with better grips on them. right now I'm working with a couple of pairs I picked up from Wal-Mart for 3 bucks a piece, obviously not the best quality!

Looking pretty awesome. Gloves will certainly help to reduce fatigue while working with steel, but it's also the fact that you're new to the art. Just like the first time you sit down and sand something for 6 hours, you're using different muscles in different ways then you're used to.

Tip: When working on something large, like a shirt, it's usually easier to make large patches then "sew" them together. I find it really hard to handle large pieces like en entire shirt, all at once, the weight of it always wants to yank the rings out of my pliers while I'm working.

 

[aeonpulse]

Tip: When working on something large, like a shirt, it's usually easier to make large patches then "sew" them together. I find it really hard to handle large pieces like en entire shirt, all at once, the weight of it always wants to yank the rings out of my pliers while I'm working.

I actually did notice that, it doesn't take many of these rings for the weight to become noticeable!

 

[Nexus6]

Awesome thread!

Any chance of a tutorial for 8-in-1 maille? I have a project (that I will eventually be doing) that will involve me acquiring such info. :cool

 

[Lflank]

I'm going to need a lot more rings than I originally thought I'd need.

A typical mail shirt uses between 15,000 and 35,000 rings, depending on the size and how low you make it (some shirts are knee-length; some not) and whether it's long-sleeve or short-sleeve.

 

[Dracosfire83]

Awesome thread!

Any chance of a tutorial for 8-in-1 maille? I have a project (that I will eventually be doing) that will involve me acquiring such info. :cool

8 in 1 tut.
M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - Article

 

[SmilingOtter]

Yeah, that's going to be really... dense... maille. Be sure to post pics of what you're making.

When I'm watching tv, I like to pre-close a lot of rings. When I get a sufficient quantity, I string four of them onto an open ring, and close it, making a "fivelet." I can later weave those fivelets together into larger shapes.

It doesn't really speed up the process - you're still closing one ring at a time, no matter which order you do it - but it's like eating a whale: one bite at a time.

 

[Nexus6]

8 in 1 tut.
M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - Article

Thanks, I've had that link bookmarked for some time (I've been a member of their forums for almost 3yrs, although I've never posted :$).

I was more curious to see if the OP's way of doing it would vary at all from the technique shown on that site. :thumbsup

 

[Contec]

Truth! It's not hard at all, Definetly a sit-in-front-of-the-tv project, but I also take it with me to meetings or to do on my lunch hour. I find a certain zen in hand work.

True:thumbsup
I take it with me to work and get strange looks.

Also, I totally wasn't expecting this, but I woke up this morning, and noticed that my palms are super sore, and tender! Obviously it's from working with the pliers, I suppose I'll need to get some fingerless gloves, or some pliers with better grips on them.

Your hands will get better after a week or so just keep on working with them.
My hand was really sore after cutting a few rods of rings the first times.
Now it don't bother me at all.
Im doing my own rings with the help of my power drill and wire fence wires.


Yesterday i finished attaching the parts into a armless shirt, and now I'm working on doing the arms.
My first tryout......it weights 4,9 kg right now ( about 10 lbs) Im guessing it will be around 6-7 kg when finished.

 

[Lflank]

My first tryout......it weights 4,9 kg right now ( about 10 lbs) Im guessing it will be around 6-7 kg when finished.

Your weave is a lot more loose and open than it was historically, which certainly cuts down on the weight. In a good protective chainmaille shirt, the rings would all hang very close together, and would spread apart at the joints to allow mobility. The rule of thumb is that in a good protective weave, you wouldn't be able to see what color shirt you are wearing underneath it. It's wire all around, with no openings to allow the point of a weapon to get into (maille armor's nemesis were arrows and crossbow bolts, which had enough energy to enter a ring and pop it open, allowing the arrow to get through.)

With that open weave, I hope you are not going to run into trouble with binding at the joints (especially the shoulders) when you try to move . . . .

 

[Contec]

With that open weave, I hope you are not going to run into trouble with binding at the joints (especially the shoulders) when you try to move . . . .

Im going wear a undershirt so that don't happen This is the first thing on my quest to make a king Arthur suit from Monty Python and the holy grail.

 

[aeonpulse]

Question about the direction of the "weave". The tunic I'm making, I'm planning on building it so that the weave runs vertically, while it looks like Contec is building his so that the weave runs horizontally. Does this make a difference in any way?

I'm guessing that with Contec's method, he'll have a bit more flex when putting the tunic on, since it seems that the weave has more "give" in that direction. While with my method, I won't have as much "give" horizontally, but I'll probably need less rings? Am I making any sense here?

 

[Lflank]

Question about the direction of the "weave". The tunic I'm making, I'm planning on building it so that the weave runs vertically, while it looks like Contec is building his so that the weave runs horizontally. Does this make a difference in any way?

Most shirts have both---the weave in the torso is usually horizontal (it's easier to link sheets together and get an even edge that way) and the weave in the sleeves ends up hanging vertically. That is how mine is, too.

The 4-in-1 pattern is designed to flex in all directions, so I don't think it would make any difference.

 

[Gibbtall]

Personally I build my shirts the way you are doing it Aeonpulse, I find it gives the edges a better pattern. The neck on Contec's shirt is all "faceing" one direction, I'd much rather it face down, then have the sleeves end in the "horizontal" pattern.

Though for the sleeve I am currently making I have done it in this horizontal pattern, since it is only the sleeve, and I am trying to make it fairly form fitting, I was looking for more flexibility. It it's an entire shirt it's usually sufficiently baggy to move around.

Neither method uses more or less rings, it's all about square footage.

Some patterns let you do both methods, vertical for the torso and horizontal for the sleeves, this usually means having a triangular (it's easiest to connect a horizontal 4 in 1 with a vertical 4 in 1 at a 45 degree angle) connection at the shoulder.

 

[Gibbtall]

The 4-in-1 pattern is designed to flex in all directions, so I don't think it would make any difference.

There is a difference when working with little slack. The sleeve I'm making with the rubber rings is meant to be almost on the skin at all times, even when not flexing. If I had made it the other direction I would have much less flexibility. Most of the time though there is lots of room for movement no matter the direction.

 

[SmilingOtter]

Contec's is oriented correctly for armor. Aeonpulse, in the top picture of your post above, when the maille is hanging vertically, gravity will cause the weave to open up as much as it can, and look very much like it does in your picture. Those holes would do a poor job for stopping arrows and the like.

Rotate the weave 90 degrees though, and the rows of links overlap each other, putting more layers of metal between you and your opponent.

Watch this guy:
Some points about chainmail - YouTube

 

[Contec]

Im following this pattern for my shirt.
Hauberk Pattern

 

[Lflank]

Contec's is oriented correctly for armor. Aeonpulse, in the top picture of your post above, when the maille is hanging vertically, gravity will cause the weave to open up as much as it can, and look very much like it does in your picture. Those holes would do a poor job for stopping arrows and the like.

Yes, you are right. The horizontal rows allow gravity to pull the rings closer together, and the vertical rows would indeed tend to get pulled apart.

I stand corrected.

 

[aeonpulse]

Well that definitely makes sense. I'll admit, I prefer the look of the vertically hanging weave, but going with a horizontally hanging weave would probably be better.

I actually found that exact same pattern, Contec, after a quick Google search. I think I might try to follow that one as well. I do like how the torso links hang horizontally, and the sleeves hang vertically.

 

[Gibbtall]

I stand corrected.

I guess me too. I was thinking of it more aesthetically then practically I suppose.

 

[SmilingOtter]

Well, if you aren't going to be facing Saxons, Uruk-hai, or Lannisters, it doesn't matter all that much. You only risk the scorn of some "period-nazi thread counter." OTOH, it's just as easy to do it the right way as the wrong way.