CHAINMAIL
Terry Aucoin
don't really tell you how to get the stuff to make it!
How much Galv wire does it take?
How much should you pay for the Wire?
When it comes to key rings what's a good price for a thousand rings?
I have call most of the places around where I live and it seems that you
really need to know what your asking for when it comes to this,because I
can't find the material to build chainmail.
Please,Please,Pleaseeeeeeeeee if you have constructed a suite befor and
you know where to find,and the cost of the Material leave me email....
-
TERRY HDX...@prodigy.com
Earl Alan
diameter, 14 ga. wire. I use a steel rod in an electric drill to wind the
wire into springs, then the springs are cut into links. The links are
then opened or closed (about half of each) and you go to town weaving it
together.
A shirt of about size 44 will weigh about 30 pounds.
Hope this helps you
Matt Stum (SCA: Gwydion ap Myrddin)
>Well it seems that alot of people can tell you how to make it,but they
>don't really tell you how to get the stuff to make it!
> How much Galv wire does it take?
> How much should you pay for the Wire?
I use electric-fence wire... you can get it in 1/4 mile spools at farm-supply
stores for under $20. ("Farm & Fleet" is the name of the chain around here.)
Larger spools are available as well. If I remember correctly, I made a coif
and a large hauberk from either one or two spools. Even if it was two spools
and each cost as much as $20, I would say that $40 for a coif and hauberk is
pretty reasonable.
--
Matt Stum Ball State University Gwydion ap Myrddin Arglwydd
00mj...@bsuvc.bsu.edu Muncie, IN USA Shire of Afonlyn, MK
http://blah.bsuvc.bsu.edu/matt http://blah.bsuvc.bsu.edu/gwydion
BECKUM
The 14ga., galvenized, electric fence wire should cost about 20 - 21
dollors per 1/4 mile spool.
I use a Channel-Lock #308 hand shear to cut the wire. It makes a cleaner
cut then a pair of side cuts.
Best of luck,
Beckum
Marina Black
>From: HDX...@prodigy.com (Terry Aucoin)
>Subject: CHAINMAIL
>Date: 15 May 1995 17:54:19 GMT
>Well it seems that alot of people can tell you how to make it,but they
>don't really tell you how to get the stuff to make it!
> How much Galv wire does it take?
> How much should you pay for the Wire?
I use stainless steel wire and it costs me $4.99 for 150ft of 16ga. I haven't
made a full suit yet, but it took me about 6x150ft to make a vest of 3/8 rings.
Marina
Jared Hansen
: >Well it seems that alot of people can tell you how to make it,but they
: >don't really tell you how to get the stuff to make it!
: > How much Galv wire does it take?
: > How much should you pay for the Wire?
: I use electric-fence wire... you can get it in 1/4 mile spools at farm-supply
: stores for under $20. ("Farm & Fleet" is the name of the chain around here.)
: Larger spools are available as well. If I remember correctly, I made a coif
: and a large hauberk from either one or two spools. Even if it was two spools
: and each cost as much as $20, I would say that $40 for a coif and hauberk is
: pretty reasonable.
I too, have made a suit out of this same galvanized fence wire, and I
have wished ever since that I had spent three times as much and bought
stainless steel. The extra cost is a pittance compared to the hours you
spend knitting.
Phineas Kepler
RogueKing2
While I am by no means an expert I have made several mail pieces;
Here are my thoughts on the subject:
Just about everything posted seems to have been taken from the same source
( read book) however I try to add what I can!
IF YOU PLAN ON CUTTING YOUR OWN RINGS
If you use galv. wire you can start out with the 100' spools ( about $4)
they sell at hardware stores ( Truevalue ) as I recall this makes about
800-1000 rings. You can also usually ask the store to special order 5
pound rolls (the brand name is Anchor Wire Corp-Goodleitsville, TN 37072)
for about $17 / roll.
Personally , I recommend the smaller rolls- there easier to work with-
less kinks means less waste, and allow you to cut 1000 rings and then
weave a good system- WARNING if you cut your own rings - DO NOT TRY TO CUT
MORE THAN 2000 per sitting you will have serious pain !!!
Other Tips- by several pairs of the largest / strongest diagonal cutters
you can, ( bolt cutters are worthless ) then pad the handles ( athletic
tape pre wrap - yellow foam stuff or old terry type towels wrapped with
athletic tape) you will still get blisters on your hands and,
be prepared, if you wear a t-shirt people may call you popeye!:)
When you start weaving rings buy both needle nose and flat head pliers of
the spring loaded type ( the spring keeps the pliers open a big help ) A
company named Mascot sells them.
Problem - if you cut your own rings youll notice the ends don't but
absolutely flush- one end is nipped at an angle. Mail from these rings
tends to "catch" on hair,cloth, skin etc. This is usually not a problem
for
a mail vest, but could cause trouble for a coif. But there is another
way.....
BUY READY MADE RINGS!!!!
After making two or three mail suits I became totally frustrated with both
the process ( Read as: pain in the ass) and the quality of the rings, so
after a great deal of searching I found a commercial source for Rings!!!
More good news-
these rings in various sizes - you can get very fine rings for gauntlets
or very heavy Mail.
Even more good news- you can get rings in various metals- copper, raw
brass, polished brass, nickel silver, and stainless.
Tip- I use Nickel Silver rings. While they cost much more than brass, they
are still cheaper than stainless steel, and nickle silver armour looks
fantastic. However N.S. is harder to work with than galvy.
If you do decide to buy rings feel free to contact me and i'll be happy to
answer your questions.
Misc- I am unsure what machine is actually mills these rings, however if
there was enough of a demand I guess a group could go in together and buy
one..count me in
I have heard of a product called "lacquer Steel" it is supposedly half the
weight of steel, very cheap, and non-rusting anyone have info???
Last... I am very interested in joining the SCA could someone please email
me info much thanks -
Ryan c/o Rogue...@aol.com
tle...@ior.com
>you can, ( bolt cutters are worthless ) then pad the handles ( athletic
>tape pre wrap - yellow foam stuff or old terry type towels wrapped with
>athletic tape) you will still get blisters on your hands and,
> be prepared, if you wear a t-shirt people may call you popeye!:)
> When you start weaving rings buy both needle nose and flat head pliers of
>the spring loaded type ( the spring keeps the pliers open a big help ) A
>company named Mascot sells them.
> Problem - if you cut your own rings youll notice the ends don't but
>absolutely flush- one end is nipped at an angle. Mail from these rings
>tends to "catch" on hair,cloth, skin etc. This is usually not a problem
>for
>a mail vest, but could cause trouble for a coif. But there is another
>way.....
I've never made any mail myself, but rather than cutting the rings with a pair
of hand-clippers, couldn't you "saw" them? The thin cutting wheel on my
dremel tool should be about perfect, makes a cut about a millimeter wide.
Shouldn't be pointy with burrs either. Or how about just ordering a whole
bunch of small lock-washers??? :)
Wood dowell is cheap, could you wrap the wire around a dowell then cut it
with the dremel tool? Who cares if you cut through to the wood.
BTW, how the heck did they cut the rings back in period times?
Lance Day
<much text deleted>
>I've never made any mail myself, but rather than cutting the rings with a pair
>of hand-clippers, couldn't you "saw" them? The thin cutting wheel on my
>dremel tool should be about perfect, makes a cut about a millimeter wide.
>Shouldn't be pointy with burrs either. Or how about just ordering a whole
>bunch of small lock-washers??? :)
>
As a matter of fact; I do use my Dremel tool to cut rings for mail.
The 'regular' cut-off wheels (part#409) are better than the 'heavy-duty'
ones, though. While the heavy-duty wheels last longer (i.e. cut more
rings) the gap left is (in my opinion) too large, causing the ring to
deform from a perfect circle when closed.
I have to say that cutting the rings with the Dremel tool is certainly
a lengthy task; it would most likely go very much faster with clippers.
I just happen to like the finished appearance better.
>
>Wood dowell is cheap, could you wrap the wire around a dowell then cut it
>with the dremel tool? Who cares if you cut through to the wood.
>
Having tried that approach at first, I've found that it's not a great
idea to use a wooden dowel to wrap the rings. After the first 2000
or so rings, the wood dowel starts to deform significantly, so that the
size of your rings starts to drift (they keep getting progressively
smaller) and eventually, it weakens the dowel to the point it breaks
while you're wrapping.
I've found that the best investment here was about $3.00 for two
steel rods, each 3 ft. long.
(I use a 5/16" rod for wrapping 14ga wire for the coat, and
a 1/4" rod for wrapping 16ga wire to make gauntlets.)
Mind you; you'll not want to try to cut the rings while they're
still on the steel rods. Here's where the wooden rods come into play.
Once I've wrapped a coil about 8-10 inches long; I take it off the
steel rod and slip it onto the wooden one (which after the first
few coils has a groove running down the middle where cutoff wheel
did it's thing).
I tip the wooden dowel at about a 45 degree angle, hold the coil of
wire near the top and start cutting from the bottom of the coil.
This way, once the ring has been cut through, it just slides down to
the bottom of the dowel.
The first time I tried using the Dremel tool on the coil of wire
by itself, I found that as soon as the cut-off wheel had neatly
cut through the wire to make a perfectly formed ring, it quickly
grasped the aforementioned ring and flung it across the room at
whatever (whomever) happened to be in the way. Hard.
Oh, and did I mention that as a result of cutting the wire by abrading
it, that the temperature of the ring is raised to a (very) uncomfortable
degree?
Just my tuppence worth...
In service,
Lance (as yet to be named)
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lance W. Day | "... I was lonely, I was lost,
Work: l...@mfltd.co.uk | without my little black box;
Play: ld...@access.digex.net | I pick up the phone and go Execute" -- KaTe
Your User Name
>
>> Other Tips- by several pairs of the largest / strongest diagonal
cutters
>>you can, ( bolt cutters are worthless ) then pad the handles ( athletic
>>tape pre wrap - yellow foam stuff or old terry type towels wrapped with
>>athletic tape) you will still get blisters on your hands and,
>> be prepared, if you wear a t-shirt people may call you popeye!:)
>> When you start weaving rings buy both needle nose and flat head pliers
of
>>the spring loaded type ( the spring keeps the pliers open a big help )
A
>>company named Mascot sells them.
>> Problem - if you cut your own rings youll notice the ends don't but
>>absolutely flush- one end is nipped at an angle. Mail from these rings
>>tends to "catch" on hair,cloth, skin etc. This is usually not a problem
>>for
>>a mail vest, but could cause trouble for a coif. But there is another
>>way.....
>
a pair
>of hand-clippers, couldn't you "saw" them? The thin cutting wheel on my
>dremel tool should be about perfect, makes a cut about a millimeter
wide.
>Shouldn't be pointy with burrs either. Or how about just ordering a
whole
>bunch of small lock-washers??? :)
I asked a friend of mine who make chain mail the same question, his
answer (and he showed me) was that by cutting you leave a gap and it is
hard to get the ends together. You have to make the ring smaller. How he
solves the problem is by not clipping all the way through but instead
making a nip with the clippers and then breaking the ring off.
>
>Wood dowell is cheap, could you wrap the wire around a dowell then cut
it
>with the dremel tool? Who cares if you cut through to the wood.
>
Robert Womble
>BTW, how the heck did they cut the rings back in period times?
>
According to the sources I've read, they chiseled them, flattened the
ends, and then pinned or riveted them together (And you thought WE
spent some time ;-)
Hellspawn
RogueKing2 (rogue...@aol.com) wrote:
: IF YOU PLAN ON CUTTING YOUR OWN RINGS
: If you use galv. wire you can start out with the 100' spools ( about $4)
: they sell at hardware stores ( Truevalue ) as I recall this makes about
: 800-1000 rings. You can also usually ask the store to special order 5
: pound rolls (the brand name is Anchor Wire Corp-Goodleitsville, TN 37072)
: for about $17 / roll.
Up here in Canada (eh?) I've used galv. fence wire, 16 gauge, in 150 ft
rolls for about $5-$6. I haven't yet found a source of larger quantities
or different metals.
: Other Tips- by several pairs of the largest / strongest diagonal cutters
: you can, ( bolt cutters are worthless ) then pad the handles ( athletic
(snip)
A GOOD pair of diagonal cutters run around $10, I can't imagine buying
several pairs. I personally use a hacksaw to cut my rings. I clamp the
coils in my handy-dandy WorkMate (tm) which has a handy grove in the
centre that's V shaped on both sides, kind of like < > and the coils stay
put. Then I use my hacksaw and cut the links, advancing the coil and the
links drop out. Hacksaw blades are MUCH cheaper than wirecutters. I've
even heard of people using a Dremel (sp?) tool with a rotary cutting
blade on it to cut rings.
: Problem - if you cut your own rings youll notice the ends don't but
: absolutely flush- one end is nipped at an angle. Mail from these rings
: tends to "catch" on hair,cloth, skin etc. This is usually not a problem
: for a mail vest, but could cause trouble for a coif. But there is another
: way.....
Sometimes the hacksaw leaves ragged edges and I either use a small round
file that I have, for inner filing, or a larger flat file for outer
edges. Usually a couple quick passes fixes the problem. I've also heard
that the links, once closed, can be dipped into hot solder to seal the
joint. This solves a couple of problems, although I don't know how
strong it would be to impact.
: BUY READY MADE RINGS!!!!
: After making two or three mail suits I became totally frustrated with both
: the process ( Read as: pain in the ass) and the quality of the rings, so
: after a great deal of searching I found a commercial source for Rings!!!
Okay... Where IS this commercial source? When I was looking for sources
a few years ago, I didn't have much luck. I'd like to know where to look.
: Last... I am very interested in joining the SCA could someone please email
: me info much thanks -
That would depend on where you are. I'm in the Canton of Eoforwic, which
is Toronto, Ontario. I'm sure there are others more qualified who can
tell you a source in your area.
: Ryan c/o Rogue...@aol.com
-- Berenger
Berenger Dunn du Foret | "You cannot have a proud and chivalrous
Canton of Eoforic | spirit if your conduct is mean and paltry,
(MKA: Stephen Fox) | for whatever a man's actions are, such
(mel...@cml.com for now) | must be his spirit" -- Demosthenes
--------------------------------------------------------------
: Come play Realms of Despair! telnet://realms.game.org:4000 :
--------------------------------------------------------------
Cynon
>even heard of people using a Dremel (sp?) tool with a rotary cutting
>blade on it to cut rings.
I am making some chain mail out of stainless. Don't know the exact
guage, but I'd guess around 16. I am using a Dremmel and it works
just fine. I can cut a 400+ ring coil in around 40 minutes (or less,
I've never really timmed it).
>: Problem - if you cut your own rings youll notice the ends don't but
>: absolutely flush- one end is nipped at an angle. Mail from these rings
>Sometimes the hacksaw leaves ragged edges and I either use a small round
>file that I have, for inner filing, or a larger flat file for outer
>edges. Usually a couple quick passes fixes the problem. I've also heard
>that the links, once closed, can be dipped into hot solder to seal the
>joint. This solves a couple of problems, although I don't know how
>strong it would be to impact.
The Dremmel takes care of most of the above problems. The cutting
wheels that I use are about $3.50 per each box, with about 35 or so in
each box. I can cut somewhere around 1000 rings per box. Naturally,
you could cut more if you weren't using stainless.
>Okay... Where IS this commercial source? When I was looking for sources
>a few years ago, I didn't have much luck. I'd like to know where to look.
Where to look? I'd like to know also...
Also, for those of you who are on the WWW, there is an interesting
chain mail site called the Apprentice Armorer's Illustrated Handbook
For Making Mail. It contains instructions and illustrations for the 4
in 1 *and* the 6 in 1 patterns. the URL is:
http://www.primenet.com/~johnj/HowtoChain.html
Later-
RogueKing2
You should go to your local reference library and ask to look at their
copy of "Thomas' Registry of Business" which is basicly a listing of every
manufacturing / supplies company in the USA ( by the by this is an
outstanding way to find anything - spread the word- and if anyone finds it
online let me know!!! ). Under the heading of CHAIN-RING!!! look for a
company in your area (most tele. # are listed) and describe the type of
ring you need. In my case, I found a company in my town, made a phone call
, met the salesman and look over his samples. (This company- like many in
the Thomas' list- supplies chain used in dog leashes, rings in jewelry
supply etc... So your best bet is to bring some hand made samples with
you) and two days latter had 20k rings. I ended up buying over 350K rings
of various materials and sizes.
I still have a number of nickel silver and brass rings, if you would like
samples, please email me with your snail mail address.
If you still have trouble locating a source of supply contact me and I
help you out. In addition as I have received several responses concerning
ready made rings, if a group of you went in together on a order you could
probably save significally.
Item : now that I think about it- Rings made from Spring Steel would make
incredible armour!!! but would probably be a knightmare :) to work with (
may require torch work)
KittyBoots
"jewelry" - sorry I don't remember the exact address, but it's free to
use, and I found many sources of springs (now to find out if they will cut
them into rings for me.....)
Purrrrr...........
Kitty...@aol.com
Adam W Whitley
For the best tips on small-guage mail, try to find some
Channellock "308" cutters. Sharp, smooth, and reasonably priced...
Ld. Fujiwara Bushoo, aka Sloth