I’m sure you know chainmail well, which is mostly seen in armor form or maybe from the Lord of the Rings movies. What you may not know is that chainmail, also known as mail, chainmail, or chainmail can do many other things besides amour. You can make jewelry (bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings), clothing (bikini tops, belts, shirts, ties), art, and much more from very small to fairly large rings in stainless steel, aluminum, sterling silver, copper, bronze. . and even gold. Chainmail isn’t just for armor nowadays. Your age, education, or income don’t matter. All it takes is the willingness to learn a new skill and the patience to practice. In four easy steps, I’ll show you the basics and how to get started today with little to no experience.

1. The building blocks of Chainmail – Rings

Almost all chain mail wears rings. Mainly metal rings, but they can also be found in plastic and rubber. A ring, or in the jewelry industry, a jump ring, is simply a loop of wire that forms a ring generally butt-attached. The wire is wound around a mandrel, a long metal rod, on a coil. The coil is then removed and the rings are individually cut from the coil.

There are four basic parts of a ring:

  • Indicator – the diameter of the wire used to make a ring
  • Inside diameter (ID) – the distance inside a ring excluding its gauge
  • Aspect ratio (AR) – the ID divided by the indicator, both in decimal form (eg 25 “instead of 1/4”)
  • court – type of cut that occurs when cutting a ring from a coil. Cuts are pinch, sheer, machine or saw cut.

When referring to a ring, you only need to indicate two parts, gauge and inside diameter (ID). For example, if you need a 1/4 “18 gauge ring in the SWG system, the preferred method of specifying the ring is 1/4” – 18SWG. This gives you all the information you need to describe the ring.

Most people use this method to some extent, whether they specify the indicator first or last, or specify the indicator as a decimal in inches or millimeters. You have to be careful because many people and websites do not specify the measurement system or if they use a decimal, they do not always specify if it is in inches or millimeters. Better to buy a cheap gauge and measure the thickness of the wire yourself and then find the appropriate gauge in decimal form if you are unsure.

Indicator is the thickness or diameter of a piece of wire. The smaller the gauge number, the thicker the wire or the wider the diameter. There are three main types of wire gauge measurements; British Imperial (SWG), American or Brown and Sharp (AWG) and Metric AWG.

Inside diameter (ID) is the diameter of the ring measured inside from side to side when closed. Wire gauge is not part of identification. If a project requires a 5/16 “ring, it means that the inside diameter of the ring, when measured across the width, is approximately 5/16”. Upon because most metals when wound onto a mandrel and then pulled back, “jump” back to some extent by slightly widening the ID. The size of the ring is taken from the diameter of the soul used to wind the wire to make the rings and not the actual diameter after elastic recovery.

Aspect ratio is the ratio of the inside diameter divided by the gauge, in decimal form. Make sure both bore and gauge are in decimal form and both are specified in inches or millimeters. This becomes a “dimensionless” number. It gives you a number that represents the gauge compared to the inside diameter, which helps determine how to size the rings up or down for a given project that was made in another ring size.

court It is the type of cut that occurs in the ring when it is cut from a coil. Tea pinch cut it looks like this,> <. This type of cutting is usually produced from hand tools such as a wire cutter. Tea shear cut produces a diagonal cut, //, but the ends do not fit perfectly and the rings sometimes deform during cutting. FOR machine cut It is made by a machine that is made to roll and cut rings. The cut is usually a combination of the pinch and shear cut. Tea Saw cut It is made with a saw that cuts rings. This is the best cut as the ends line up flush and produce the best ring closure. It is also the most expensive type of ring to buy.

The material of your rings is important. Most rings are metal and come in a wide selection including aluminum, stainless steel, gold or silver, titanium, and more. The choice of ring material will depend on your budget, the project you are undertaking, and availability. Bright aluminum is easy to work with, while stainless steel can quickly wear down your hands if you’re not used to it.

Tools of the Trade: Pliers, Pliers, Pliers!

For the most part, the only tools you’ll need to knit rings are a pair of pliers. You will hold one in each hand to open and close rings along with weaving them into your project. The size and type of pliers depend on your preference, the size of the rings you are using, the project, and the metal of the rings. Pliers come in a variety of types; flat nose, angled flat nose, linesman and others.

Each type has a different purpose in chaining. Flat noses are good for rings that should be scratched as little as possible, such as silver or gold. The linesman is great for beginners as it has teeth that help hold the rings but can also scratch them. Angled flat nose pliers are ideal for small rings when making jewelry. Pliers also come in different sizes. For 1/4 “or larger ID rings, you may want to use a 6” or 8 “pair of pliers, but for smaller rings, the 4” hobby pliers work well.

Buy or make your own rings?

Obviously you need rings for the chainmail. Buying or making your own has always been a hot topic among chain logs. Making your own rings can be much cheaper, but you have to buy the wire, roll it up, and then cut each individual ring. This takes time and effort and often requires you to build your own winding “template.”

Or you can buy pre-cut rings. It’s more expensive, but it gives you the luxury of starting chain work right away without the hassle or time of making and cutting your own rings. I highly recommended You start out by buying rings if you are new to chaining. Why? First, you can get started right away and most of us, when looking for a new hobby, want to get started quickly. And secondly, if you find that chain mail isn’t for you, you haven’t wasted your time, effort, or money making your own rings before you start sending.

There are many places on the Internet where you can buy rings. Two places that I highly recommend are:

  • The Lord of the Ring (http://www.theringlord.com) – without exception, they have the largest selection of ring sizes, materials, cut types, and supplies than anyone else
  • The Mithril Armory (http://www.mithralarmoury.com) – They have a smaller selection of metals and rings, but they have an affordable selection of shiny aluminum rings. Shiny aluminum rings hardly fog up, are lightweight, cheap, and a good choice for beginners.

Fabrics: the key to chain mailing

Weaves are the basic building blocks of the chain. They come in several different families; European, Japanese, Persian, and Hybrids, to name just a few. The easiest for a beginner to learn is known as European 4-in-1. If you’ve seen chainmail before, it was probably a variation on a European fabric.

4 in 1 means that each ring in the pattern goes through four other rings. If the ring you are adding goes through two rings in the existing pattern, then it must go through two new rings as well, one ring for a total of four others. If the ring you are adding goes through three rings in the existing pattern then it must go through a new ring as well, again one ring through four others.

There are many variations of the European (euro) standard. For example, Euro 6 in 1; each ring in the pattern goes through six others. This produces a denser weave than Euro 4 in 1. Or Kingsmaile, which is European 4 in 1 but each ring is doubled.

Euro 4-in-1 works well on an AR of 4, but works between 3.2 and 5. Suggested ring sizes are 3/16 “-18swg, 1/4” -16swg, and 5/16 “-16swg. Best Use this fabric as a starting point for learning how to make chainmail. It’s a great, versatile and simple fabric for beginners. Other fabrics can be difficult to start and often put off beginners.

conclusion

Those are the basics to start chain work. Know the parts of a ring, the tools you need, where to buy or make your own rings, and what fabric to start with, and you’ve got the basics. Then a good source of images or 3D images on how to knit Euro 4 in 1 will be invaluable. Happy shipping!