You can use several methods for weaving chain mail with your own hands, but this workshop will be based on the European 4-in-1 option . The creation of the product takes place in several stages: preparation of materials, manufacturing of rings, weaving of the base and manufacturing of a shirt. There are two options for making chain mail armor. A cheaper , but time consuming way is to make the rings yourself. Faster, but more expensive - order them on a specialized site.
Materials for making chain mail
Before you make chain mail with your own hands, you should prepare the basic materials: pliers and rings. If you make your own rings, additional materials will be required. First you need to choose the right metal from which they will be made - this is one of the main factors affecting the strength of the armor. The choice of material affects the cost and complexity of the project. The thinner and more pliable the wire from which the rings will be made, the easier it is to bend them and the easier it is to break the chain mail.
Pros and cons of several chain mail metals
The most popular materials for making rings: aluminum, steel, brass and titanium. In rare cases, gold and silver. To choose the right metal, you need to take into account its main properties:
- Aluminum wire. This is very cheap , but also very malleable material. It gives the chain mail a shiny, silver color. If you are looking for metal to make armor for decoration, then this is a good choice, because aluminum is very light . From it you can make chain mail for a child with your own hands.
- Steel. The best option for those who want to make chain mail with their own hands and get a durable product at an affordable price. You can make chain mail from mild, galvanized or stainless steel. Mild steel is quite strong, but it can rust if chain mail is not properly taken care of. She gives the product a medieval look. Galvanized steel is cheaper, quite durable , but looks like the most ordinary chain mail made of metal. Stainless steel is one of the best options for making armor. It is cheap , but very strong and shiny. Plus, this metal is clean and does not corrode.
- Brass, copper, and bronze. Very expensive metals, but they are resistant to corrosion, which makes them an excellent choice for functional armor. These materials are quite heavy .
- Titanium. Very durable and great for armor. It can also be purchased in various colors. The disadvantage of this metal is its high cost and the fact that it is difficult to bend.
How to choose a ring size
The smaller the diameter of the ring, the more time it will take to assemble the chain mail with your own hands, because you will need to connect a lot more rings together. The item will become more expensive because your armor will be denser. With a smaller diameter, the armor is stronger. Small diameter rings are one way to compensate for weak metal. With the help of several rings you will improve the strength of the product. For their manufacture, a special device is used, consisting of a wooden base and a rod, to which a drill is attached. With its help, a metal wire is wound on a rod in the form of a spiral, and then cut into separate rings.
Chain Weaving Method
To create our own chain mail, we will use the European 4-in-1 method : half of the rings should be open, and half should be closed. The ends of the rings should be flush. First you need to take an open ring and put on it four closed ones, and then close the ends. At the next stage, two open rings of these four are put on one open, two more closed are added, the ends are closed. Thus, weaving continues until a chain of the desired length is obtained. Then the extreme two rings are put on an open ring, two more closed rings are added to them and the ends are closed. Weaving continues until a fragment of chain mail is obtained.
Chain Mail Assembly
There are two options for how to make several of these parts of the canvas: horizontal and vertical. In the first embodiment, two pairs of adjacent rings are connected by one open ring. All subsequent rings in a column are fastened in the same way. The same method is used to connect the parts vertically, but the workpieces are aligned on the short side.
To make chain mail with your own hands, you need to know what size part you need to make. To do this, take measurements: measure the distance from the armpit to the waist, from the armpit to the armpit, calculate the length of the strapless and the size of the hole for the neck. The sleeve and skirt sizes are calculated separately. According to these measurements patterns are made and chain-mail parts are made.