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Chain Maille
OK, ready to get obsessive... have strong hands and lots of time in front
of the TV? Consider making your own maille. If you're
looking for shortcuts, head to Chain Maille Cheats.
Please feel free to contribute articles, tips and pictures! We're
not going to teach you everything here... but we're going to give you tips
and show you where to go on the web to pick up a new addiction.
Index on Chain Maille
LOTR Maille Patterns | Making PVC Maille | Chain Maille Cheats | Link Materials | Tools | Making Metal Rings | Pattern Making | Aging Maille | Tips
Maille is a flexible armor made of interlocking rings of metal wire. It
is also called chainmail, chainmaille, chain mail, and many combinations
thereof, but the most proper name for this substance is 'maille'.
There are many different patterns, or 'weaves' of maille, the most
popular being 4-in-1. This means that every ring is connected by four
others. This weave and it's variants (6-in-1 and the 8-in-1), are
generically classified as 'european' weaves. The european family of weaves
is the most commonly known and also the easiest to create, and therefore
most of the maille seen in the Lord of the Rings movies will be european
weaves.
Maille is measured by two distances. The ID, or internal diameter,
is the measurement across the hole in the middle of the ring, like taking
the diameter of a hole in a donut. The other measurement is the gauge,
or thickness of the wire used to make the ring, as if you were to measure
the thickness of a donut itself. These measurements are important to the
look and weight of the maille, and (if necessary) it's actual strength as
armor. Smaller ID's and/or larger gauges make the pattern more dense, and
thus protect more of the body. They look much better, but are much heavier.
For costume purposes, go for aluminum (dull is prettier but bright alu is
cleaner, your call). It's much lighter than other materials and this will
make it easier to wear during those ten hour trilogy movie marathons. The
strength depends a bit on the alloy, but a 16 gauge 3/8" alu ring should
generally do the trick.
Aragorn and Boromir's maille shirts are both made in this manner, as it
is the most common. Larger ID's and/or smaller gauges can make the maille
much lighter, but at the expense of both protection and the visual appeal of
the maille itself. The pinnacle of the mailler's (maille-maker's) art,
however, is to use a small ID in conjunction with a small gauge, giving
small, tightly woven rings. Frodo's mithril shirt is made in this manner.
== Seamboat & JB
- The Chainmaille Board
- The Chainmail Connections
- The Ring Lord
- Butted Mail / Tailoring - how to
- Derakon's library
- Legio XX Onine Handbook
- Building Frodo's Maille and acid-etching the aluminum
When you order rings, they usually come 'raw', meaning they are half
closed. Ring suppliers tend to have how-to sections on their pages. These
range from basic to very helpful.
It is usually ok to ask a ring supplier for a sample. Most have free
samples or give discounts on your next order with a sample. You really want
to know if you like the rings before you get a few thousand of them.
Most ring sellers will calculate how many rings you need if it means they
earn your business, but be sure to include enough information for them to
work with. Also, ring suppliers know their materials best so most of them
have a list of best rings for a purpose, which makes it easier to pick a
ring size.
- The Ring Lord
- Lord Charles of DC Wireworks
- (www.dcwireworks.com).
- US-based.
- Wide selection of materials, pinch (hand cutter) cuts but very
good cuts with very little pinch. Saw cuts available on silver and
gold filled rings.
- Good customer service. This is the guy who created the
Chainmaille Board,
one of the leading forums for maille makers.
- Miron's Maille Manufactory
- www.chainmailman.com
- US-based.
- Saw cut rings only. Limited selection of materials due to cutting
method. Very helpful and friendly.
- Chainmaille fashions.
- Rosco
- Zunft van Alders
- Annic Malienwerkplaats
- larp.nl
- Dutch LRP supplier
- carries different kinds of rings.
- Reseller, some maille specific knowledge available.
- Very friendly and enthusiastic.
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LOTR Maille Patterns | Making PVC Maille | Chain Maille Cheats | Link Materials | Tools | Making Metal Rings | Pattern Making | Aging Maille | Tips
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This page was last updated
04/22/08
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