/r/maille

Photograph via snooOG

This is the place to discuss chain maille (aka chain mail)

Info

This is the place to discuss maille (more commonly referred to as chain mail) in all forms including historical armor discussions, crafting discussions, creativity discussions and anything else. We're working on getting etsy shops up and posted for those who are interested. If you have questions, want tutorials or just a place to start, you're home!


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/r/maille

7,579 Subscribers

3

anyone know a good website to order rings in Belgium?

Hi everyone! I’d love to start out with chainmail but i can’t find a good shop / website in my area. Anyone from Belgium / the Netherlands / France on here who knows a good one? I’ve looked at a couple ones but they always have very limited stock or only a couple of options and i can’t find the ring sizes i need. thanks !! :)

1 Comment
2023/09/21
12:34 UTC

6

can you take mail in a domestic flight? (au)

hey im making somthing out of mail for an assignment but im going out for a week in the holidays next week and i wanna work on it over the holidays so can i bring it along? (aluminium btw)

10 Comments
2023/09/19
13:40 UTC

24

does anyone know what this weave is called?

1 Comment
2023/09/17
01:50 UTC

18

Chainmaille board

Just wanted to share the board that my dad handmade for me after I saw one that was on AussieMaille’s website. Absolutely in love with it, it’s beautiful. I feel very lucky.

1 Comment
2023/09/09
04:26 UTC

8

Hi, I’m new here… are there really only a few places that sell scales?

I’m looking for scales to do a small project but I’ve only found like 3 people who sell them. Are they really that hard to find? Is there a reason for this?

7 Comments
2023/09/04
16:33 UTC

5

Order rings

Hi I’m looking for aluminium rings supplier Preferably in Europe or the Netherlands I supplier has stopped

Anyone got the golden tip ?

4 Comments
2023/08/31
05:24 UTC

8

How long until aluminum leaves a residue?

Hi!

Looking into creating my first chainmail piece for a costume and need it to be aluminum due to the weight. However I know aluminum creates a residue that stains fabrics/skin etc, which is a huge problem for my costume that has a lot of white fabric to it. From what I've understood, the option is then to buy anodized aluminum rings, to avoid the residue. However very sadly, they are not available where I live and importing them will be extremly expensive...

That's why I'm wondering: how long does it take for aluminum to start leaving a residue? If I wash it before and after wear (wearing it for a whole day), could I keep it from staining my clothing? Or is the residue too fast?

I believe my only other option is to go with 3D printed chainmail (or some other sort of fake chainmail) which I'd like to avoid as I of course want the real deal.... what should I do?

16 Comments
2023/08/24
08:31 UTC

3

What snips should i get for cutting 16g stainless steel wire?

6 Comments
2023/08/19
21:52 UTC

5

Scale mail suppliers

Hello! I am a fire dancer from New Zealand and im going to try my hand at making a scale mail bra for performance :D However I don't know where to get said scale mail from, I know of theringlord but they are sold out of pretty much everything :( does anyone have any recommendations for me?

Thank you I admire all your beautiful creations <3

5 Comments
2023/08/17
11:25 UTC

3

Pain

I love chainmailing so much but I find my elbows HATE me for doing it. Does anyone have any good stretches and exercises I could do? Anything would be greatly appreciated!

12 Comments
2023/08/16
03:17 UTC

6

TRL has a new quality guarantee 🤔

This should be interesting… Let’s see if that 2% holds now that they’re offering incentives for honesty. 🧐

0 Comments
2023/08/12
23:28 UTC

2

Took a class, super frustrated, wondering if this is the best way to start

Please don't shoot me for asking a 'how to start' question, I know there are a ton on here. I read a bunch about buying supplies and starter kits and such, but I am frustrated about a class I took.

About a week ago, I took a class on how to make a byzantine bracelet. She gave us 2 pairs of bent nose pliers, 2 sets of colors of ~1/8 (maybe 5/32?) rings, and paper instructions. I got a total of about 3 of the byzantine knots done in 2 hours. My daughter was frustrated almost to tears, and just ended up making a simple 1x1 chain to wear as a bracelet.

I tried to work on it some more since I've been home and I haven't managed to make anymore progress.

So what I'm wondering is, is this the best way for a new person to learn and I'm just bad at this, or is there a better method to start out with? Different weave? Different rings? Different pliers?

Any help is much appreciated, even if it's to say that yeah, this is how people start and it's just got a steep learning curve.

35 Comments
2023/08/10
19:53 UTC

5

Help figuring out ring size?

8 Comments
2023/08/09
15:10 UTC

3

Minimum aspect ratio

Hi! I'm new to chainmail and have a question about minimum AR. I see minimum AR listed on places like https://www.chainmailbasket.com/weaves.html and https://www.joshuadiliberto.com/JD_weaveFiles/PATTERNHALFPERSIAN4IN1CHAIN.php and I try to follow the minimum to get a tighter look to the weave I'm trying to do. However I noticed that for half persian 4 in 1 chain the minimum is listed as 4.6 or 4.4 however I thought it still looked kinda loose, so I used 4mm ID on a 1mm thick ring and the weave still works fine. In fact it looks like it can even go a little lower. So am I misunderstanding what minimum AR is supposed to mean?

6 Comments
2023/08/09
11:02 UTC

1

Help cutting rings (beginner)

Hi! I'm very new to chainmail and I'm trying to figure out how to use my wire for rings. I've been using aluminium to start with and since I don't have a saw (ordered one and I'm waiting on it) I'm cutting the wire with flush cutters which has been working fine for up to gauge 12 aluminium. I also used them on gauge 18 copper with a bit more difficulty. Even though the cut of it is a bit ugly it works fine for this learning stage.

I'm out of aluminium right now but I have a bunch of iron, copper and steel wire, but I'm having a really hard time cutting it into usable rings. I made nicks on my flush cutters trying so I thought I need a bulkier tool like a side cutter. I went out to get a bunch of different sizes of side cutter pliers but I find that none of those tools can cut the iron or steel, which are 18 gauge+. The only one that worked was a really big side cutter, and only on the bottom part of the edge can I cut it, which is too large to get on the inside of the ring coil. The other smaller side cutters I can squeeze as hard as I can and they only make a dent in the wire and can't actually snap it cleanly like flush cutters can on weaker metal.

The cutters I've been trying to use are pretty much all the ones on this page - https://www.biltema.no/en-no/search-page/?query=side%20cutter just regular cutters.

Am I doing something wrong or is it normal that these tools are useless for cutting these hard metals? I saw people do it fine in youtube videos so I can't help but wonder if something's wrong with my technique or tools. I'm also worried that if steel and iron are so hard that the sawblades I've ordered won't cut it either. I've ordered blades number 2 and 3 to handle 12 to 18 gauge. Should these be able to cut steel of the appropriate gauge? I'd really appreciate any advice and tips you can offer me!

TL;DR: I can't figure out cutting steel with plier cutters like flush or side cutters. Will a number 2 or 3 sawblade on a jeweler's saw be able to cut through 18 gauge stainless steel? Any other advice also welcome.

11 Comments
2023/08/09
09:00 UTC

3

What do you think about Ringmaille from The Bordo Show?

I checked out this YouTuber from Georgia 🇬🇪 and he found a way to use flat washers and a little bit of chain link wire. He does other things other than maille. Here's the link to his channel.

https://youtu.be/hRYPq3Jr6Jk

I'm thinking about giving it a try.

1 Comment
2023/08/08
00:57 UTC

10

Hey guys, How long would it take to make this but a little longer? Would it really be 6 months? I'm new to the craft but pick up things quickly. It would be for a costume.

44 Comments
2023/08/06
05:39 UTC

2

Knipex Cutters

I'm finally getting a new wire cutter and I'm not sure which one I want. I know it's one of the Knipex cutters, but I'm not sure if I should get the #71-12-200, #71-32-200 (its the same as the 12, but has a open notch at the back of the cutting blades for larger wire), or maybe even the angled #71-22-200.

Any advice from those experienced with these cutters?

3 Comments
2023/08/05
16:58 UTC

20

I made a little gauntlet cuff thingy

The ring part is a helm chain, the bracelet is a box chain, and the diamond is European 4 in 1

3 Comments
2023/08/02
19:15 UTC

2

Time and cost for a set of chainmail

Hello! I play in a table top RPG game set in modern times where I play a blacksmith. I'm planning on having her forge her first set of armour rather than just weapons and art pieces but I need to know the approximate cost and manhours it would take for one person to forge a set of riveted chainmail for a 6 foot tall muscular fighter.

8 Comments
2023/08/02
17:27 UTC

3

Just starting

I just had a question. I ordered a tutorial but can't open till I get my computer so won't find out with that & I ordered the chainmail joe complete tutorial collection just don't know what basic few sizes or AR to purchase so I can start once I get the book. Thank you!!! Examples of like to learn first European 4 in 1, helm chain, round mail, & vipera berus.

1 Comment
2023/08/02
16:40 UTC

1

Source for Rivet and solid rings

0 Comments
2023/07/30
23:23 UTC

4

Questions on selling

I am helping a friend sell some things but this is a bit out of my wheelhouse. She has some rings and pliers that we were thinking of just listing on Marketplace due to the weight but even after doing some research we aren’t sure exactly what we have and aren’t sure what a fair price would be. The smaller bags Indicate that they are Brass 14g 3/8 but we aren’t sure about the silver colored rings, but we have 8.9 lbs of those. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

7 Comments
2023/07/30
16:13 UTC

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