Any chainmail makers here?

Started by Captain Maltese, December 13, 2008, 08:51:02 PM

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Captain Maltese

I don't suppose there would be anyone at Elli that makes chainmail for sale?


I'd also like to hear from anyone here who have experience with chainmail; either using and/or buying it.

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Vekseid

I've used it, I had many friends at school who made it and even tested it, but do not make it myself sadly.

Captain Maltese

At the moment I'm surfing by-the-sword's website; what bothers me at the moment is not so much type - I'm short, a hauberkeon or byrnie is what I want, and it works best with the roman centurion/viking/medieval footsoldier costumes I have in mind - but whether I should go for steel, mild steel, stainless steel, zincplated steel or aluminium, and whether I want riveted or butted rings. Price is one thing; I'm a costume fanatic with no actual use for any chainmail at the moment so I don't know how solid I want it - I just want it to be as real-looking as possible. I do own a coif though, and have been both larper and military reenactor.

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Vekseid

Rivetted is stronger, and technically more authentic - butted rings are generally knitted together using pliers, and I understand was used as a sort of field repair for armor. As far as I know the specific techniques used to rapidly weld or rivet mail have been lost, but they sure as hell did it and did it fast and in great quantity.

The only materials my friends worked with was steel, stainless steel, and copper - lots of random artistic pieces. I've been told that aluminum feels magically light in comparison, however. While you might be tempted to get plain steel, keep in mind you need to take care of it - you will really want to consider aluminum, stainless steel or something that's been plated, even if it may look a bit different and isn't as protective unless you really want 'the real thing'.

An important thing to keep in mind that the length of the hauberk was actually critical to its protection - weighed down links have a lot of inertia to protect the wearer with. There was an excavation of a battle in Spain, I think the injury report was something like 80% legs, 15% shoulder, and every other possible injury taking up that remaining slice. It was quite an eye opener about a number of facts, I need to find it again...

Captain Maltese

The vikings aimed mostly for the legs, too, according to finds. Makes a lot of sense; it would be the area hardest to protect while maintaining mobility.


And yeah, I can't sleep - it's half past five am here now.

My coif is almost identical to this one; http://www.spqr.se/?gclid=CMaaoM2Xv5cCFc0a3godmEYzRw According to the text it's riveted, untreated feather steel. It FEELS very good to wear, and looks durable and autentic to me. This is butted, right?

I lent someone the coif once and as usual when I lend out something I get it damaged back....part of the coif was brown. I used wd-40 on it and then washed it in green soap, and now it looks good again - so I presume mine is plain steel.

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Vekseid

I couldn't find a coif on that site, though the aventail here is riveted:

http://www.spqr.se/medeval_helm_25.shtml

Notice the actual rivets are used to close the links.

http://kerrarmourers.com/Armour/Mail/buttedmail_largeimage.html

This is butted - nothing special holding the links closed besides the strength of the rest of the ring material.

Stainless steel and other treatments are usually shinier or whiter than that, yes. I can't read Swedish so I don't know what it says >_>

Captain Maltese

Meh. I don't like the look of the riveted rings; they ooze of modern manufacture. So it's butted until I get a good reason to prefer solidity to realism. And bythesword warns that butted aluminium mailles are so weak that the rings just slide apart if they take a hit - those mailles 'are for decoration only. So I guess it's down to coated or uncoated steel or stainless steel, and bugger the weight - I'm not Strong but I'm no weakling either. A proper backpack for a several-weeks camping trip easily weighs 40 pounds and I used to be able to handle that, and my package plus assault rifle in the army was 60. I'll handle a 20 pound maille.

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Captain Maltese

Quote from: Vekseid on December 13, 2008, 11:00:24 PM
I couldn't find a coif on that site, though the aventail here is riveted:

http://www.spqr.se/medeval_helm_25.shtml

Notice the actual rivets are used to close the links.

http://kerrarmourers.com/Armour/Mail/buttedmail_largeimage.html

This is butted - nothing special holding the links closed besides the strength of the rest of the ring material.

Stainless steel and other treatments are usually shinier or whiter than that, yes. I can't read Swedish so I don't know what it says >_>


Looks like it is down to just untreated steel then - I love LotR but not so much that I want a 'Mithril' shirt ;D My favorite is Gimli anyway....


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Vekseid

Quote from: Captain Calico on December 13, 2008, 11:00:44 PM
Meh. I don't like the look of the riveted rings; they ooze of modern manufacture. So it's butted until I get a good reason to prefer solidity to realism. And bythesword warns that butted aluminium mailles are so weak that the rings just slide apart if they take a hit - those mailles 'are for decoration only. So I guess it's down to coated or uncoated steel or stainless steel, and bugger the weight - I'm not Strong but I'm no weakling either. A proper backpack for a several-weeks camping trip easily weighs 40 pounds and I used to be able to handle that, and my package plus assault rifle in the army was 60. I'll handle a 20 pound maille.

A full maille suit weighs about 40-45 pounds or so.

As I mentioned, riveted mail is the historically accurate model. However modern you may think it oozes, people were not stupid :-p

Captain Maltese

The SPQR website cites 240 USD for a haubergeon in untreated steel, large size...plus shipping from Sweden of course. I Bythesword asks 164.  thought it would be worse, actually. It's still a lot of money for a costume item. I was sort of hoping for someone selling off cheap homemade ones here, though....but then it's a lot of work to make one ;D

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Captain Maltese

Quote from: Vekseid on December 13, 2008, 11:04:25 PM
A full maille suit weighs about 40-45 pounds or so.

As I mentioned, riveted mail is the historically accurate model. However modern you may think it oozes, people were not stupid :-p

Yeah, the rivets make sense and I'd go for it if they were riveted in the old way; like the butted only that the ends overlapped and were banged together.

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Vekseid

Quote from: Captain Calico on December 13, 2008, 11:10:53 PM
The SPQR website cites 240 USD for a haubergeon in untreated steel, large size...plus shipping from Sweden of course. I Bythesword asks 164.  thought it would be worse, actually. It's still a lot of money for a costume item. I was sort of hoping for someone selling off cheap homemade ones here, though....but then it's a lot of work to make one ;D

There might be, this thread hasn't been up long.

Captain Maltese

Hmmm...that Kerr Armourers website seemd definite about butted maille being historically inaccurate and too weak for actual combat. I may have to go for rivets after all. Then it's either flat ring or round ring. Ack!

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Captain Maltese

...the Kerrs claim that flat-riveted is period-appropriate for fourteenth century or so. While that works well for the medieval footsoldier it's wrong for vikings, romans and the soldiers of the Byzantine Empire. Then again it's apparently the best armor safetywise. Still undecided  :(

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Captain Maltese

*sigh* looks like it will come down to price. A riveted haubergeon, flat ring or not, is twice as expensive at least as butted, starting at 450 usd - and that is at the cheapest place. So it'll be a costume only, being butted...should I just look for something cheap, knitted and spraypainted like they do in movies? Or RUBBER?*groans*

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Oniya

I might be able to get some info from my housemate, who worked the Ren Faire this summer at a chain mail vendor.  He's not going to be in until very late, though, so it might be a day or two before I actually see him to ask.
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Captain Maltese

Quote from: Oniya on December 14, 2008, 12:23:50 PM
I might be able to get some info from my housemate, who worked the Ren Faire this summer at a chain mail vendor.  He's not going to be in until very late, though, so it might be a day or two before I actually see him to ask.


That would be great, and I am that much patient ยจ;D

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Paradox

Remember Elvi?

She and her lover were part of a company that made custom pieces of chainmail and other sorts of armor. Hunt down her profile and send her an email!


"More than ever, the creation of the ridiculous is almost impossible because of the competition it receives from reality."-Robert A. Baker

Captain Maltese

Quote from: Paradox on December 14, 2008, 04:25:51 PM
Remember Elvi?

She and her lover were part of a company that made custom pieces of chainmail and other sorts of armor. Hunt down her profile and send her an email!

I'm not entirely sure that she'd like to hear from me, for business or anything else :(

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Captain Maltese

#19
My coif. Apparently butted steel rings; I'm not skilled enough to say if it is mild steel or spring steel.

The face opening is too small for my taste. Would it be a bad mistake to remove a line of rings on each vertical side of the face? Also I'm unsure if the edge of my chin really is supposed to be covered, or if the opening is too small downward too? I can hardly pull it downward.




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Hellis

if you can hadly pull it over your head it is probboly to small yes. The opening for the face could stand to be larger aswell.

Captain Maltese

The problem is the face opening. I can get the coif over the head even with a woolen cap under, so it isn't that small.

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Mathim

That stuff looks kinda neat. I might consider getting some of that to wear on certain parts of my body when I go Airsoft Shooting with my friends. Around the head and neck would be cool, so my ears and back of my head and neck would be protected where my mask and goggles couldn't reach.
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Captain Maltese

Quote from: Mathim on December 15, 2008, 04:18:39 PM
That stuff looks kinda neat. I might consider getting some of that to wear on certain parts of my body when I go Airsoft Shooting with my friends. Around the head and neck would be cool, so my ears and back of my head and neck would be protected where my mask and goggles couldn't reach.


You'll need a mesh with smaller rings. These are 10mm and even when chained they'll let a 6mm ball through.

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Mathim

Quote from: Captain Calico on December 15, 2008, 04:29:35 PM

You'll need a mesh with smaller rings. These are 10mm and even when chained they'll let a 6mm ball through.

Well yeah but I've seen some that wouldn't let anything through. History class and stuff. Unless I got shot with an arrow, LOL. Does it get super-hot wearing that stuff?
Considering a permanent retirement from Elliquiy, but you can find me on Blue Moon (under the same username).