Today we’ll be covering the basics of chainmail. This article shall go into basic supplies and techniques that we can build on later.
Supplies
The minimal list of things that you will need are:
- Rings
- Two pairs of chain nose pliers
Pretty simple, wouldn’t you say?
Pliers
Just about any pair that can grip the rings will do for weaving chainmail.
The received the pliers I use at a seminar at Gencon, so you don’t really need to get anything expensive.
Rings
We’ll be working with aluminum jump rings. The sizes will vary by purpose, but I recommend starting with 16 gauge 5/16″ anodized aluminum rings. They are terribly easy to work with as they bend easily, and are large enough to avoid many difficulties. I buy the jump rings from The Ring Lord, as their prices beat anything local I can find, provided you don’t mind waiting for delivery. The color doesn’t matter, so take your pick. In this exercise, I use red and gold rings.
Weaving
The first thing you need to do is open a ring. You’ll notice, that when looking at a fresh ring, is that the two ends don’t line up completely. A common mistake is to just pull the rings straight apart.
This could ruin the shape of the ring, as the ring may never bend back correctly. It also puts stress on the opposite side of the ring, much like twisting a paperclip. If you bend it too much, it’ll snap.
What you should do, instead, is twist the rings open, pulling one side towards you, and the other away from you. This reduces the strain on the ring, and keeps it in a nice circular shape.
Once you have the first ring open, you just need to slip it through a ring that’s completely closed. As I mentioned, an untouched ring probably isn’t completely closed. To close a ring, hold it with the two pairs of pliers, as if you were going to pull it open, and instead pull them closed. After slipping the open ring through the closed ring, just do the same to close it off.
From here, you just need to open a ring, slip it through an end ring of the existing chain, and close it. Repeat this process to create a chain of however long you want.
And we’re done! Next time we’ll go further in-depth with a weave that’s a little more intricate, and a ton cooler.