Solo crafting some heavy metal rings

[dordur]

Materials



The basic materials iwill need are two pliers and rings. since iare making our own rings iwill need additional materials, but Iwill cover that further down. However, there are many points to consider when considering what to use.







Step 1: Choosing the Metal



The metal that the rings will be made from is one of the factors that will determine how strong the armor is in the end. It also determines how expensive and difficult my project will be. The weaker and more pliable the wire is, the weaker the armor will be because thie rings will break easier. Also, the weaker and more pliable the wire is, the easier the rings will be to open and close. Generally, this makes the wire cheaper as well, but not in all cases. Here are the pros and cons of several common Chain Mail metals.







Aluminum:



Aluminum wire is extremely cheap but very weak as well. Aluminum gives a very shiny, silver look when cleaned. Ican also get Anodized Aluminum, which comes in many brilliant colors. If Iare looking to make chain jewelry that does not need to be strong, then this is a good choice because this metal is very light.



Steel:



Steel is generally a happy medium for those who want strength and affordability. ican get Mild, Galvanized, or Stainless steel. Mild steel is strong but has the problem of rusting if not properly cared for. It also has a dull appearance and gives a medieval look. Galvanized steel is cheaper, reasonably strong, but dirty, and it is the most common chainmail metal. Stainless steel is my personal favorite metal for making armor. It is reasonably cheap and very strong and shiny. Plus, it's clean and rust proof. This metal is about 3x heavier than aluminum, a good choice for Functional Armor. Expect a shirt to weight over 10 pounds.



Brass, Copper, and Bronze:



These metals give a penny like appearance and are rather strong. They are all expensive; however, copper is especially expensive. They are all very corrosion resistant, making them another good choice for Functional Armor. These metals are also quite heavy.



Gold and silver:



These metals are extrordinarily expensive and very weak. Obviously, these are not a good choice for armor, but they do make very nice jewelry, although they are ather heavy.

[dordur]

Step 2: Choosing the Gauge
The gauge of the armor is a measurement of how thin the wire or rings are. When wire was made hundreds of years ago, the metal would be put through a gauge machine over and over. The more times it went through, the more fine it became. This measurement is still in use. The higher the gauge, the thinner and weaker the wire. In general, anything 16 gauge and lower is quality armor. 18 to 20 works but is weaker. Anything 22 or higher is very thin and really only good for costume strength chainmail and jewelry. The higher the gauge, the less expensive the wire becomes.



Step 3: Choosing the Size of Ring.

Choose the size (diameter) of ring iwant for our armor. Obviously, the smaller the the diameter of the rings, the longer it will take because iwill need to connect more rings together and the more expensive it becomes because our armor will be more dense. However, the smaller the diameter of the ring the stronger the armor is. Don't get this confused with Gauge; when I say a smaller ring, I mean a smaller diameter of ring, not a thinner ring. I've made Chain Mail shirts with both 3/16 and 5/16 inch ring sizes. These are both good sizes. This is one way to compensate for having weaker metal. By using more rings, iimprove the strength.





[Note]

Because every one ring is attached to 4 other rings. This weave is not very difficult.





Step 4: Making Open Rings

By the nature of the rings, when ibend them closed or open, the ends will start to drift apart. As about half the rings i’m use will be closed, half of them will need to be open to fit into the weave. This means that iare going to have to use the pliers to squeeze the ends of the ring past each other.





Step 5: Making Sets of Five



Now i will take one of the "Open Rings" (The ones from step 4) and thread four "Closed Rings" onto the ring ijust opened. Now close that ring. ishould have four rings attached to one ring. Do this several times.

[dordur]

Step 6: Connecting the Sets of Five into Strands

I‘m going to two of my Sets of Five and lay them out in such a way that the original "Open Ring" is in the middle of the four "Closed Rings." There should be two "Closed Rings" on each side of the "Open Ring."

Step 7: Connecting the Strands

Now, i‘m going to lay two strands next to each other. Take an open ring, and thread it through the overlaps on the edges , connecting them together. I‘ll do this all the way up the strand.

After all this

Step 8: Armpit to Waist to shoulder-straps to neck to sleeves

I‘m going to start by making many more of those strands and connect them together, until we get enough chain material to go from just under the armpit to the waist to the shoulders all the way to neck and sleeves. Next, simply connect the ends together to form a tube.

I‘m going to Make two straps that will go over the shoulders and hold it up. I need to Make sure that you make the rings go in the same direction; otherwise, it won't connect.

Now this is a little tedious. I‘m going make the upper back and the upper chest. Once you put in the sections for the upper back and upper chest, i‘m going to add in rings, one at a time, to make it look neat and well crafted.

For sleeves, i‘ll simply make tubes that can encase your arm. Making sure the rings go in the same direction as the vest so the sleeve and vest will connect. However, i don't expect the arm pit on the sleeve to connect to the armpit on the vest - they won't connect because the rings will be going in different directions. This is unavoidable. I always leave the armpit unconnected. Other people can attempt to connect it as best they can. It keeps it functional but it doesn't look the best.


1090 words 5905 characters