Chainmaille
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Ah chainmaille, the ancient art of creating armor from small metal rings. It was used mainly in the times of medieval England, practiced throughout Europe and
parts of Asia as a lightweight, tightly-fitting guard against slashes and cuts. It was no use against blunt weapons or a forceful jab, but a slight prick or stab or a grazing slash was usually deflected.Weaves
Chainmaille comes in several varieties, known as "weaves," which greatly alter it's appearances and properties. Some weaves are loose and open, fitting almost anyone within a certain parameters, while others are so stiff and dense that only a select few meet the size requirements needed to wear it. An example of each of these are some of the most common weaves, called European 4-in-1 and European 6-in-1. As the name implies, in European 4-in-1 every ring is connected to four other rings, and in European 6-in-1 every ring is conencted to six other rings. As you might suspsect, the European 6-in-1 is more dense than the European 4-in-1, and therefore offers more protection but is more stiff. Thus there is this ever-existing trade-off between protection and wearability, the lighter and easier to wear it is the less protection it offers, and vice versa.
There are many many more weaves, some of which were made up by modern enthusiasts. For a very thorough listing of these weaves visit www.MailArtisans.org and go to their "weaves" section.
Projects
There are more things than simple armor that can be made from chainmaille, many enthusiasts have been known to make items such as bras, g-strings, candle holders, mousepads, ties, suits, model houses, butcher gloves, and small flower-like trinkets for use as keychains. The possibilities are bound only be one's imagination, so have fun and be patient, and remember everything takes practice.
