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How to Make Chain Mail Armor from Startto Finish

This article is a guide for making Chainmail Armor from start (simple wire) to finish (a finished chainmailshirt). We will e using the !uropean " in # wea$e% as this is the most common wea$e. This is the wea$ethat &ou usuall& see in mo$ies.

There are several sections to this guide: Materials, Making the Rings, Weaving the Rings, and Making the

shirt.

There are two ways to go about making chainmail armor. The cheaper but more time consuming method

is to make the rings yourself. The quicker, but more expensive way is to order the metal rings online from

a site such asThe Ring Lord.If you choose to get your rings pre-made, then you can skip the second

section of this guide, "Making the Rings." Whichever method you choose, I hope you enjoy this guide.

If you have any questions, ask in the comments section and I will try my best to answer them!

Also, at the end of the guide, I have a few alternate ideas for making chainmail. Check them out!

Materials

The basic materials you need are two pliers and rings. If you are making your own rings you will need

additional materials, but I will cover that further down in the guide. However, there are many points to

consider when considering what to use.

First we have the wire (or ring). Here are several points to consider while choosing.
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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 your project will be. The weaker and more

pliable the wire is, the weaker the armor will be because the 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 (I made a chain vest with only thirty five dollars out of

Aluminum) but very weak as well. Aluminum gives a very shiny, silver look when cleaned. ou can also get

Anodi!ed Aluminum, which comes in many brilliant colors. If you are looking to make costume armor or chain

"ewelry that does not need to be strong, then this is a good choice because this metal is very light.

#teel: #teel is generally a happy medium for those who want strength and affordability. ou can get $ild,

%alvani!ed, or #tainless steel. $ild 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. %alvani!ed steel is cheaper, reasonably strong, but dirty,

and it is the most common chainmail metal. #tainless steel is my personal favorite metal for making armor. It isreasonably cheap and very strong and shiny. &lus, it's clean and rust proof. ou can buy this with a black

magnatite coating if you want a different look. his metal is about x heavier than aluminum, a good choice for

*unctional Armor. +xpect a shirt to weight over - pounds.

rass, /opper, and ron!e: hese metals give a penny like appearance and are rather strong. hey are all

expensive0 however, copper is especially expensive. hey are all very corrosion resistant, making them another

good choice for *unctional Armor. hese metals are also 1uite heavy.

itanium: itanium is very strong. It is a wonderful metal for armor. It can be bought in variious colors as well.

he pros to this metal is that it has almost unparralelled strength and will make super armor. he cons are that

it is rather expensive and difficult to bend. his $etal is also pretty light.

%old and silver: hese metals are extrordinarily expensive and very weak. 2bviously, these are not a good

choice for armor, but they do make very nice "ewelry, although they are ather heavy.

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, thethinner 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 you want for your armor. Obviously, the smaller the the diameter of the

rings, the longer it will take because you will need to connect more rings together and the more expensive

it becomes because your armor will be more dense. However, the smaller the diameter of the ring thestronger 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.


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These are both good sizes. This is one way to compensate for having weaker metal. By using more rings,

you improve the strength.

Tips

I am currently making a shirt with 345 inch, 5 gauge, spring temper stainless steel rings. his shirt is very

strong. If you want a nice, cool looking, strong shirt, these are good specs.

/heck outtheringlord.comfor more information on the individual metals. hey also include armor ratings for

each of the individual gauges and metals. +ven if you don't buy from them, this is a good resource to get more

information.

Warnings

If you are making costume strength armor and plan to use a high gauge and weak metal, make sure it is strong

enough to hold its own weight. 2ther wise the shoulders might start opening due to the shirt's own weight

dragging it down.

Step 4: Choosing Pliers

You need to have two pliers at minimum to actually weave the Chainmail. I prefer to use medium size, flat

nose, craftsmanpliers with no teeth at the tip. Teeth aren't really a problem except they scratch the rings

and start to bend out of shape due to the heavy usage you will be putting them through. But don't feel that

you need to buy brand new tools for this project; really, any old pliers will do.

Tips

If you are going to buy pliers, /raftsman pliers are a good choice because all craftsman tools have a lifetimewarranty. #o if you ever break them from heavy usage, then "ust get them replaced for free6

If you are using lower gauges and stronger metal then the rings will be difficult to bend open and closed. After
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a while this can start to hurt your hands because of all the pressure put on them. I like to get some lengths of

soft cloth, any old material will do, and wrap them around the pliers' handles to make them more padded and

comfortable.

#ome $ailers like to use a pair of needle nose pliers to help thread the rings together. his becomes necessary

if you use a very tight weave with small rings.

Warnings

If you are making armor for a group like #/A, or 7A8& or A$&%A89 or any such roleplaying group, check

with the people in charge before you buy your supplies. $any times they have specifications on how thick the

gauge must be, or what kinds of metal it has to be made of. It is always a drag to spend countless hours making

a shirt only to find out that it doesn't fit the 1ualifications and can't be used. his has happened to me. #o be

sure to check6

Step 5: Making Rings

If you plan to make your own rings from wire, then progress to the next section and I will cover how to do

this and what materials you need. If you already have your rings all set, then carry on to the third section,

"Weaving the Rings."

Making the Rings

This section will teach you to make rings from wire. The basic idea is to wrap the wire around a metal rod,

making a coil. One then cuts the coil down the length to make rings of wire. However, this gets very

difficult if you do it by hand. I have found a simple set up that is very easy to create that really speeds up

the process.

Step 6: Get the Materials

These are the materials you need for creating and operating the set up.

an inch, by ;, piece of wood. (he ase)

two, ; inch, < by ;, pieces of wood. (he ends)

a


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several nails or screws.

wire cutters (If you have a low gauge or a very hard metal, #uch as titanium or steel, you will need heavier duty

wire cutters). Again, I recommend getting /raftsman wire cutters because of the life time warranty. hese

cutters will be cutting every ring, so you may have to replace them after a while.

Step 7: Building the Set Up

. ake the drill bit with the diameter slightly larger than the metal rod and use it to drill a hole completely

through one of the ; inch, < by ;'s. he hole should be nearer to one end than the other.


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Here is a Picture of the set up completed.

Here is a picture with the hole in the rod.

Step 8: Operating the Set Up. 2pen tip of the drill (the place you put the bits in) and put the end of the rod in. hen tighten it. his will allow

you to use the drill to spin the rod.
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Closer.

Cut the end you inserted into the hole to take the coil off


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Cut the rings off down the length of the coil and start making chain mail!

Warnings

e warned, if you are making a shirt or a hauburk, you will need a lot of rings. ou will need any where from

3,---C


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Weaving the Rings

As I said before, we will be using the European 4 in 1 weave. The weave is called this because it was

developed and used in Europe and because every one ring is attached to 4 other rings. This weave is not

very difficult. If you want to do other weaves, I will try to upload more how to's for them in the future.

Step 9: Closing the Rings

About half the rings you use will need to be closed before adding them to the weave. To do this, simply

take your two pliers and bend the ends of the rings together. If you want to make quality armor that looks

nice and functions well, you need to make sure that the ends of the rings are flush. This means that there

should not be any empty space between the ends and that the rings should not feel jagged if you run your

finger around the ring. You may have to use the pliers to squeeze the ends past each other before you

close them.

Step 10: Making Open Rings

By the nature of the rings, when you bend them closed or open, the ends will start to drift apart. As about

half the rings you use will be closed, half of them will need to be open to fit into the weave. This means

that you are going to have to use the pliers to squeeze the ends of the ring past each other.
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Step 11: Making Sets of Five

Now you will take one of the "Open Rings" (The ones from step 10) and thread four "Closed Rings" onto

the ring you just opened. Now close that ring. You should have four rings attached to one ring. Do this

several times.


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Step 12: Connecting the Sets of Five into Strands

Take two of your 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." See the

picture for more detail.

Now lay them on top of each other like such.


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Now, you have to open another ring. Thread the ring through the spaces where those little red dots are.

Close the ring. Do this several more times with more sets of five. It will look like this.

Make this strand long enough to completely encircle your chest with a chest full of air.


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Step 13: Connecting the Strands

Now, lay two strands next to each other. Take an open ring, and thread it through the overlaps on the

edges (where the red dots are), connecting them together. Do this all the way up the strand. It should look

like this.

You have now made a section of chain mail!!! Congrats! Now, to fashion the shirt!


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Making the Shirt

This section is very simple.

Step 14: Armpit to Waist

I usually start by making many more of those strands (the ones that can encircle your chest) and connect

them together, until you get enough chain material to go from just under your armpit to your waist, or

however far you decide to go. Next, simply connect the ends together to form a tube.


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Warnings

ou can make the /hainmail larger around in some places and smaller in others, by simply making varying

lengths of strands and skipping links as you attach them. It may seem like a good idea to do this and make a

shirt that fits perfectly to your body, but, /hainmail, unlike cloth, does not stretch. #o every part must be able

to get over your shoulders, with your hands straight up in the air. In most cases, if it is never smaller than

needed to encircle your chest with a full breath of air, you will be able to s1uee!e into it. It is a good idea to test

this though. &ut your arms in the air above you head, and get some one to try and wrap it around your

shoulders. If it comes together, then you should be fine. ow ever, if you have wide hips or a large belly and

would like it to be more form fitting, you can use this techni1ue to make the bottom larger. ut again, the shape

of the tube must be conical, or you won't be able to get it on.

Step 15: Shoulder Straps

Make two straps that will go over the shoulders and hold it up. It will look like overalls.

Make sure that you make the rings go in the same direction; otherwise, it won't connect, and that's no fun.


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Step 16: Neck

This section is a little tedious. You are going make the upper back and the upper chest. Once you put in

the sections for the upper back and upper chest, you are going to want to add in rings, one at a time, to

make it look neat and well crafted.

Warnings

$ake sure the ?eck hole will go over your head. *or obvious reasons.


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You can stop here and skip to step 19. You have a very fine chain mail vest done! If you chose to make

sleeves, then continue on.

Step 17: Sleeves

For sleeves, simply make tubes that can encase your arm. Make sure the rings go in the same direction

as the vest so the sleeve and vest will connect. However, 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. Many people leave the armpit unconnected. Other people connect it as

best they can. It keeps it functional but it doesn't look the best. The choice is really up to you. Do what

ever you like the best!


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Step 19: Wash It

Generally if you give your Chain Mail a good wash it will come out shinier, especially if you use a dirty

metal like mild steel or aluminum. A normal washing machine does a good job buy it might hurt your

machine as it will be a rather heavy piece of metal.

Step 20: Put It On!

Put on your Chain Mail! Go to a mirror and admire your handiwork! You put a hell of a lot of time into this,

and probably grew a few gray hairs. But you did it! Go out and show it off! Annoy all your friends! Have a

party in its honor! Congratulations!

Tips

If you would like to make a form fitting shirt or vest, make it like a corset. 7eave the back open and but in

some laces. his will give the armor a definite feminine look however. e warned.

ou could punch holes in some metal plates and attach them with segments. his would make a nice variation.

Bse different colors in the same shirt to make designs or "ust make it seem varied.

If you have any cool ideas or pictures of chain mail pro"ects you have done, post them in the comments and

help spread inspiration to our fellow maillers6


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Thank you all very much for reading my Guide to Making Chain Mail Armor- From Start to Finish on

wonderhowto.com. If you have any questions, just ask away in the comment section or send me a

message. Again, Thank you and happy Mailling!

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