We like to get hands-on with our studies here. The idea for making chain maille came from multiple sources....
- It started when we were reading We Were There with Richard the Lion-Hearted...
- They brought up the idea again when we were studying the Middle Ages in our history curriculum...
- And we finally began when Craftsman Crate sent us supplies.
So we picked up some more jump rings and the boys started making chain maille! Words of wisdom...this is not an overnight project. If you want to make full, usable pieces, it will be a labor of love. I now understand why this stuff costs so much to purchase...
(Tutorial by our son) Before beginning to weave the maille together, I began by creating a base to place it on. In this case, I am making a pair of bracers, so I measured my arm and created a pattern. This time I made the base from old blue jean denim. When making something such as a hauberk or coif, you would not make a base for it, but you would still want to form a pattern.
I found that taping the ends helps to secure the maille in place while weaving it.
Love these projects? Check out his armor-work and other costume designs at Sparks Forge & Armory!
Be cautious when attaching scales and rings. Even a small mistake can cause big problems as you continue to add more and more rings built upon the last. After a great deal of time and effort you will end up with something like this.
As a side side project I also made this medieval style manuscript with my new calligraphy set. Few will recognize the language and even fewer will know it by its true name, tengwar. After making only one page with some markers its easy to see why books were valued more than gold.
Here is the video for how to make scale maille.
Cool projects! It does look time-consuming. The calligraphy is great!
ReplyDeleteIt is! He's almost finished, like a year later, with the hauberk. Then again, he only works during tv time...
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