The Armour Archive

Hi there, I'm Alex - long time lurker, first time poster, &c.

At long last, i completed my first component: one half of the kusari/ikada of my etchu haidate (for a suit based on that worn by Washizu (Toshiro Mifune) in the opening scene of _Kumonosu Jo_). All metal is 18 gauge mild steel, with a nice coating of primer.

What I Learned:
- There is a very easy way to make one's own "oval" or "staple" links for kusari that does not involve taking a hammer to a wound spring of wire fresh from the mandrel. What i did was use links i bought from The Ring Lord and link them as normal. Then, once the chain was made, i took a pair of stout, blunt-nose pliers and carefully squeeze flat every other link. That way, the staples were even, secure, and (dare i say it) good-looking, even if they didn't come out beautifully.

- Linking tiny metal circles amidst bulky metal plates with tiny pliers is slow work.

What I Want To Know:
- Is there any way to streamline this process? I know it's nice to have time to enjoy my LP collection, but surely there's a better way! Messers Effingham, Cornwell 2? Anyone?

Cheers.

Alex,

Try having something like a small screwdriver as a mandrel that you can insert into the link before squeezing it oval. That way you cannot crush or close the link too far and they should all come out the same, without having to think about it too much. Result= even more time to enjoy the LP collection!

Just a thought.

Regards as ever,

Russ

When I made the kusari for my kote, I wound the round rings the normal way and when I wound the flat rings I took a piece of metal and folded it on itself and drilled a hole in the end. I then wound the links, one at a time, wrapping them twice around like they should be and clipped them. It was slower by a bit but the links looked right and worked like gangbusters. They were uniform and strong. I never lost a link in my kote.

Thanks to Messrs. Thomas and Weretiger for their helpful replies!

That said, on the off chance there's more help where that came from... a thwackity bippety bindle bang