The Armour Archive

Hello Everybody,

I am curious to here the thoughts of other chainmail makers when it comes to link quality.

Myself, I am horribly fussing when it comes to my links, they need to be as round, as tightly butted and as flat as possible.

Over time I've found several sources for pre-made chainmail links, but sometimes they are made from stretched coils that promote link warping or they are cut with cutters that leave a crimped edge to the cut that is impossible to align smoothly.

So, what does everyone think? Are you fussy about your links, or will any link do?

If you are fussy what part of a link's construction concerns you the most, cut, roundness or flatness?

Journey On,

Kusari

heh, i'm very fussy about link quality... gotta make sure every one's as close to perfect as i can possibly get it..

I'm also pretty militant about my ring quality, i usually concentrate most on the closure, a *slightly* lobsided or curved ring is not going to hurt the beauty of the peice.. nor will it pull my hair..

--Dru
Imperfect perfectionist

I am mainly concerned about the closure. It is probably closer to authentic if all of the links are NOT perfect.

I stretch my coils when I cut with my snips, and my rings are "extremely" close to circular (I can't tell by looking at them if they are or not, but some measurement equipment could maybe...). (would loose too much time if rings weren't cut already open)

The closure is where most of my attention goes. This is what will be apparent to the touch. Slight warpage is nearly indetectable in a finished piece, but badly closed rings are pretty obvious...

One of my friends just got around to working with my rings for the first time. He called me up just to say I love you kidding... just to say how well they work in comparison to the others he has tried before.

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Computerize
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Computer eyes
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[This message has been edited by SteelWeaver (edited 12-18-2000).]

I get pissed when I buy rings wrapped at 3/8", wrap my own at the same ID, and have them not line up! This has happened both times that I bought from a guy who sells this stuff (name withheld). I even asked him what kind of wire he uses, bought it from the same store, and had the wrap still come out about 1/8" (slightly smaller) smaller than his rings. It makes the projects go quicker, but when I pay for 3/8", I expect to get 3/8", not 7/16".

Just bitching, never mind me.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by The Big PoD:
<B>I get pissed when I buy rings wrapped at 3/8", wrap my own at the same ID, and have them not line up! This has happened both times that I bought from a guy who sells this stuff (name withheld). I even asked him what kind of wire he uses, bought it from the same store, and had the wrap still come out about 1/8" (slightly smaller) smaller than his rings.

Just bitching, never mind me.</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sometimes that has to do with which batch of wire comes out of the plant. I buy from the same supplier every time, using the same spool order number. Every now and then there is a big difference in gauge (if I can SEE it with my eyes its a big difference). I asked said supplier what that was all about, 14 gauge is 14 gauge, right? Nope. Depends on how the wire puller was set up that day. Depending on the speed of the pull and the wear on the peices--which is monitored by humans-- the gauge can vary slightly. If it falls within a certain specification range it is still classified 14 gauge even if it is larger or smaller than the last batch.
As for the not lining up... maybe his wire was more "springy" so it uncoiled more after the wrapping was finished. That has happened to me too, same buying scenario as above.

Now... In response to the original question. I am a chainmail ring fanatic. I cut my rings with a hacksaw so there are no nip marks. If there is a double strike from a missed saw stroke I throw those rings away. Closures are as perfect as I can get them.

wlfric, the rings I buy sometimes are just wrapped bigger around than 3/8" so it makes my rings look funny and small next to them.

Here's a question for you. Where can you get loose rings for cheeper than you can make them yourself anyway? I might just get on that boat... I HATE cutting rings, but I can only make a profit if I do it myself. At least at the prices I've seen for cut rings.

I buy my galvanized wire at TSC (tractor supply company). I can get enough wire for a long sleeved hauburke for about $14 -plus wire left over. Can't get much cheaper than that...

I use my dremel with a diamond saw attachment on it. Nice smooth cuts in stainless with minimal stock loss.
Galvanized wire I just go down to my Farm&Fleet and get a 1/4 mile roll of the 14 guage for about $12.
Stainless......still looking for a cheaper source than McMaster-Carr. Polished spring tempered 16 guage.

I've been trying to collect as many sources for pre made links as possible. There's about a half dozen or so listed on the suppliers page of my website: http://chainmail.simplenet.com/suppliers.html

The quality ranges from simple homemade to very high quality to mass market jump ring used in the jewelry industry.

The ones that puzzle me the most are the ones from Chainmaille Fashions. Every single link is perfect and they come pre closed perfectly flat!? I still can't figure out how he makes them like this

And to clear up a concern from a previous post... I've only noticed stretched coils effecting the flatness of links, not roundness.

Thanks for all the input, keep it coming!

Kusari

You can get a portable bandsaw for about $170 from Harbor Freight, capable of cutting an entire 6" coil at once.

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<B>Gundobad,
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A nation that expects to be ignorant and free expects that which has never been and will never be - Thomas Jefferson

A position worth taking, is worth defending.

One thing to keep in mind about ring sizes.
When you spin a coil the rod is x/y (we'll say 3/8") in diameter, but you are actually turning the coil on an angle, so the ring would be slightly larger in ID.
When people double the wire, or strech the coil they are actually increasing the ID of the ring, as they are increasing the distance between the cutting points. (detailed math is required to figure out exactly what the final size is.)

I personally do not strech the coil at all, and I try to feed the wire as close to perpendicular to the rod as possible.
Coils like this are IMHO bad - /////////
These are really bad - / / / / / / /
These are best - | || || || || ||

POD shoot me the persons name please, I am tired of spinning, and cutting coils, I am starting to look for a pre-cut ring supplier.