The Armour Archive

I am using this site as a base for the hauberk I am making. (14 ga 5/16ID)
http://www.weylea.demon.co.uk/farisles/armour/mailmake/mail.htm

I am working on the shoulder expansion which they say starts at the color bone and goes back over the shoulder to the top of the shoulder blade in a triangle.

The original suit has nine expansions in each set with one idle link in every other row.

Now, I am not huge, but from my color bone to the top of my shoulder blade (SB) is 6.5 inches, with out padding. So I fugure with the gambason I am looking at about 8.
If I follow this expansion, the width of this expansion will be about 12 inches wide at the SB. Which is about 3/4 the width of my chest!

The article also mentions an expansion in the body area which is 1 expansion every four rows. This is considerably less of an expansion.

Does anyone else think they got these backwards?
I have enough maille sitting here to make this thing in one night, IF I can figure out how to get the expansions and contractions right.

I was thinking of putting 1 expansion for every 5 rows in the shoulders and 1 contraction everyother row for the body locations.

Input, comments, corrections, suggestions?

Sebastian
"Can I get you anything, Sir?"
"Yeh, a bottle of scotch, a gun, and two bullets."

I used the same pattern to make my hauberk (still in progress - see http://www.crosswinds.net/~mailleman/photo_gallery/Hauberk_Progress/hauberk_progress.htm ). I didn't "count rings" (I hate doing that) - I just followed the general idea of expanding from the collar bone back to the shoulder blades. I don't think I expanded on every single row.

Steve

The easier way to do it is to just make the neck hole bigger at the back.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory