The Armour Archive

I have done business with SN Exports and they send me notices of new products. I just recieved this and thought I would share it. Their metal mailles are great also. They can be reached at snexports@gmail.com or http://www.indiamart.com/snexports/
I have no monitary interest in the company, it's just a good one I have dealt with.

Dear Sir ,
Greetings,
SN Exports pronounces with great pleasure the release of their new range of PLASTIC CHAINMAILLE.
Kindly find attached herewith the Photograph of Plastic Maille.
We invite you to experiment our new series and you shall marvel at the most weightless chainmaille which also looks as good as the real steel maille. Almost inexpensive as compared to the real one, this assortment has received great response and is really in demand in this day and age.

While it is ideal for film & television productions, it is just the right choice for horsemen who wish to reduce the weight of their gear and also for those of you, who dream of wearing a chainmail costume to the next bash. It looks fantastic and can be worn all day long without getting dead on your feet. Cleaning up is very easy and so are the repairs.
It can also be used for sculpture and jewelry.
The shirt as per the attachment only weighs 2 Kgs

We assure you the very best.
Regards,
Tenzin

I wonder how well it would hold up. I think it would probably not work so well for an area that gets hit alot, but maybe it would do well for under transitional plate, as voiders/brayette...

Looks great for renfesties, larp and maybe boffer. It would get destroye'd in SCA combat or live steel. (Yes. I added an accent to destroyed...You gotta pro'blem with that?)
-Cian

Might be good for youth combat...maybe.

It looked like it over lapped alot. With the flexing and an overlap, it may stay together. Don't know.

If there is any interest in these items, let us know and we will bring it in for you.

Cheers!

Am I the only one who kinda dosn't like it, just on principle?


For SCA and live steel purposes, it would offer no protection. Besides that, even a novice can make butted maille from galvinized steel wire and a metal tube, and look a million times better. As for it being used as voiders and such, if you have a kit that requires such things, you probably have the money or skill to make them out of AT LEAST aluminum (which I still dislike, but is at least passable).

Youth combat? Sure! But otherwise, leave it for the larpers and movies.


Rant over.

(Edited for horrible spelling)

St. Martin weeps.

I would not suggest it for SCA combat either. Good for youths, LARP and novelty, though.

Kilian_the_warlike wrote:Am I the only one who kinda dosn't like it, just on principle?


For SCA and live steel purposes, it would offer no protection. Besides that, even a novice can make butted maille from galvinized steel wire and a metal tube, and look a million times better. As for it being used as voiders and such, if you have a kit that requires such things, you probably have the money or skill to make them out of AT LEAST aluminum (which I still dislike, but is at least passable).

well, the point would be to get a more correct look without adding even more weight that puts the combatant at a disadvantage under SCA rules. If I had my druthers, I would get a titanium haubergeon for that purpose, but they are a) hard to get and b) very expensive.

I already own a correctish flat-link wedge-rivetted steel haubergeon. But it weighs about 20 lbs and as it buys me no additional protection, it's unlikely I would wear it excepot for special occasions.

Strongbow wrote:well, the point would be to get a more correct look without adding even more weight that puts the combatant at a disadvantage under SCA rules. If I had my druthers, I would get a titanium haubergeon for that purpose, but they are a) hard to get and b) very expensive.

I already own a correctish flat-link wedge-rivetted steel haubergeon. But it weighs about 20 lbs and as it buys me no additional protection, it's unlikely I would wear it excepot for special occasions.

Just my 2 cents, I don't like it. The fact that you are wearing a respectable kit when you would have a much better advantage in hidden sports armor just enforces my reason for my dislike: if you have a respectable kit, or at least the desire for one as you're fussing over the little details like voiders. , the two or three pounds wont kill you to look good with aluminum, or at best steel.

I wear a flattened, rivited stainless hauberk too and I personaly think in compairison to my round, butted hauberk, it does provide some better protection, but thats just me, ymmv. Part of the reason SCA fighters would wear a chain hauberk is for the presentation! The way it sounds, moves, and looks when you wear it is why its worn.

TL,DR:
1) Little things like wear metal chain voiders and coifs won't kill you to look good.
2) Wearing a plastic hauberk while fighting is like wearing a tuxedo t-shirt to a formal gathering.

For youth, stage, and LARP it sounds good. As long as the price is right. We have a legion of people who don't fight SCA heavy who look to this forum for armor. It beats the hell out of most barrel and carpet.

any idea what a youth sized shirt will cost?

How do you think this stuff would stand up to a thrust?

(flinches then quickly exits stage left)

It would be great for theatrical gigs.....and Lord of the Rings costumes.

Lienhart Fischer wrote:any idea what a youth sized shirt will cost?

getting one for dalewyn?

Are the rings glues shut like they did in LotR? If so I could easily see buying a shirt and slicing the armpits and waist out of it for voiders, skirting and maybe interior elbows. It would be nice to have maile that didn't need to be removed before the gambeson went through the wash. My sport suit is a kydex corazzina so I can't bee too much of a hypocrite when it comes to material.

Sean

how much does it weigh and how much does it cost?

If it doesn't weigh any less than a knutt shirt

and if it costs as much as rivited then i don't see the point.

I second the interest in the cost of a youth shirt.

Agnarr wrote:

Lienhart Fischer wrote:any idea what a youth sized shirt will cost?

getting one for dalewyn?

Dale already has that shirt of crazy hobbit maille, i was thinking more for Perceval, he's pretty small and more orc like

My son would love this. No more struggles to get him into 'garb'! But it would have to be affordable.

I want it rivetted ......with big fat wedges.

Lienhart Fischer wrote:

Agnarr wrote:

Lienhart Fischer wrote:any idea what a youth sized shirt will cost?

getting one for dalewyn?

Dale already has that shirt of crazy hobbit maille, i was thinking more for Perceval, he's pretty small and more orc like

Yeah, but Percival Has Percival money. He can afford the real stuff.

There are a ton of fighters out there wearing plastic lammellar. I could see this having a market if it holds up ok.

I would prefer steel myself, so I have no intention of getting any plastic maille, but I could see a market depending on price and durability.

It would never hold up though. Its a totally different combination of physics. Lamellar pieces are not, themselves, expected to grip anything. Plastic mail links, by themselves, are expected to grip each other.

The only conceavable way these would work is if the links were so flexible they could get whacked and return true.....BEFORE the temporary opening dispurses other links.

I seriously dont think its viable....

Maybe they could superglue each link shut.

Kinda like soldering it...but different.

I guarantee, it wont cost as much, as if buying a Knutt welded Titanium shirt. Believe me, I know first hand. :p

If its anymore than $200, then not worth it for our sport, if its less, I could see a use for it, specially for voiders and the such.

Like Sean said, I would be a hypocrit, if I said there was no place for it. Since I used to wear the plastic lamellar stuff, and now wear Syr Theos aluminum lamellar plates.

And well as soon as its done, will be wearing my titanium chain shirt, which well if we are talking historical, is just as much bs as plastic. But well I will be happy in my non-historical aluminum and titanium.

I will prices and get back to you all on this. I am sure it will be fairly cheap.

Ice

Another voice here for interest in cost for youth combat.

Spray painted silver they'd be great theatrically -- we could get rid of that damned silver knitted stuff.


Effingham

I just got a note back from SN and it looks like the plastic maille is going to go for about $195 in size medium.

If anyone wants it, I will order it for the Spring. Let me kow right away.

I am checking to see if I can get it in larger sizes. I am sure that the quality should be good as everything that they have sent to me so far has been top notch.

Cheers!

Well I cant speak for most Larps but Amtgard this stuff would never fly. we have a very strict 'no plastic' rule. Some people are trying to change that but I dont think we will ever accept plastic chainmaile.

Ursa wrote: Some people are trying to change that but I dont think we will ever accept plastic chainmaile.

Stay strong.

I wonder if the maille shirts in Kingdom of heaven are plastic, I think they would have to be for orlando bloom to wear them

If so, I would like one of those.
Full shirt, fullsleeve

Raulin Arbor wrote:Might be good for youth combat...maybe.

I agree, it probably would be good for youth combat, especially for the lower levels. Level 3 may be hard for them as their calibration is getting higher.

Ragnar