Chainmail - Mild or Stainless

Magnus Ulfgarsson · Post by **Magnus Ulfgarsson** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:52 pm

I'm going to try and get some chain soon, the price difference between mild and stainless can get pretty crazy.

Anyone have any comments about mild vs. stainless, above and beyond the "keeping it oiled and clean".

--

I want an XL haubergeon, and was figuring blackened stainless would be the way to go, but is there that much of a weight difference really? I get fixated on things and now I really want one, just trying to decide which.

Really the question isn't "is stainless better" but is "mild really bad?" anyone had both and noticed much difference etc?

Otto von Teich · Post by **Otto von Teich** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:03 pm

If you wear the mild very often it will polish itself. I dont see to much advantage with stainless except for toughness, durability. Murdock told me stainless weighs more per cubic inch, but you can use thiner gauges. Most mild mail I've seen is pretty thin though, and could deform more easily, if hit, than stainless. Somebody like Icefalcon could tell you about the weight difference.

Konstantin the Red · Post by **Konstantin the Red** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:06 am

Are you looking at butted mail? Because SS doesn't rivet very well by the conventional hand method. It eats piercing drifts because it doesn't anneal down soft enough.

Magnus Ulfgarsson · Post by **Magnus Ulfgarsson** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:22 am

Looking at rivetted, icefalcon mild or stainless.

Blaine de Navarre · Post by **Blaine de Navarre** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:46 am

I wear mild and like it just fine. I'm not sure what your threshold for "too heavy" is, but my 23# hauberk doesn't give me any difficulties.

I could see myself eventually going with stainless for the low maintenance.

Ceddie · Post by **Ceddie** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:50 am

how does mild react with your sweat?
I went with stainless years ago for lots of my stuff (or leather or Al) because miled responded like a suger cube under hot water to my sweat... that and all my fighting clothes turned brown.

It is scary when steel rivets rot out of your helmet.

Blaine de Navarre · Post by **Blaine de Navarre** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:13 am

Ceddie wrote:how does mild react with your sweat?

My mail rusts like a sumbich, and apparently I don't fight enough to experience the self-cleaning effect. I have become a devotee of the Way of Evapo-Rust.

Konstantin the Red · Post by **Konstantin the Red** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:31 am

Magnus of the Dark Wyvern wrote:Looking at rivetted, Icefalcon mild or stainless.

Then there should be no significant difference in weight of shirt -- you might be able to find a difference on a scale, but it's very unlikely that you'd notice anything in use.

Riveted should be light. If it isn't, you're not getting one of its benefits.

Had a look at Icefalcon's mail pics. Round rivets suggest drilled holes, rather than the drifted holes of wedge-riveted links.

Ceddie · Post by **Ceddie** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:47 am

As far as weight goes, my XXL stainless halbergeon from Icefalcon weighs in at just under 22 lb according to the scale at the post office. I stopped trying to make a shirt out of butted stainless when I hit 40 lb and still was too short to belt.

It's a lot lighter.

Ice carries a very good product and his customer service in some of the best I have ever experienced in any venue. He is a business man and a damn good one. The fact that he chooses to do business in the SCA has nothing to do with that.

edit to correct spelling

raito · Post by **raito** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:21 am

Otto von Teich wrote:If you wear the mild very often it will polish itself. I dont see to much advantage with stainless except for toughness, durability. Murdock told me stainless weighs more per cubic inch, but you can use thiner gauges. Most mild mail I've seen is pretty thin though, and could deform more easily, if hit, than stainless. Somebody like Icefalcon could tell you about the weight difference.

It does vary, but not a lot:

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2004/KarenSutherland.shtml

Theodore · Post by **Theodore** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:01 pm

I have a stainless aventail from Von Sussen and love it. It is dark enough metal that it does not look like stainless and it holds up great. I think any weigh difference would be negligible.

Syrfinn · Post by **Syrfinn** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:34 pm

I've had both, mild and stainless. In both shirts, if there was a difference in weight, it was not by much, and to be honest, I think my stainless XL haubegeon was lighter.

I went to stainless, cause even with fighting in my mild a lot, it was a pain in the butt to keep up with the rust. After Pennsic, it was a mess, and just sold it and decided I would go stainless.

Granted, I just sold the stainless, cause it was messing with my lamellar, I am thinking of trying a welded shirt to see if it makes a difference.

Sean Powell · Post by **Sean Powell** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:16 pm

Otto von Teich wrote:Murdock told me stainless weighs more per cubic inch,

Well that's tru on a technicality. Mild steel is about .283 lbs/cu-in. Stainless runs the gamut from .283 to maybe .285. So there might be as much as a 1% difference in some of the more exotic mixes including rare earth elements in the mix... but you wouldn't know by wearing the maile while standing on your bathroom scale.

Sean