Chainmail coif completed.

[cwr89]

[QUOTE=solstice;359779]@cwr89: Isn't that the top that 'chanty posted on the trl board? I loved that top when she posted it. I'm schattenhund over there, what's your handle?QUOTE]

Your correct, that would be the lovely enchantress's top. I think she called it the "snake charmer"

I got really creative, my TRL name is cwr89 or casey

[BLAZN]

@cwr89: Isn't that the top that 'chanty posted on the trl board? I loved that top when she posted it. I'm schattenhund over there, what's your handle?

What is TRL?

@BLAZN: No worries friend, aspect ratio is the true inside diameter of the ring divided by the wire diameter an aspect ratio of about 4.2 gives a really nice European 4-1, or about 16g 1/4" ID... If you think Byz is a pain wait till you get to the Persian family of weaves, that's a whole new bucket of trouble, for the newbie anyway. Different weaves and different ring sizes provide new levels of challenge so far the smallest I've made anything with is 26g 1/16" ID and those were a real bear to work with. The inlay I'm working on now is 20g 1/8" ID and those are fairly normal for me I try to keep my rings between 18g and 24g so I don't get used to anything too big and have to relearn the small stuff... Keep on weavin man and be sure to give updates on your work. Check out the TRL Forum for a fairly nice place to discuss maille....

Well... I now have 3 projects going at once. The coif fell victim to my kids and started losing links. So, I'm taking the entire thing apart and collapsing all the rings to 3/8" from 7/16" id then remaking it. All the steel rings are going to be replaced with 16ga Inconel (I can't divulge my source, but I got a half pound - roughly 200 feet - of wire for free) in the same 3/16" id.
Project #2 is a shirt for me. 14ga galvy, 1/4" id rings. I've got a strip about 2 inches wide that stretches across my chest, and the thick wire and small id looks great. All the galvy rings coming from the coif rebuild are also being recycled... as 1/4" id rings for this shirt.
Project 3 is a 14ga copper shirt for the lass seen modeling the coif in this thread. She informed me today that "some princesses need armor." I asked if she wanted a shirt, and she was ecstatic knowing she could have one!

[solstice]

What is TRL?



Well... I now have 3 projects going at once. The coif fell victim to my kids and started losing links. So, I'm taking the entire thing apart and collapsing all the rings to 3/8" from 7/16" id then remaking it. All the steel rings are going to be replaced with 16ga Inconel (I can't divulge my source, but I got a half pound - roughly 200 feet - of wire for free) in the same 3/16" id.
Project #2 is a shirt for me. 14ga galvy, 1/4" id rings. I've got a strip about 2 inches wide that stretches across my chest, and the thick wire and small id looks great. All the galvy rings coming from the coif rebuild are also being recycled... as 1/4" id rings for this shirt.
Project 3 is a 14ga copper shirt for the lass seen modeling the coif in this thread. She informed me today that "some princesses need armor." I asked if she wanted a shirt, and she was ecstatic knowing she could have one!

TRL is The Ring Lord (www.theringlord.org) or their discussion board (www.theringlord.org/forum) the discussion board is a great place but the debates can be quite heated some times... TRL is hands down, the BEST supplier for maille supplies out there, they really do go out of their way (it seems) to make you happy.

Inconel? for free? Nice find! sounds like you got your hands full of projects! Is the copper you're using electrical grade? You might consider hardening it some, coil then uncoil several times to get it harder and the rings will gain a bit of strength.

[BLAZN]

TRL is The Ring Lord (www.theringlord.org) or their discussion board (www.theringlord.org/forum) the discussion board is a great place but the debates can be quite heated some times... TRL is hands down, the BEST supplier for maille supplies out there, they really do go out of their way (it seems) to make you happy.

duh! *slaps forehead* I know about 'em. Planning to buy some anodized aluminum wire from 'em. Not a member of their forums, though.

Inconel? for free? Nice find! sounds like you got your hands full of projects! Is the copper you're using electrical grade? You might consider hardening it some, coil then uncoil several times to get it harder and the rings will gain a bit of strength.

Yeah... the Inconel was free. I have fairly ready access to many many 1 pound spools of it. It just so happened that the spool I grabbed was about half gone.
Yeah, the copper is electrical grade. If I ever mix copper with galvy again, I'll definately harden the copper. As I tear the coif apart, I'm noticing quite a few rings in the cap are opening up. I'm going to first see if this can be fixed using smaller id rings.

[solstice]

duh! *slaps forehead* I know about 'em. Planning to buy some anodized aluminum wire from 'em. Not a member of their forums, though.

I would strongly recommend that you buy rings instead of wire, unless you can cut the rings without scratching the anodized layer. Ano. Alum. is pretty neat stuff and the coating isn't really weak but it doesn't take much to mess it up.

Yeah... the Inconel was free. I have fairly ready access to many many 1 pound spools of it. It just so happened that the spool I grabbed was about half gone.
Yeah, the copper is electrical grade. If I ever mix copper with galvy again, I'll definately harden the copper. As I tear the coif apart, I'm noticing quite a few rings in the cap are opening up. I'm going to first see if this can be fixed using smaller id rings.

Going to a smaller ID will help with the strength but it only helps out so much... 16g 3/16" ID will obviously be stronger than 16g 3/8" ID but if the wire is soft to begin with the difference won't be that much...

[cwr89]

if you have the inconel... make it all out of the inconel. that wire is AMAZING!

I love the the stuff. I have only worked with a little due to its price

coil that stuff to 1/4ID and it will be amazing to work with.

now, my thoughts on your 1/4 14g berk, it will rip itself to pieces. 3 reasons,
1) if you do any expansions/contractions, it gets to tight
2)it will be heavy
3)it is already so very tight, movement while wearing would rip it open. (I've done this before and it was not pretty,)

now if you mix the 1/4 14g galvy and some 14g copper or Anodized Al.
you can get some really nice inlays...


this was 14g 1/4 galvy and AA, (and given to a British literature teacher)
its meaning is: a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
basically what she called me and the other class clowns...

hope that helps
~Casey