I make chainmail and I can teach people to make it but they need to dedicate the time and buy some rings online, or make them if you're crafty like that. you must have patience though because it takes about a month of dedicated work to come up with a shirt worth of mail

As do I.....but thus far I must acknowledge Maykyr as the undisputed local master of mail.

I have the patience and the dedication to commit to such a project but am wondering how costly it is to make chain mail, and is it posible to make a chain mail dress?

Elizabetha wrote:I have the patience and the dedication to commit to such a project but am wondering how costly it is to make chain mail, and is it posible to make a chain mail dress?

A chainmail dress might be megga heavy unless you used largish rings with smallish gage wire or cheat and used aluminum wire.

Depending on the weight you would have to have padded shoulders, belt cinched at the waist to divide the load, or both.


All you need to do basic chain mail is:
a spool of wire,
two pairs of needle nose pliers,
one pair of wire cutters,
a wooden dowel with a hole drilled in it,
5 to 10 minutes of instruction,
and a whole lot of spare time.

(and perhaps bandages for your hands until you develop calluses in the right places.)

Cum by the Oak Ridge RenFair & check out some of Maykyr & Lady Shaper's mail if u get the chance.

The Stormstress wrote:Cum by the Oak Ridge RenFair & check out some of Maykyr & Lady Shaper's mail if u get the chance.

I went and saw their stuff today and chatted for a while. Neat stuff...I really like the candle holders.

BTW, really nice sign you painted Stormstress.

Buttercup wrote:I went and saw their stuff today and chatted for a while. Neat stuff...I really like the candle holders.

BTW, really nice sign you painted Stormstress.

Thnx, Buttercup! I really dig the hanging candle holderz, 2.

celticsmith wrote:

Elizabetha wrote:I have the patience and the dedication to commit to such a project but am wondering how costly it is to make chain mail, and is it posible to make a chain mail dress?

A chainmail dress might be megga heavy unless you used largish rings with smallish gage wire or cheat and used aluminum wire.

Depending on the weight you would have to have padded shoulders, belt cinched at the waist to divide the load, or both.


All you need to do basic chain mail is:
a spool of wire,
two pairs of needle nose pliers,
one pair of wire cutters,
a wooden dowel with a hole drilled in it,
5 to 10 minutes of instruction,
and a whole lot of spare time.

(and perhaps bandages for your hands until you develop calluses in the right places.)

there's always aluminum and some other lightweight materials (titanium... but that be expensive)

You can steal (or buy) thick copper cords and wrap them around a pencil and close it. It's the perfect size for a D.I.Y. chainmail link. Be careful though... it'll turn you green.