From:	Beal, Nathan nathan.beal@***.ac.uk
Subject:	[OT] Dicebag from Hell
Date:	Tue, 23 Feb 1999 15:09:00 -0000

> Tamino wrote:
> > Patience! my god...linking chain is the most boring, mind
> melting thing
> >I've ever had to do in my life, but then no one else was going to make
> my
> >hauberk for me :) After the first 25000 links I couldn't feel the pain
> from
> >my hands cramping...after the week's worth of nights it took me to
> finish
> >the damn thing it looked like I had chronic arthritis in my hands from
> >holding the damned pliers...A total of 35000 links for a long sleeved
> >hauberk that fell to the knees and a coif. :) Aint the crusades fun
> woot! ;)
>
> Last weekend I saw an authentic chainmail in a museum and guess what...
> every link wasn't just a ring that was closed with pliers. NO, every
> link consisted of a ring of which the ends were closed AND riveted.
>
> Considering these facts I praised myself lucky that "only" had to link
> the rings of my coif. I think I'll stick to this method and leave the
> rivets out.
>
If you used steel washers rather than split wire, then there is no need to
rivet the chain. I have seen unriveted chain explode with even minor
impacts, the rivets prevent this. (infact when you buy the unriveted suits,
the manufacturer tends to give you a couple of hundred links for on the spot
repairs Then again authenticity demands riveted split wire. I have made at
least a dozen uits of various styles and periods, and i still prefer Arabic
(light, simple, quick & cheap). My own torso only cost £40 to make (and I
am a big lad), hardly weighs a thing, is strong flexible and has stopped a
poleax at full speed, leaving me with nothing but bruises and a shortness of
breath (man I love padded double quilted arming jackets).