The Art of Mail Armor: How to Make Your Own 1581603061, 9781581603064

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The Art of

Mail Armor How to Make Your Own

Mary Brewer Foreword by Brian R. Price

P A L A D IN P R E S S • B O U L D E R , C O L O R A D O

The Art o f M ail Arm or How to Make Your Own by Mary Brewer C opyright © 2 0 0 2 by Mary Brew er ISBN 1-58160-306-1 Printed in the U nited States o f A m erica Published by Paladin Press, a d ivision o f Paladin Enterprises, Inc. Gunbarrel T ech Center 7077 W inchester C ircle Boulder, C olorado 80301 U S A + 1 .3 0 3 .4 4 3 .7 2 5 0 Direct inquiries and/or orders to the ab ove address. P A L A D IN , P A L A D IN P R E SS, and the “horse head” d esign are trademarks b elon gin g to Paladin E nterprises and registered in U nited States Patent and Trademark O ffice. All rights reserved. E xcept for use in a rev iew , no portion o f this book m ay be reproduced in any form w ithout the exp ress written perm ission o f the publisher. N either the author nor the publisher a ssu m es any responsibility for the use or m isu se o f inform ation contained in this book. V isit our W eb site at: w w w .p alad in -p ress.com

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Table of Contents

In tro d u ctio n ........................................................... 1 Chapter 1

Som e Term inology and C om parisons, A ncient an d M o d e r n .....................................7 Chapter 2

W ire S i z e s .....................................................13 Chapter 3

C utting Links .............................................. 19 Chapter 4

4 -on-l Mail P a tte r n .................................... 25 Chapter 5

J o in in g ........................................................... 29 Chapter 6

E xtending .................................................... 35

T h e A rt o f M a il A rm o r

Chapter 7

Points and Rounding Chapter 8

F l a i r s ................................................... Chapter 9

Reductions ........................................ Chapter 10

6-on-l Mail P a tte r n ........................... Chapter 11

6-on-2 Mail P a tte r n ........................... Chapter 12

Edge P atterns an d Inlaid Designs . Chapter 13

Shirt o r H a u b e rk ................................ Chapter 14

Coif—R ound M e th o d ....................... Chapter 15

Coif w ith Bishop's Collar— Square C o n stru c tio n ......................... Chapter 16

G auntlets Chapter 1 7

Care and Polishing of Mail

1

Chapter 18

Jewelry

1

Chapter 19

Additional Types of Mail Chapter 20

Photo Gallery

Acknowledgments

wish to thank the m any people who have given me encouragement and help in com pleting this project. At the time I started this m anuscript it seemed a simple little thing. It grew. Pamela Hopkins and her students, especially Uhrs Chantell, provided so m uch help that it’s hard to know where to begin to thank them. From scanning mail and diagram s to providing expertise and access to equipm ent, they did it all. I thank you very much! Mike Riley of Switzerland provided not only the pictures of mail from m useum s, but m any hours of encouragem ent as well. Mike, it was your request that started all this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Kat Lan deserves a lot of thanks for her encouragem ent and expert advice. Your help was invaluable, Kat. Tim O’Donnell gets special thanks also. Tim, you are a great editor and provided me with m any ideas on areas that needed improvement. Thanks for your tim e and help. Thanks to my models, David, Christine, Bill, Nikki and Jake Mead, and Raven. (Raven makes mail in New Mexico.) Douglas Archer not only contributed some unique designs, but also supplied com pleted articles that are the very best quality. Thank you. Kendra Milligan was helpful in scanning photos for this book. Thanks to all my Internet Relay Chat (IRC) friends who put up with listening to technical discussions and general complaining and still gave me encouragem ent. Among them, Luk, Tim A. Parson, Jeff Garber, and M atthew J. Locke. You are great friends. Gael Stirler, the CEO of Chivalry Sports in Tucson, Arizona, deserves the credit for finally getting this published. Than you for pointing me to a great company, Paladin. Of course Paladin itself deserves a great deal of thanks. Jon Ford, Donna DuVall, and many others did a great job producing a finished product. Last but certainly not least, I want to thank Bill. Without you, Bill, I could not even have started. From support to technical knowledge, you have been my mainstay. Thank you. I am sure that there is someone I’ve forgotten to mention. All I can say is, “Well, you know my memory! Thanks.”

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vi

The A rt of M ail A rm o r

A U T H O R ' S N O T E I B efore beginning, I n e e d to e x p la in m y u s e o f th e te r m m a il. E ven th o u g h it is o fte n e n c o u n te re d , som e people object—an d often stren u o u sly —to the term ch a in m ail, o r ch a in m a il. T hey p re fe r ju st m ail, o r m ail arm or. In th is b o o k I use m ail, o r m ail arm or, w h ich is, a fte r all, th e correct term .

Foreword

he study of arm s an d arm o u r construction techniques has, since the M iddle Ages, been the purview of a lim ited fraternity of m etalw orkers. G uarding th eir secrets w ith fervent ardor, arm ourers an d m etalw orkers left us next to nothing besides lim ited exam ples of th e ir work. Anyone captured by the m ystique of the knight in shining arm our will likely find the tools and expertise needed to craft a harness of plate beyond his budget both in term s of tim e and money. Similarly, the com plex arm ours of padded and stuffed cloth—also less than evocative of the k n ig h ts im agery—are surprisingly complex. But not all arm our was of plate o r cloth—for m any centuries the knight of Europe was clad not in the brightly polished iron plate from Excalibur but in mail, the a rm o u r of linked rings adopted by the R om an cavalry that persisted as a cost-effective, functional, and very com fortable defense well into the 17th century. The reasons for mail's persistence as an effective defense against bladed w eapons lie in its relative ease of construction. Once the wire w as extruded into suitable diam eters it could be easily rolled into links using a variety of m ethods. E uropean mail after the fall of Rome seems to have alm ost always been riveted or perhaps welded together, but the 4-in-l p attern th at predom inated is easy enough that local production would have been possible throughout Europe both in highly efficient production centers and in smaller, localized operations. For the m odern student, mail represents a fine entree into the world of arm ouring and, by extension, into the world of the medieval knight. Links can be sim ply woven and left butted; or, as the student progresses,

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The A rt o f M o il A rm o r

m ore com plex tailoring can be co upled w ith ad v an ced m e th o d s of link c lo su ie su ch as spotw elding or, ultim ately, riveting. The secret to m ail lies not in the tech n iq u es o f link clo su re, b u t r a th e r in th e subtleties of p a ttern th at the m ailm ak er m u st see in o rd e r to c reate sm o o th tra n sitio n s of sh a p e necessary to create g arm en ts an d item s o f d ecorative jewelry. It is precisely th is th at re p resen ts the stren g th of M ary B re w e rs The Art of Mail Armor. U ncluttered by the c u rre n t d eb ates th a t su rro u n d v ario u s a rc a n e q u e s tio n s co n c e rn in g historical m ail m a n u factu re, h e r book p re se n ts a s tra ig h tfo rw a rd g u id e to th e p rin cip les that u nderlie the creatio n o f any m ail g arm en t. S teeped in th e tra d itio n o f th e R en a issa n ce F estival c o m m u n ity so p o p u la r h ere in the U nited States, Ms. B rew er p resen ts a h o st of te c h n iq u e s a n d p a tte rn s th a t d e m o n s tra te her roots. She has created n early every form o f m ail a c c o u tre m e n t, g a rm e n t, a n d curiosity, p resen tin g bo th fu n d a m e n ta ls a n d specifics s h e ’s u sed in h e r v ast b o d y o f w ork. F o r the novice, th is w ork will re p re se n t a very easy to u n d e rs ta n d , c le a r p re se n ta tio n that will en ab le th e casu al stu d e n t w ith ju s t a few d o lla rs to b eg in c re a tin g g a rm e n ts an d objects of m ail. The m ore experienced m a ilm a k e r will find tip s o n sizing, re d u c tio n , a n d ta ilo rin g m ore helpful, o p en in g th e d o o rs to ad v an ced stu d y as th e m a ilm a k in g c o m m u n ity beg in s to ex perim ent m o re serio u sly w ith th e m edieval m e th o d s o f lin k c lo su re a n d h isto ric a l recreation C reating m ail is m u c h like k n ittin g ; fo r th e p e rso n w ith th e affin ity a n d ju s t a bit of diligence, th e re is a rea d y m a rk e t a m o n g st R e n a issa n c e F a ire p a tro n s , liv e-actio n role plavers co stu m e p a tro n s, M edieval an d R e n a issa n c e re e n a c to rs , to u rn a m e n t c o m p a n io n s, collectors of arm s a n d arm o u r, an d even in H ollyw ood. B rian R. Price Techniques o f M edieval A rm o u r Reproduction (P aladin Press) The Knighthood, Chivalry & Tournam ents Resource Library h ttp://w w w .chronique.com

Introduction

ow th at you know w hat to call it, picture yourself in a full set of shining m ail armor. And the best p art of all is th at you m ade the mail yourself! This m anual will show you how to do just that. Mail is m ade of wire form ed into circles or rings and pieced together in an interlocking pattern. This m anual shows you how to construct tools, change a straight piece of wire into rings, and assem ble them to form mail. It contains com plete instructions for m aking your own coif (head covering), hauberk (shirt), and gauntlets (gloves). There is also a section on designs for your edges and other decorative touches. Mail is a very versatile m edium . It can be used not only for arm or but also for necklaces, bracelets, and belts. Different patterns, metals, and sizes of wire and links create endless flexibility and variety. A link is a circle of w ire connected to other links to form a pattern. By making the links larger you can create a lacy effect that can make a beautiful bishop’s collar, a necklace th at goes from the neck to the tip of shoulder. Or you can m ake your links sm aller and thicker to produce a heavy m esh m aterial suitable for arm or for actual com bat. The thickness of wire is term ed the gauge. Sixteen-gauge wire is relatively thin, whereas 14-gauge is m edium , and 12-gauge is very thick. Most people associate mail arm or with the period between the 1Oth and 14th centuries, but it dates back long before that. Romans wore it long before a . d . 400. Although you can still see mail arm or in museums, not a great deal of it rem ains because metal used in these earlier centuries did not stand up well to rust—not to m ention arrows and dragons. Antique mail was usually m ade with links forged shut or, in some cases, half of which were forged shut and half simply closed (butted).

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The A rt o f M a il A rm o r

Very ancient th a ^ th e ^ in ^ w e r ^ f la u 'e n e ^ a n d ^ h J e n d t overiapped" A hole w as drilled thro u g h both sides of the ring an d fastened w ith a rivet. As time went by m akers of m ail did not flatten the wire, w hich reta in e d a sq u are sh ap e Again holes w e " drilled at each end of the link, b ut the links did n o t overlap^ In stead , a fasten er snrnlar a staple w ent thro u g h the links and co nnected th e tw o e n d s w h ich w ere th e n forged in place. The m etal used in those days w as not of th e sam e q u ality as th a t we have today. It was much w eaker and so pulled a p a rt m u ch m ore easily unless th e en d s w ere fasten ed T he consistency and strength of to d ay s steel allow s us to m ake very usable m ail w ith o u t w elding the links shut The purpose of this book is n ot to give you a h isto ry of m ail, b u t ra th e i a sim ple way to m ake yo u r own m ail. I will show you how to s ta rt w ith a piece of wii e an d end w ith a finished garm ent. In additio n to show ing you how to m ake a ttra ctiv e designs, I em p h asiz e how to make mail as inexpensively as possible. But, as in th e days of old, m ail is still very expensive. A stan d ard short-sleeved m ail sh irt costs at least $250—a n d u sually m o re. A lthough it w ears well and lasts a long tim e, th a t’s still a p retty expensive g arm en t. You c a n m ak e y o u r ow n for m uch less. W hat it will cost you is tim e. If you w ish to read ab o u t th e h isto ry o r arm or, several excellent bo o k s are available on the subject. Among th em are A Glossary o f the Construction, Decoration, and Use o f Arms and Armour in All Countries and in All Times by G eorge C am ero n S tone; Phaeton Guide to Antique Weapons and Armour by R obert W ilkinson-L atham ; Medieval Warfare Source Book Volume I: Warfare in Western Christendom by D avid Nicolle; Arm s & Arm or by M ichele B yam ; Warfare in the Classical World by Jo h n W arry; an d An Historical Guide to Arm s and Arm or by S tephen Bull. A nother source of in fo rm atio n a b o u t a rm o r is th e S ociety fo r C reative A n ach ro n ism (SCA), 156 Pacific Avenue, S an ta Cruz, CA 95060. F o u n d ed in 1966, SCA is d e d ic a te d to th e study of the M edieval period. It now has m o re th a n 22,000 m em b ers, w h o c o n d u c t sem in ars, classes, and reen actm en ts of th e M iddle Ages. The society also h as several p u b lic a tio n s. You can contact SCA for a com plete list an d o rd erin g in fo rm atio n . To start, you need only a few supplies: so m e pieces of sc ra p wood to m ake a base for y o u r w inder, w h ich is a m a c h in e you will c o n stru c t to m ake y o u r links; a steel ro d to w in d th e links around; a good p a ir of w ire c u tters to cu t th e links; a scrap piece of heavy cloth o r a glove to p ro te c t y o u r h an d ; a n d tw o p a irs of good needlenose pliers. R ead C hapters 2 a n d 3 th o ro u g h ly b efo re you attem p t anything. These give you com plete in stru c tio n s for building your w in d er an d several m eth o d s for c u ttin g y o u r links. The exact m aterials th a t you need d ep ends on w hich m e th o d you choose. N one of th e item s illu strated in this book req u ire very expensive m aterials, except for th e w ire itself, an d you will need considerable q u an tities of th at. In C h ap ter 2, however, I give you som e ideas on how to acq u ire less expensive w ire. C hapter 1 explains som e term s an d definitions a n d co m p ares som e ancien t m ail w ith som e m o d ern m ail th a t I have m ade. Chapters 2 and 3 tell you how to m ake links. Links are always closed with a twisting, sideways m otion. Never open a link by m aking the diam eter larger. If you do this you will lose the shape of the ring w hen you close it. If you cut your links on a slight diagonal, they will join together better. Just be careful with your closings and you will have a very useful mail item when you are done. In C hapter 4 you begin to co n stru ct the m ost com m on p attern of m ail, called 4 -o n -l. E ach link has fo u r links M^ son‘ Davi^-ln ^is P*a,e armor

3

connecting th ro u g h it. Most of the item s illustrated in this m anual are based on this pattern, altho u g h th e techniques can be applied to o th er patterns. You will find that the “direction" in w hich th e links are jo in ed in is very im portant. Always check the diagram s to see w hether you should go u p o r dow n through a link. The diagram s are large enough that you can see them easily. N otice th at the p attern form s rows and colum ns. Rows consist of a link tilted away from you a n d a link tilted tow ard you, going across the mail. The colum ns consist of links all tilted in the sam e directio n an d going up an d down. It is also im p o rtan t that you join the links in the p ro p er order. C h ap ter 5 show s you how to jo in two pieces of m ail together, which is essential. Even for shirts, you can see th at there are tim es w hen you need to go all the way around, as in an arm, an d jo in at th e seam . This will not only show you how to join a straight piece of mail but also m ail at right angles an d at a slant. C hapters 6 th ro u g h 9 cover techniques needed to m ake actual garm ents. These include show ing you how to enlarge a piece, form points o r V-shaped sections of m ail, and round a square co rn er area. The last technique is used to form the edgings and to shape around the face and neck. I suggest you try co n stru ctin g a sm all piece of m ail in each of these areas to fam iliarize yourself w ith these techniques before starting a large project. C hapters 8 an d 9 tackle th e problem of one side’s being sh o rter th an the o th er one. They show you how to increase o r decrease the size of the m ail as you m ake it. This could be used, for exam ple, to form a trapezoid shape for arm s and coifs. In case you get tired of th e 4-on-l p attern, C hapters 10 and 11 teach you new patterns. In C hapter 10 y o u ’ll learn the 6-on-l p attern, w hich is very sim ilar to the 4-on-l p attern but produces a m u c h d en ser m ail. C hapter 11 introduces you to a totally different new pattern, 6on-2. This p a tte rn form s a flow erlike design and uses tw o different ring sizes. It can be used as an edging o r by itself to m ake stu n n in g arm or. C h ap ter 12 gives you som e ideas for the edges of your arm or, as well as designs for inlaying four different crosses. A lthough th is m anual was w ritten m ainly for constructing armor, the basic techniques are the sam e for m aking crosses and other item s of jewelry. C hapter 13 contains com plete instructions for m aking your own hauberk (shirt). It tells you how to take m easurem ents, where to start, how to form the neck, and how to add the arms. Designs for coifs (mail that covers the head) are given in Chapters H a n d 15. C hapter 14 teaches two ways to m ake a coif using a rounded m ethod, while C hapter 15 shows how to m ake David and Trisha, my daughter, at a school festival. a coif using a square

4

The A rt o f M a il A rm o r

Trisha (left) threading her way through the crowd at the Arizona festival.

constru ctio n m ethod. The la tte r is m y ow n design, a n d I th in k it is a g reat im p ro v em en t on the rou n d ed m ethod, w hich usually leaves a h u m p at th e p o in t o f th e head. T he c h a p te r also has directions for m aking a b ish o p ’s m an tle o r b ish o p ’s collar. C hapter 16 has a p a tte rn for g au n tlets (gloves). G au n tlets did n o t c o n ta in m ail on the palm portion because m ail w ould p rev en t th e w e a re r from getting a good grip on a sw ord. O lder gauntlets w ere sh ap ed like m itten s, an d th e first p a tte rn is for th a t type. T he sam e techniques are used to m ake g au n tlets w ith individual fingers, an d th o se in stru c tio n s are in clu d ed as well. C hapter 17 provides som e in terestin g w ays to clean y o u r m ail. I, fo r one, h ate to scrub, and I think these suggestions m ay elim in ate som e effort for you. D ifferent m etals req u ire different m ethods. The c h ap ter covers m eth o d s to easily clean steel, copper, an d b rass, a bonus for cleaning all those little trin k ets a ro u n d th e house. As a bonus, C hapter 18 gives d etailed d irectio n s for d ifferen t types of jewelry. Included are directions for headpieces, bracelets, necklaces, arm b a n d s, h andflow ers, half-gauntlets, and one of my ow n design called a sh o u ld er necklace. C hapter 19 discusses different types of m ail. It also gives d ire ctio n s for m aking two types of 12-on-2 m ail, b a r m ail, the wave p attern , an d tw o types of C hinese ch ain s. If you are looking for som ething different to add to a design, these provide in terestin g o p tio n s to m ake it unique. C hapter 20 is a photo gallery of different types of mail, both old and new. 1 hope you enjoy it. • • • I am n ot saying th at th e m ethod p resented here is the only w ay to m ake m ail. I have found th at if you learn this m ethod completely, you will find it easier to form y o u r ow n m ethods and techniques and to be able to u n d erstan d d escriptions of o th ers m eth o d s m o re quickly. A lthough I always found the R enaissance period fascinating, I d id n ’t get involved with a rm o r until my son an d d au g h ter started a R enaissance Society at th e ir high school. As m aster of cerem onies for th eir an n u al festival, my son, David, needed som ething to wear. We started

I ntroduction

5

Trisha al the Apache function Renaissance TestI vaI.

looking at arm or. W hat w e ended up w ith was strictly for show. It consisted of a suit of plate arm o r m ade from alu m in u m press plates (they are used in printing new spapers). It definitely w ould not be any good in a battle, b u t it looked great. F o r several years after th a t I w as involved in the R enaissance Festival held at their school and atten d ed th e big R enaissance Festival in Apache Junction, Arizona. A bout a year later I had an op p o rtu nity to take a tw o-hour class in m ail construction given by a local store. U nfortunately, th e classes w ere discontinued after one session. The technique I learned th ere seem ed aw kw ard to m e, so I developed through trial and erro r w hat I consider a b etter m ethod. I w o n ’t m ention the hours it took to figure out how to shape and attach an arm or design th e top of a coif. I read everything I could find on m ail (w hich w asn’t very m uch on actual co n stru ctio n techniques). Som e of my friends on IRC asked m e for instructions, which I w rote an d e-m ailed to different people. Som eone m entioned th a t I should w rite a book. Thus, this m anual w as b o m . I hope th a t you find the m aterial useful and th at it provides you w ith m any hours of enjoym ent—an d m aybe even a little profit.

SomeTerminology and Comparisons, Ancient and Modern

t s always m ore fun to be able to refer to things by th eir proper nam es, so I’ve included a little list here along with som e general inform ation. M any believe th a t m ail was invented by the Celts in the 4th century B .C. and th a t the term mail is derived from the Latin term macula, w hich, am ong o th e r things, m eans m esh of a net.

I

aketon, h ak eton (or gam beson): The padded garm ent worn u n d e r m ail. It not only m ade m ail m ore com fortable to w ear but also added protection from blows. Although mail protects from a cut, because it is flexible it does not protect from bruising and broken bones. aventail: The part of the coif th at extends from one side and fits aro u n d the neck to protect it, fastening at the o th er side. b ish o p ’s m an tle (or b ish o p ’s collar): A wide necklace or collar of m ail, som etim es separate, som etim es incorporated into the coif, to protect th e neck and shoulders. It usually extended from aro u n d the neck to slightly over the shoulder and was designed to give extra protection to the neck, shoulder, and u pper arm s. cam ail: The attach m en t at the bottom of a helm et th at protects the neck area. ch au sses: Mail m ade to protect the legs.

The A rt o f M ail A rm o r

Figure 1-1. Close-up of mail from a . d . 1060 in Landes Museum, Zurich, Switzerland. (Courtesy of Mike Riley.) coif: A piece of m ail w orn to p ro tect the head, like a hood. gauntlets: A p a ir of gloves. T here w ere several types m ade. The earlier ones Figure 1-2. A 15th-century mail shirt from the Landes Museum. w ere sim ilar to m ittens. U sually these The cross is made of cloth and sewn onto the mail. (Courtesy of Mike Riley.) w ere attach ed to the sleeves on one side, tow ard the inside of the w rist, thus allow ing the w earer to slide th em off and let them dangle w hen n o t in use. L ater m ore elaborate g auntlets w ere m ade w ith fingers, like a p a ir of m odern gloves. G auntlets w ere never m ade w ith m ail on the inside of the fingers and p alm area. You c a n ’t hold a spear o r sw ord securely w ith m etal on m etal. haubergeon: A sh irt of m ail, generally extending to the elbow and m idthigh. hauberk (or b y m ie): A full-length defense of m ail for the body, legs, and arm . sabatons: A device to protect th e top of the foot. surcoat: A g arm en t w orn over m ail, this w as a loose, sleeveless piece of cloth believed to help keep the sun from heating the m etal and m aking it too hot to wear. It was also believed to provide identification. Finding records th a t show m ail o r how it was m ade in the eai ly cen tu iies is difficult. M ost m ail fiom this period has long

moo.

(Courtesy of Mike Riley.)

Some T e rm in o lo g y and C om parisons, A ncient and M odern

Figure 1-4. Modern mail made from coal hangers.

Figure 1-5. Modern mail made from welding rod.

Figure 1-6. Modern mail made from 16 I /2-gauge tie wire.

9

since rusted away. Records of mail are m ore com m on from about the 1 1th century on. Mail garm ents started out as vests or shortsleeved shirts. Gradually, they covered m ore and m ore until finally the sleeves were full length and had attached m ittens with leather palm s (gauntlets). Most early helm ets sat on top of a coif; later some had mail attached around the bottom to protect the neck. Gradually, the designers of m ail started to fasten plates on top of the mail. First they attached breastplates. Next arm , shoulder, and leg guards were added until gradually a whole suit of plate m ail was developed. Most suits were w orn w ith mail underneath, at the shoulders and neck, and a skirt. The skirts were usually slit at the front and back to allow for horseback riding while still protecting the legs. (If it had been slit at the sides it would have bunched up n ear the top front of the saddle and at the back would not have been able to reach far enough around to even come close to the leg.) Only foot soldiers wore mail w ith slits at the sides, and not m any could afford it. Mail was not a poor m an ’s possession. Even in those days it was expensive. A lord of the castle could usually afford it, and depending on how rich he was, he might possibly provide it for his knights as part of their pay, along with food and lodging. I thought it would be interesting in this ch ap ter to give you som e com parisons betw een the mail you can m ake and the mail you can see in m useum s. Figure 1-1 shows a closeup of mail from 1060. Notice that it was m ade with square wire and had rivets joining it together. Figure 1-2 is of m a i l from around a . d . 1400. It was m ade w ith flat wire, not square, as in the older mail. Figure 1-3 shows mail from around 1500. Unfortunately, the closeups of Figure 1-2 and 1-3 are not very clear, but they are the only ones I have. Now, let’s skip a few centuries and look at som e current mail. Figure 1-4 is m ade from coat hangers, w hereas Figure 1-5 shows mail m ade from welding rod and Figure 1-6 from 16 1/2-gauge tie wire. The first thing you notice is the difference in density between the mail m ade from tie

The A rt o f M ail A rm or

* ....

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* *f."

i • v1* ir*,* *

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m m

Figure 1-8. A modern mail vest.

Figure I -9. A Idth-century helmet with camail from the Landesmuseum. (Courtesy of Mike Riley.)

Figure I - 10. A close-up of a modern aventail o f coif in I 7-gouge tie wire.

Som e T e rm in o lo g y and C om parisons, A ncient and M odern

II

w ire a n d th at m ad e from coat hangers o r w elding rod. Both pieces w ere constructed with links m ad e o n the sam e size rod. The inside d iam eter of both types of links is the sam e, but the o u tsid e d ia m e te r is larger on th e w elding-rod mail because the w ire is m uch thicker. Thus, w hen fo u r links are th re ad ed th ro u g h one link it leaves m uch less extra space and produces m u ch d e n se r m ail. As for utility, the m ail m ade today is probably m uch stu rd ier than the m ail m ade earlier because ot th e b etter quality steel. I suppose if you really w anted to try to m ake mail that looked like th at m ade in the 11th century, you m ight try using w ashers or lock w ashers. However, drilling holes in the links an d p u tting in pins would be a huge job. Good luck. Finally, yes, th e re are som e differences betw een ancient m ail and m odern mail, but from a distan ce o f several feet they are not th at noticeable. And unless you can find and afford ancient m ail, you d o n ’t really have m uch choice if you w ant mail.

Wire Sizes Types of Wire

his c h ap ter co n tains a great deal of detailed inform ation. You may find it a bit boring and be tem pted to skip it until you actually need to use it. It does co n tain som e specific inform ation you will need in the beginning, so I recom m end th a t you at least read it now and keep it han d y to refer to w hen you need the inform ation. If y o u r han d s are tender, it m ight be easier for you to use a 16- or 16 1/2-gauge tie w ire w hen you start out. This wire bends m uch m ore easily th a n 14-gauge steel, so it com es ap art m uch m ore easily—for those annoying tim es w hen you find you joined a link onto the w rong link or in th e w rong direction. It is also cheaper. A 2 1/2-pound roll of 16 1/2gauge tie w ire costs ab o u t $2.50 to $3.00 and can be purchased at any hard w are store. The disadvantages to using 16- or 16 1/2-gauge wire are th a t the links m u st be closed very carefully or they will slide apart, and it is a little m ore difficult to see the p attern th at you are form ing. The links ten d to fold back on one an o th er and confuse you. A lthough 16 1/2-gauge w ire is not used very often for large m ail pieces, it is easy and fast to w ork w ith and m akes excellent m ail for display o r p arad e functions. W hen w orking w ith this gauge it is essential th a t you are extrem ely careful w ith the joinings because the wire is so thin th at it can slip ap art if any space is left, especially if two joinings hit against each other. Naturally, you could weld the links together. This w ould require an acetylene-w elding torch, with a pinpoint tip; regular solder is too soft and would crack and break with wear. You cannot weld together galvanized wire. With any o th er type of wire you can use the ends of the w ire itself to melt together, or you can use a piece of the sam e w ire to

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13

14

The A rt o f M a il A rm or

join it instead of a welding rod. It will give a bum p at the join, very sim ilar to that of ancient mail. Unless you have experience with welding, I do not recom m end that you try this because it is a very large and expensive project. To give you an idea of the scope of such a project, an average shirt has approxim ately 25,000 rings in it. Almost any type of w ire can be used: bronze, copper, brass, galvanized steel, baling wire, stainless steel, o r electric fence wire, to nam e a few. I have even h eard of people using key rings. One place to find w ire is at recyclers of ju n k m etals. These places usually carry m any different types of w ire an d are usually less expensive for co p p er and o th e r of the m ore expensive m etals. Som e types of m etal (e.g., bronze) are prohibitively expensive. However, w hen used sparingly as an accent on edgings o r for an inlaid design, they can be very im pressive an d w orth the extra cost. An excellent source of inexpensive w ire is coat hangers. M ost coat h an g ers are 14 1\2- or 14gauge steel, b u t they do vary som ew hat. W hen the varnish is cleaned off, they m ake beautiful polished-steel mail. A hint: M ake the m ail first an d th en clean the v arn ish off w ith paint rem over by placing it in a glass jar, soaking it overnight, an d th en w ashing it off thoroughly. This takes less p ain t rem over an d is easier th a n m an h an d lin g clum sy coat hangers. CAUTION: Paint remover can be very harm ful to skin and eyes. Be careful and wear adequate protection. A cheaper m ethod of cleaning th e m ail is to place it in a solution of fo u r gallons of w ater and four cans of lye in a glass jar. This solution can be used for q u ite a few pieces of mail. Sim ply im m erse the m ail, let it sit for tw o o r th ree days, an d th en rem ove it an d w ash it thoroughly. CAUTION: Extreme care should be taken. Lye is very caustic and will b u m your skin. Wear gloves and protective goggles. Lye will rem ove m ost p a in t b u t n o t plastic-based ones, as is so m etim es used on coat hangers. A cetone o r nail polish rem o v er (w hich is basically acetone) will rem ove plastic-based paint. A little scouring powder, a stiff b ru sh , an d som e elbow grease can rem ove any p ain t the lye m issed. Again, use caution with all chemicals. The m ost com m on gauge is 14 in steel, m ade in a link w ith an inside d ia m e te r of 3/8 inch. A nother source of w ire is 3/32-inch m ild-steel w elding rods. They com e in 3-foot lengths, 14 rods to a pound, an d can be p u rch a sed a t any w elding supply house. They cost approxim ately $1.50 a pound. Do not use arc welding rods. One great th ing ab o u t w elding ro d s is th a t they com e in different m aterials. Som e bronze rods look ju st like brass . . . o r gold! Using copper-coated w elding rods is ch eap er th an using copper wire, an d since they are harder, you can use 14-gauge in th ese rods. B ut 14-gauge copper w ire bends easily, so m ail m ade of it is not very strong. With 14-gauge rods you get 42 feet to a pound. You can get app ro x im ately 26 to 27 rings per rod, depending on how careful you are w ith the ends. T h a t’s 364 to 378 rings p e r pound. This will m ake a piece of m ail ab o u t 1 foot by 2 3/4 inches. So, 1 sq u are foot o f m ail will take about 4 1/2 pounds of wire, o r 189 feet, o r 1,672 rings. A m ail sh irt takes approxim ately 15 square feet of mail, o r ab o u t 25,000 links, depending on size an d style. R em em ber, you have to allow for the gam beson (or aketon), the heavy p ad d ed g arm en t w orn u n d ern eath . So, an average sh irt req u ires a b o u t 68 p o u n d s of w ire. Figured at a cost of $1.50 a pound, a shirt costs approxim ately $102 in m aterials if you use w elding rods. Electric fence w ire can be p u rch ased in 1/4- o r 1/2-mile rolls. This galvanized-steel wire is m ade of a softer steel th an th a t used for coat hangers o r w elding rods b u t strong enough for mail. It is a little easier to w ork w ith an d therefore a good m aterial for beginners. It com es in 14- and 17-gauge. I highly reco m m en d the 14-gauge. A 1/4-mile roll costs ab o u t $20; a 1/2-mile roll approxim ately $40. A 1/2-mile roll will m ake a sh irt an d is m uch cheaper than w elding rods. The brass-colored w elding rods m ake great accents to trim th e silver-colored shirt. The one question I get asked m ost often is, "How long does it take to m ake a shirt?" The answ er is th at it depends on m any factors, such as how fast you work. I usually take my time,

W ire Sizes and Types o f W ire an d you m ay be a lot faster th an I am . The following is based on using 14-gauge electric fence w ire an d m eth o d th ree (see C h ap ter 2) for cutting links. 1 can w ind approxim ately 2,400 links in an hour and cut approximately 1,300 in the same am ount ol time. I can close about 800 in an hour. In one hour I can assemble a piece of mail about 1 foot by 4 inches. If a sq u are toot o f m ail co n tain s approxim ately 1,700 rings, I spend approxim ately 3/4 hour w inding, 1 1/4 h o u rs cutting, an d 2 hours opening links, for a total of 4 hours so far. Add about 3 h o u rs to knit the sq u are foot o f m ail. Thus, a square foot of m ail requires about 7 hours of work. F o r a sh irt requ irin g 15 square feet of m ail you can figure on about 105 hours. Of course, you lose tim e m aking ad ju stm en ts aro u n d the sleeves, etc. D on’t get discouraged. You can alw ays sta rt out w ith a short-sleeved, w aist-length vest and add to it later. If you w ant to get into som ething heavier, you can use 12-gauge steel, 33 feet to a pound, w ith rings having an inside d ia m e ter of 1/2 inch. In w elding rods this is called 1/7-inch mild steel. W hen you go to a heavier gauge of w ire it is thicker, so you m ust increase the diam eter of the ring to allow th e o th e r rings to pass th ro u g h th eir m iddle. To sta rt we will w ork w ith 4-on-l m ail. This m eans th at every link has four links going th ro u g h it. Or to p u t it an o th e r way, every link goes th rough four o th er links, except on the edges. You will find m ost m ail m ade in this pattern. Still w ith me? OK, le ts get started. WINDER The first th in g to do is to m ake y o u r links. If you are experim enting, w ind the w ire around a pen, b ut for any serious project a piece of equipm ent know n as a w inder m akes life m uch easier and faster (F igure 2-1). As you can see from the draw ing, the w inder is relatively sim ple: a steel rod of 3/8-inch diam eter (approxim ately $2 to $3 at a h ard w are store), placed th ro u g h two b o ard s on a base. The bo ards holding the ro d sh o u ld not be m o re th an an inch tall o r a w obble will develop w hen you w ind. The handle on the en d of th e ro d can be anything you w ant. Vise grips w ork well, o r you can drill a hole through the rod a n d use a screw to attach a m etal or w ooden Figure 2- 1. handle. A nother o p tio n is to bend the rod itself in two right angles (som ew hat like a flattened Z) to form the handle from the rod. B ending the rod can be a little difficult. M ake a vertical cu t from th e top of each board dow n to the rod. The w inder can then be clam ped o n to a table o r bench for stability, w ith the handle over the edge to allow for turning. The length of th e rod betw een the u p right b oards should be 6 inches. Next you m ust drill a hole thro u g h the rod to hold th e end of the wire w hen you start to w ind it. This hole is in the end of the m iddle section of the winder, n ear the end w ith the handle. M ark on the rod the point 1\4 inch from th e vertical board next to the handle and betw een the two boards. This w inder is used only for cu ttin g m eth o d two. I suggest you read ahead about this m ethod before co n stru ctin g y our w inding m achine. Figure 2-2 show s an o th er m ethod of constructing a winder. Using screw-in steel eyelets or steel brackets instead of boards to hold the rod in place m akes a m uch m ore stable winder. Take a stroll through your local hardw are store; I am sure you will find a suitable bracket or screw-in eyelets (like the thing a screen door hook latches into). These eyelets com e in all sizes (be sure the inside diam eter is large enough for your rod to fit through) and are very easy to install. There is the definite advantage that the right-angle steel brackets or eyelets are fastened down with screws, which hold m ore securely than nails do u nder the pressure exerted. For stability, be sure that each

16

The A rt o f M ail A rm o r

bracket has at least two points to attach to the portion that meets the bottom board. Again, you m ust drill a hole through the rod to hold your wire in place w hen you start to wind it, as shown in Figure 2-2. Also notice the short length o f pipe th at is placed between the handle an d the first bracket. As Figure 2- 2. you w ind you tend to push tow ard the winder. This piece of pipe aro u n d the rod prevents the handle portion from m oving in and hitting on the base, yet allows free m ovem ent of the rod. You put the end of the wire th ro u gh the hole in the rod. D on’t go all the way through, just past the far side of the hole. Turn the rod and your w ire will coil around. The coils should be right next to each other, like a spring. It helps to w ear a glove on y o u r left h an d or use a bit of cloth o r leather to hold an d guide the w ire onto the rod. You need to p u t som e tension on it, but not very m uch. Each tu rn aro u n d the rod m akes one link. If you m ount your rod so th at the bottom of the rod is 1/2 inch above the board, w hen winding you can use a large cable clam p (see C hapter 3) to help you finish w inding th at last little bit of wire in each coil. To do this, sim ply place the cable clam p b en eath the rod and let the tag end of the w ire feed th ro u g h tw o of the prongs. Press dow n on the rod and tu rn the handle. The w ire will feed th ro u g h and coil tightly on the rod. This only w orks for the ends of the coils. If you try to do the w hole coil this way, you m u st co n stan tly m ove the cable clam p to keep the coils from overlapping o r sp reading out too far (Figure 2-3). If you decide th a t you w an t to m ake a large project, you will n eed m an y rings. W inding them by h an d can be tireso m e a n d tim e co n sum ing. An easy so lu tio n is to use a n electric drill to tu rn y o u r rod. It is very quick an d easy, b u t th e re are a few p re c a u tio n s you sh o u ld take. If you have tried w inding by h an d you know th at it is very easy to have one loop in the coil ju m p over on top of the previous one. In this case, you can sim ply back it up an d continue the coil again. W hen you use an electric drill, you are coiling very fast. If one loop ju m p s over on top of a n o th e r loop, it really m akes a mess. O ther problem s in using a drill for w inding are th a t the loops can get spaced too far apart and unevenly an d th a t y o u r han d s can be b urned by .X jp I t ^ie w *re th ro u g h them . The solution is to use a VjU ' guide for the w ire a n d a ho ld er for the spool of wire, ^>1^^ ^ th u s elim inating having to hold the w ire altogether. W hen you use an electric drill to w ind y o u r w ire coil, use a Figure 2-3 . variable-speed reversible drill. (You m ay w ant to coil it in the reverse m ode. Som e people prefer to feed the w ire to the underside of the rod.) E ith er way, the guide will ensure th at each loop stays in line and does not ju m p on top of the previous one. The rod you use for winding with a drill is different from that previously described. The hole to hold the wire to start winding is only about 2 inches from the end of the rod. You only need enough of the rod sticking out to put in the chuck of the drill and for the first bracket of the winder. M aking a lot of links m eans you will be w orking from a spool of wire. You need to construct a holder for the spool you coil from to allow a fast, sm ooth feed of w ire to the rod. This also provides ju st the right am o u n t of tension on the w ire to m ake it coil correctly w ithout holding the w ire as it coils. Place a m etal rod through the spool an d su pport the ends of the rod in notches on wooden blocks. I suggest blocks because you d o n ’t w ant the rod to move sideways, thus dum ping your

t

H i

W ire Sizes and Types of W ire

\^

spool on the floor. S hort pieces of 2 x 4 lum ber works fine. The blocks can be connected by a b ottom board an d a side brace. Be sure the block construction is wide enough so that it will not interfere w ith the m ovem ent o f the spool. 1 his holder is placed on the floor directly below the winder, which is clam ped to your table. Place it so th at the w ire feeds up to the front of the rod, not the middle. You w ant a small am o u n t of tension tow ard the front of the w inder so that your guide will not pull toward the back an d space the loops far apart. A sim ple guide can be constructed from a rectangular piece of light m etal about 6 inches by 3 inches. You can purchase a piece of galvanized m etal called a tie plate at the local lum ber or hard w are store. It should cost u n d er a dollar. You w ant the guide to be ab o u t 3 inches wide along your w inding bar so that the guide is stable and slides smoothly. If you m ake it too short it will "catch” instead of slide. W hen co n stru ctin g this, you will get a b etter idea of w hat you are doing if you look at all the illustrations of the guide in this book before you begin. S tart by placing the m iddle of the m etal strip on the w inding b ar and bending it around it. Use a p air of needlenose vise grips to crim p the strip down as tightly as possible and then use a h am m er to beat it dow n aro u n d the rod (see Figure 2-4). Now bend the two "legs.” This is necessary to keep the guide from turning on the rod and also m akes it slide along the rod m ore smoothly. The legs will slide along the bottom board of your winder, one of them along the closest edge to provide the correct slant for the wire to feed up. You d o n ’t w an t y our w ire to feed at a right angle because this will cause too m uch tension for y our w inder an d drill to handle. The legs m ust be "turned u p ” to prevent them from digging into the bottom board of your w inder as they move. It is also advisable to tu rn up the ends away from the drill for the same reason. The sm o o th er these slide, the less trouble you will have (Figure 2-5). S eparate the two legs to form an angle. To get a sm ooth fit put the guide on the rod. Next, bend the legs to form the tu m ed -u p area (Figure 2-6). Now bend one leg up to form a curl from your m iddle loop on the side away from you. Bend the o th er side of the guide up to provide a sm ooth edge. I find that beating it down with a h am m er is the easiest way. You w ant this edge fairly flat. I also use a ham m er to bend the back edge of the guide up slightly. This way it cannot catch on the board as it slides. Take it off the rod an d drill tw o sets of holes through it right below the rod area. These will have bolts going th ro u g h them to keep the guide from jum ping off the rod. Remember, there is a lot of p ressure exerted by the wire as it is w inding. The holes should be at the front and back

Figure 2-4.

Figure 2-5.

18

The A rt o f M ail A rm or

of the guide. The front hole should be as close to the front as you can m ake it because it m ust contain a loop to feed the wire through (Figure 2-7). The loop to feed your wire m ust extend just beyond the end of your guide. You can make this loop by twisting heavy wire first around your bolt, then around a loop sticking out from there, and finally back around the bolt. A nother way is to drill two holes in a sm all piece of metal, one for the bolt and one to feed the wire through. Figure 2-8 shows the beginning of a coil being w ound. S tart out slowly until you get the hang of it. R em em ber to have a firm hold on your drill. There is quite a bit of force used in w inding, and the drill will kick and try to tu rn w hen you start up. So brace the handle tow ard you on the table an d hold it steady. After w inding the links (Figure 2-9), you m ust cut them . T here are several ways to do this, and you will have to experim ent to see w hich is best for you. The design of your w inder will determ ine which m ethod you choose. All of this is explained in the next chapter.

Figure 2-8.

Figure 2-9.

C II A P T I R

3

Cutting Links

his c h a p te r describes three m ethods of cutting your links. Because every perso n is different, w hat is easiest for one person is not necessarily easiest for another. I suggest th a t you read through all three m eth o d s before you decide to try one. But, rem em ber, the m ost im p o rtan t rule fo r all th ree m ethods is to be safe! W ear goggles and gloves w hen necessary. I have found th at, overall, m eth o d three is easiest for me. I travel q u ite a b it an d do not always have easy access to electricity. I have also reach ed the age w here m y jo in ts com plain bitterly w hen u n d er stress, especially w hen I use a hacksaw. So I exert m yself as little as possible. (I am n atu rally lazy.)

T

METHOD 1 Pull th e end of the w ire from the hole in the rod. Slip the coil off the rod. Take som e heavy w ire cu tters and clip each ring from the coil. This m eth o d is very h a rd on yo u r hands. If you insist on using it, I reco m m en d th at you find a good-quality cutter, w ith long handles, and grind dow n the jaw s of the cutters to m ake them shorter. You get b etter leverage th a t way. METHOD 2 Mike Riley of S w itzerland developed this m ethod, which works very well for him using a hacksaw. See the slots at the tops of the upright boards going dow n to the rod (Figure 3-1). Yes, these form a guide for

The A rt o f M ail A rm or

20

the hacksaw. Leave the wire coil attached on the rod, just the way you finished w inding it. Slip the hacksaw in the grooves and hack away. Of course, when you set up your winder, be sure that the length of the rod allows for m ovem ent of the hacksaw. For a variation of the above, use a drill with a thin grinding disk o r a Dremel tool on it. The disk m ust be thin, o r else the gap in your links will be too large to close properly. If you use this m ethod, I suggest m ounting another parallel rod to guide your cut. W hen you use cutting disks, rem em ber that if they are not kept at right angles to the coil the blade will catch and sh atter the disk o r lash back, w hich can end up cutting som ething you d on’t w ant cut—such as you! This is very dangerous; wear protective goggles. I occasionally use m ethod two w ith a diam ond-cutting wheel. I found it w as easier to make the cuts if I rem oved the coil from the w inder and positioned it on a rod an d th en placed this on a piece of wood th at I had hollow ed out to fit the coil and hold it in place. This w as then placed in a small plastic tray full of water, w ith blocks at th e ends to hold the coil to g eth er tightly. These blocks are im portant, even though I d id n ’t include them in th e draw ings Figure 3-2. You can also use vise grips to hold the ends in place. If you do not have the ends blocked, w hen you cut through a link it tends to flip o u t an d catch on the wheel.

SIDE VIEW

FRONT VIEW v

y

i

Dremel tool

I

_ A . W ooden block with groove for guiding rod

WOODEN HOLDER AND COIL TOP VIEW OF CUTTING BOX

I SIDE VIEW OF BOX Shows notches for rod with coil and guiding rod Figure 3-2.

Guiding rod

Rod with coil

C utting I.Inks

21

The water in the tray cools the wire and wheel while cutting and acts as a bit of a lubricant as well. 1 also m o u n ted a guide b a r for the Dremel tool and put a square attachm ent on the tool to keep it at right angles. The w ater is a little messy (you can put a shield up to prevent spattering), hut it keeps y our cutting wheel cool and provides som e lubrication. He sure to wear protective glasses! After considerable experim entation w ith this m ethod, I felt that it w asn’t worth my effort. Also, the blades for the Dremel tool get expensive (it uses diam ond cutting blades) and w ear out quickly. 1 w ent back to m ethod three, which I find faster, cheaper, and easier. M ETH OD 3 Remove your coil from the rod and cut it with a pair of good wire cutters th at are m ounted as in Figure 3-3. The advantage to m ounting the pliers is th at you get a great deal m ore leverage by adding the piece of pipe and extending the top handle. Also, you don’t use a squeezing m otion with your hands, but rath er you use your whole Pipe over handle body to apply pressure by leaning on the pipe. When Metal cutting very thick sheet wire, this m ethod is so m uch easier. Wooden W hen cutting 14block gauge wire, I cut two links at each stroke. Of course, the quality of the wire cutters is very important. It is also advisable to grind down their jaws to reduce their length. Remember, the Figure 3-3. closer you cut to the pivot point of your cutters, the less pressure it takes to make a cut. They m u st be m o u n ted in a very stable way (Figure 3-3). I took a baseboard (you can use the sam e one you m o u n ted your w inder on) and placed a th in m etal sheet on the area u n d ern ea th th e cutters. W ood tends to "give," and this prevents the cu tters’ handles from w earing into the b o ard and everything com ing loose. If this happens, the cu tters will n ot cut properly. So, if you are having problem s cutting, check to see w h eth er there is m ovem ent of the cutters w hen you apply pressure. For m ounting the nose end of the cutters, I used a cable wire clam p (Figure 3-4), w hich you can find at any hardw are store. I ground the four prongs down until they were below the level of the bottom handle of the cutters when they are on their side. The U-shaped bolt piece is not used. Take a close look at the way the jaw s of your cutters move