Chainmail

(it's like knitting, but more manly!)

I make chainmail. And not that nasty stuff that you send in envelopes to your friends, and tell them that they have to send it on to more people or die hideously.

Nope, this is the stuff that Webster's New Twentieth Century Unabridged Dictionary (2nd Edition) defines as:

chain mail, flexible armor made of joined metal links

That's right. That cool stuff that the knights used to wear, that looked like steel mesh. It's really easy to make, too! All you need is some wire, a metal rod, a few simple tools, and lots of patience. :) Of course, to do it right takes a bit more effort (don't nick the links, now, and lets get something done quickly), but a small amount of some basic chainmail could easily be whipped up by some determined person in an afternoon.

I should give credit where credit is due. I first heard of chainmail playing D&D when I was young, but my fascination with the substance came later, when I first had some exposure to the Society for Creative Anachronism. There's people there who make it en masse, and it was the first place I ever actually handled a piece. I don't know about anybody else, but when I feel chainmail, I think it's the neatest stuff I ever felt. It flows beautifully, and it's made of steel, and is all shiny. It's like cloth, only better. :)

So, I've been known to say that I might actually join SCA, just for the crafts ('cause the lifestyle, the drunken parties, and most of the intense social interaction weren't my style), but decided against it. I thought making chainmail would be difficult, and time consuming. I was only right on one count.

This work term, I met a pair of fun people named Ann Lowenstein and Rick Webb. (Anybody out there know them? Send me an email!) I played Star Wars with them, and after a while, I discovered that Rick not only knew how to make chainmail, he actively constructed the stuff. He showed me how to do it one weekend, and so I subsequently made a bunch of chainmail. Sadly, between typing on the computer all day (look! I'm doing it again, right now!) and clipping links, my wrists got really bad, and so I don't make it anymore, really.

A good page about chainmail is ChainMaille Fashions. He has lots and lots of photos of chainmail he's made for people, etc, plus he gives you the opportunity to buy stainless steel links at what seem to be very reasonable prices. I'm thinking of buying some myself. This site also has a page or two about how to make the stuff. (plus, he managed to get chainmail.com, which we should all pay tribute to.)

However, if you're interested, there's lots of sites around that talk about chainmail. (All right, I admit. This is just a web query, that you could have done yourself. However, I used to have a link to a page that had more links, and it went away. So it made me sad, so I won't do that again).

Enjoy, and don't get intimidated. Just turn a few links and link 'em together. It's as easy as can be. (I really want the art of making chainmail to become more prominent in our society. Somebody's got to build a machine that mass produces it. Like, I mean, it's the twentieth century: surely we can automate something as simple as linking wire rings together!?

Anywho, go off, and make some chainmail. And let me know how you do!

Back to Shawn Vincent's home page -- Back to www.svincent.com