So, you want to try your hand at making your own chain mail and do not know where to start? This was the situation I was in 2 years ago. Having no where else to turn, the Internet became my research tool. Over the past two years I have learnt many different styles of "butch knitting" and all the help I needed was found through the following list of sources.

Your first port of call should be Sara’s Home page. She has the most comprehensive set of chainmail links I have ever seen. Her pages range from "how to" pages, through to "wear to purchase" and "who to contact if". URL is: http://goddess.coe.missouri.edu/~sara/chainmail/

If, like myself, you prefer to be shown how to make things then this page is excellent. It has animated gif’s that show you blow by blow how to make the most common weave which is known as 4-in-1: http://members.aol.com/sblades/maile.html

By now you have gathered your tools, purchased or made your links and are ready to make your first hauberk but where are you going to get the pattern from? Well, the Arador site has all the patterns you could wish for: http://www.concentric.net/~vistar/arador/armour1.html

Arador, is also the home to the Armourers’ chat page, where all of the guild comes together to share information. It is not all to do with chain mail, but any and all questions and cries for help are treated with kindness and courtesy: http://disc.server.com/Indices/6354.html

A useful book to buy is "Practical Chainmail in the current Middle Ages" by Gypsey Teague which is full of chainmail patterns. It can be ordered online from www.greenduck.com and costs $20.00 (US) plus postage. It has patterns for both European and Japanese weaves and excellent instructions on how to make coifs, mantles, shirts and even chausses (chain tights)

If you do not have the time to wind your own rings then grab the yellow pages and look for the category "Spring W’sales & Mfrs". If you are in Melbourne then I can recommend S&S Springs (03) 9314 9833. This is the company which makes all of my rings. The downside of getting a commercial business to make your rings is that you have to purchase commercial quantities. As a benchmark I pay between $330 & $360 per 10,000 depending upon the o/d (outside diameter) of the rings, the thickness of the wire used, and the type of wire. The above prices are for nickel-plated mild steel. Of course if you want a small quantity to practice with, then I will sell you bags of 100. Another source of pre-made rings is Leather & Saddlery supply shops, but it is an expensive option.

I have found that mild steel does not stand up to the rigours of SCA heavy combat and have ordered a spring steel batch. Stainless steel rings are another option. These are cheaper ordered from the states then locally. Roscoe (http://www.roscoinc.com/buttrings.htm) sell them by the 5000 and you can expect to pay around 1 cent American per ring, plus postage. A good size for SCA armour is #6. Roscoe’s rings are marine grade stainless steel so are perfect for people who do not want to have to care for their chain.

A word of warning, if the rings are sent via airmail then the cost of postage will be about $10 (US) higher than the cost of the rings. My next shipment from Roscoe, will be coming by surface mail!

Personal Observations about ChainMail.

One of the most often asked questions is "How big should the rings be?". Of course there is no easy answer. The smaller the o/d the prettier the "cloth" will look. However the smaller the o/d the longer it will take you to make and the heavier the final product. For jewellery I use 10mm o/d 1.6 mm wire, for fashion garments I use 17.6 mm o/d, 2.5 mm wire.

Another often asked question is "how long does it take …". I have found that I can knit 200 rings an hour while still being able to watch TV or carry on a conversation. Even at this rate you can still expect to spend many a day with blistered hands before your full hauberk is finished. For this reason alone I suggest that you start with a small project. But when you are ready to make your very first, documentable, period suit of chain then this page will tell you exactly how to do it: www.weylea.demon.co.uk/farisles/armour/mailmake/mail.htm

Good luck & happy knitting!