Instructables.com - How to make a chainmail shirt

Home Sign Up! Explore Community Submit All

Art

Craft

Food

Games

Green

Home

Kids

Life

Music

Offbeat

Outdoors

Pets

Ride

Science

Sports

Tech

How to make a chainmail shirt by ineverfinishanyth on March 8, 2009

Table of Contents intro: How to make a chainmail shirt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2

step 1: Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2

step 2: Starting the Front Half . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2

step 3: Finishing the Front Half (Part 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4

step 4: Finishing the Front Half (Part 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4

step 5: The Back of the Shirt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5

step 6: Finishing the Shirt! (Part 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5

step 7: Finishing the Shirt! (Part 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5

step 8: Now That You're Done... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6

Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7

Make Magazine Special Offer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7

http://www.instructables.com/id/How_to_make_a_chainmail_shirt/

intro: How to make a chainmail shirt so you might now how to put chainmail links together, but making a shirt is an entirely different thing. It includes hours of work and a lot of mistake-making, but the finished product can last a lifetime and looks pretty gnarly if you ask me.

step 1: Materials Since i'm not going to teach you how to make rings (there are other instructables on that subject), wire,mandrels, and cutters will not be on this list. 24,000 (give or take 2,000) 1/4 inch, 16 gauge galvanized/ungalvanized rings (you can use other sizes/gauges but the number of rings will vary) 2 pliers (one for each hand) PATIENCE! - putting 24,000 rings together is no small thing...it can take months, even years depending on your speed Knowledge of how to make 4-1 European chainmail This instructable teaches the basic principles of how to make chain mail rings and how to connect them using European 4-1: http://www.instructables.com/id/European-4-in-1-maille-chainmail-speedweaving/

Image Notes 1. RINGS!

Image Notes 1. these are the pliers that i use (bent nose pliers) but you can use other pliers if you want 2. Half-way through the front of my shirt

step 2: Starting the Front Half Pic 1: Make a long chain that runs from left to right. This chain (when stretched out) should reach approximately 4 inches past were you want your sleeves to end. For example, if you want your sleeves to go to your elbows, this chain should reach from 4 inches past one elbow to 4 inches past the other elbow. Pic 2: Find the middle ring of the top row of your chain and mark it by attaching a ring to it.. Now, count 11 rings to the left and add a ring. go back to the middle ring and count 11 rings to the right, then add a ring. Pic 3: Remove the ring that you used to mark the middle. Pic 4: Now finish off the top row by adding rings to the left and the right of the rings already placed on the strip. Pic 5: Continue until you have about 20 rows up on both sides. This will create the neck-hole of the shirt. If you don't have enough rows, your head will not be able to fit. Keep in mind that chain mail does not stretch like a cotton t-shirt. You might have to make your neck hole a couple inches bigger than your neck . ( if the instructions are confusing look at the pictures they make more sense)



step 3: Finishing the Front Half (Part 1) Now that you have the most of the neck hole completed, start adding rows to the bottom of your strip. As shown in the picture, add about 3-5 more inches of maille. The amount of maille you add in this step will decide how long your sleeves are from top to bottom. If you only add one inch, you will have very tight sleeves, whereas 6-7 inches will leave you with sleeves that are way too long. I added about 4 inches and it works pretty well for me.

Image Notes 1. these are the rows that you will be adding in this step 2. I put a 45 degree triangle into the bottom edges of my neck hole to make it look better. It's optional

step 4: Finishing the Front Half (Part 2) As shown in the picture, the next rows should be cut in on both sides from the sleeves. A good way to find out how wide the bottom half of your shirt should be is to measure your chest from armpit to armpit and then subtract an inch or two. The "inch or two" that you subtract will be made up for on another step. Now keep on adding more and more and more and more rows. This step will take up the bulk of your time. My shirt, for example, has 90 rows from the bottom of the sleeves to the bottom of the shirt and it took me 5 of the 6 weeks that I worked to finish this step.

Image Notes 1. Although rather simple, finishing the front half of the shirt will take a very long time. 2. This is an inlay and I will cover how to do one at the end of the instructable


step 5: The Back of the Shirt The back of the shirt will be almost exactly the same as the first. Keep the same amount of rows and the same length, but for the back you need to change the neck hole. Instead of having a neck hole that is 20 rows deep, the neck hole on the back side of your shirt should only be 6-8 rows deep. The reason for this is that when you are moving around, you don't want your shirt to be able to shift a whole 20 rows forward when you bend down. As for the rest of the back half, complete it exactly the same way you completed the front.

step 6: Finishing the Shirt! (Part 1) Ok now comes the most confusing part. For this section of the instructable, I scanned in drawings of the concept in order for it to make more sense. Part A: Make two pieces of maille that are 3-4 inches wide. They should be as long as the distance from the bottom of the sleeve to the bottom of the shirt. Use these two pieces to connect the front and back halves of the shirt. These pieces should NOT be at all connected to the actual sleeve. Check picture number one for clarity in this step. Part B: Make 2 different pieces of maille that are as wide as your sleeves are long. These pieces should only be 3-4 inches tall. They should look something like this: ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) The left to right length is governed by how long you made your sleeves. The up and down length should be the same as the left to right length of the pieces made in part A. Now connect this piece to the two sides of the bottom of your sleeves. Do not connect this piece to the piece from part A that is already attached to the shirt. The drawing makes a lot more sense so if you are confused look at the picture for part B.

step 7: Finishing the Shirt! (Part 2) At this point you are only minutes away from finishing your shirt. Before you work on the hard part, knock of the easier step first. Connect the shoulder pieces on the front to the shoulder pieces on the back. When you are finished the neck hole should actually be a hole now that the sides are connected. For clarity, look at Picture A. Know comes the hardest part. We are going to fill in the line of mail right in the armpit. This sounds like it should be simple but if you think about it, the rings from the piece under the arm are going the opposite direction of the rings that are running down the sleeve. While the drawing will make a lot more sense, I will try to describe how to execute this next step. Take a chain mail ring and connect it to on of the rings on the side of the sleeve. Follow through with the ring and connect it to two of the rings on the other side. Continue this down the line until the armpit is filled in.


Image Notes 1. Hopefully this makes sense. Apparently chain mail is really hard to draw realistically : ) This is not drawn to scale; it is more than likely that you will have to put more than four rings on in this step.

step 8: Now That You're Done... There are many cool things that you can add to your shirt when you are finished. As always you can lengthen or take away rings in certain places. You can add dags, or small triangles along the bottome of the shirt or sleeves. You can also add inlays, which are shapes, symbols, or pictures put into chain mail through the use of different colored rings. Dags- In order to make dags, start another row wherever you want to add one. Instead of finishing an entire row, connect 10+ rings and then stop. Instead of continuing the row, and a row under the one you just made, except make it with one less ring. If you started at 10 the second row will have 9 rings, the third will have 8, and so on so forth. A finished dag will look like this: (((((((((( )))))))) (((((( )))) (( ) Inlays: By using other materials such as copper or bronze, you can make shapes on your chain mail shirt. As shown in earlier pictures, my shirt has a cross made out o 14 gauge copper 1/4 rings. You can make whatever symbols/shapes you want but more than likely you will have to make up the designs on your own. Making a chain mail shirt is quite an amazing feat and I commend everyone that is able to finish one. Thank you for reading my instructable. Here is a picture of an inlay used on a chain mail shirt.

Related Instructables


Advertisements Make Magazine Special Offer

Comments 50 comments Add Comment

view all 63 comments

WurdBendur says:

Apr 20, 2009. 11:55 AM REPLY You may also want to make the back wider so you can bend your arms forward more easily. This can be done by adding expansions in the shoulders as you go back, or simply by making the neck hole wider at the back. Once the corners are filled in, it'll look the same.

webenmopher says:

Apr 7, 2009. 1:32 PM REPLY there is a special way to connect the sides of the armpit... you can find it here: http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=263

niceboobcrack says:

Apr 3, 2009. 10:21 PM REPLY

does anyone know of a DIY that would explain how to make a maille shirt out of japanese 4-1? Pm me or just post it here

Darter76 says:

Mar 26, 2009. 2:59 PM REPLY do u know if you can make a shirt using the dragon scale weave and about how many rings do u think i would need if i am using 3/16 galvanized steel rings and 5/32 brass rings?

Darter76 says:

Mar 26, 2009. 5:44 PM REPLY i found for myself and if i did do that it would weigh 50-60 lbs and not be that strong so am just going to do the english 4 in 1 using 1/4 bright aluminum rings

ineverfinishanyth says:

Mar 26, 2009. 6:26 PM REPLY

good choice!

Darter76 says:

Mar 27, 2009. 1:17 PM REPLY it should be realy light and i am going to a big N across the front in orange out of anodized aluminum and all that only cost me $104 from the ring lord


Mar 26, 2009. 5:04 PM REPLY Yes its possible to make a shirt out of dragonscale, but as for the number of rings....a 4-1 shirt made out of 3/16 would be like 30,000, so double that and thats a pretty good estimate. So 60,000 total, thats 30,000 steel and 30,000 brass rings.

Darter76 says:

Mar 26, 2009. 5:56 PM REPLY

wow i was way underestimating. thanks i'm glad i did not buy them yet

g388 says:

Mar 11, 2009. 11:00 AM REPLY Awsome, working on mine, made it European 6 in 1 tho. So far put in 3895 rings (yay for simple math), but now the store i bought my wire from to make my rings sold it's establishment to an other company and the new store doesn't carry it !

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:52 PM REPLY

That sucks.

qtm says:

Mar 11, 2009. 10:31 AM REPLY

Nice instructable. Yeah, it takes a long time, first took me about 80 hours over a few months. There are a few things you can do to make it quicker though. First, don't weave the entire shirt one ring at a time. That's painfully slow. Start by opening up the rings. You don't need to go through all the rings, but it makes it easier to have a bunch that you can just pick up and weave without opening them first. Begin making 5 ring groups- four rings connected by a single ring. That creates your basic group, and you can do this without dragging the entire shirt around, and can do it while watching TV since it doesn't require too much attention. I think you probably need to do about 1/4 of the total rings this way, but just make a hundred or so just to get you started.


Next start connecting the small groups. Connect two groups with a single ring (making sure the rings lay the correct way) and keep going. You'll soon have a chain three rings wide. Once it's long enough, put it aside and make another. Keep making them separately, it's much easier to work with. Once you have several, you can stitch them together (ensuring they're oriented in the same way). For the shoulders and sleeves, just make shorter chains to create smaller patches. Good luck, and be patient, it's mind-numbingly boring!

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:47 PM REPLY

Ido this and its fast. $ hours for a 6 by 4 inch rectangle of 4-1

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:49 PM REPLY

sorry 40, not $, typo. You just made a typo, a typo a typo, you just made a typo, we all make mistakes. (Repeat untill person goes crazy and/or attempts to violently injure you. Then the chainmail comes in handy!)


Mar 11, 2009. 6:01 PM REPLY I made a shirt before this one, a 5/16 16 ga shirt and I used some of those techniques, but after reviewing all the techniques I found that -for me- I could go faster doing it ring by ring. I can go pretty dang fast, topping out at about 100 rings every 7-10 minutes. It's just easier for me to do it one by one. less thinking involved.

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:50 PM REPLY

Dang!.....Dang!....Dang!....Thats fast man.

Spiff73 says:

Mar 11, 2009. 12:18 PM REPLY

"Begin making 5 ring groups" I came up with that idea myself about a decade ago. This way, after making all the rings, you can easily close half of them individually use the remaining open ones to form the middles of the groups and then joining the quintets. I would have thought it intuitive, as it cuts the fabrication time by at least 30%. But I don't think I've ever seen an armourer actually do it that way. Nice to see other people do it that way too.

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:51 PM REPLY

I do it too!!!!

PKTraceur says:

Mar 12, 2009. 4:36 PM REPLY

Can you add a video of you creating a few maille links? 6x10 plz! -PKT


Mar 12, 2009. 4:56 PM REPLY

Making the rings or actually putting them together?

PKTraceur says:

Mar 12, 2009. 6:21 PM REPLY

Creation of shirt/ putting together rings. -PKT

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:46 PM REPLY

Youtube!

PKTraceur says:

Mar 11, 2009. 5:47 PM REPLY You've inspired me to create a maille shirt. How well does aluminium work in airsoft/paintball? What size ring should I get for maximum flex+surface area? Will any of the following work? Aluminum 12ga 1/2 ID Costume Strength 680 Rings/lb Wire Diameter: 0.094 (2.39 mm) Actual ID: 0.524 (13.3 mm) AR: 5.6 Search by AR Approx. Rings Per Sq Ft: 685 Code: AL1212


Machine Cut Usually Ships in 1-2 Business Days Stock: 0 lb http://theringlord.com/cart/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=15&cat=Machine+Cut+Aluminum+Rings Aluminum 14ga 1/4 ID Super Armor Strength 2140 Rings/lb Wire Diameter: 0.08 (2.03 mm) Actual ID: 0.26 (6.6 mm) AR: 3.3 Search by AR Approx. Rings Per Sq Ft: 2879 Code: AL1414 Machine Cut Usually Ships in 1-2 Business Days Stock: 9.75 lb Aluminum 18ga 3/16 ID Armor Strength 8220 Rings/lb Wire Diameter: 0.048 (1.22 mm) Actual ID: 0.196 (5 mm) AR: 4.1 Search by AR Approx. Rings Per Sq Ft: 5251 Code: AL18316 Machine Cut Usually Ships in 1-2 Business Days Stock: 35.8 lb Thanks! -PKT

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:42 PM REPLY It would be heavy. I have a 6 inch by 4inch piece that weights 1/4 pound. Its copper. And, the chain mail would be hard to move in, would get dirty, and, chain mail would get blasted into you. If sombody hits you with chain mail on, It hurts them more than you. but I would rather wear thick clothing and a cup(for guys).

jacksteal4 says:

Mar 13, 2009. 4:42 PM REPLY i dont know anything about the materials but i dont think it would be worth making chain mail for paintball and airsoft.... my i remind you that chain mail is really heavy and it might be worth more to just take the hit instead of carying around metal

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:44 PM REPLY

Airsoft would be ok, It just would bounce off of metal with little force. AIRSOFT INVINCIBILITY!!!


Mar 14, 2009. 1:17 PM REPLY

if the material is aluminum, then it weighs 1/3 the weight of steel it would just be like wearing a heavy jacket

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:44 PM REPLY

Id rather go with the jacket for paintball.

Tinker83 says:

Mar 11, 2009. 10:31 PM REPLY ringlord's costume strength materials are half-hard, so unless you make a habit of impaling yourself on big, pointy, jaggedy things it should work just fine for paintball. just be prepared for a lot of paint-checks. larger rings make for lightweght cover, but it would be more lumpy while more and smaller rings make a finer "cloth" but weigh more. a lot of it has to do with preference, and how much you want to spend...

PKTraceur says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:45 PM REPLY

But...But... I like impaling myself on big, popinty, jaggedy things... :) -PKT


Mar 11, 2009. 5:55 PM REPLY If this is normal aluminum you are using, I wouldn't use any of those three. 1/2 12 gauge, in my opinion, won't be able to hold up to paintball and airsoft.(The holes left by 1/2 rings can be penetrated by airsoft bb's). I too airsoft and have tested my maille rather extensively. 1/4 is a great ring size to use for airsoft and paintball, but in my opinion you don't need Super armor strength to stop bb's/paintballs. 18 ga 3/16 is strong and well priced, however it will take much longer. Personally, I don't know if i would have the patience to finish a 3/16 ring shirt. I would go for 16 GA 1/4 if it were me. It should save you some money and in my opinion is the best deal. If you are adamant in using one of the two sizes you suggested, I would uise 14 ga 1/4 inch.


PKTraceur says:

Mar 11, 2009. 7:08 PM REPLY

First time "Mailleing" so, 1/4 16 gauge rings?


Mar 11, 2009. 7:42 PM REPLY

That's what I would use! Good luck on your maille-ing adventure!

i_build_stuff says:

Mar 13, 2009. 12:09 PM REPLY ive been thinking more and more about this and i figure i might want to make something but not big like a shirt. I would really like a chain mail tie. i know it sounds stupid but its what i want. i know u cant make it so u could actually tie it but i figure you could make it like a clip-on and use maybe anther strip to put around it to make like a knot. Do you think it could work? please tell me cause i need some formal armor.

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:34 PM REPLY

yea. it world work great. That gives me an idea... Show up to somthing formal in a tux with a chain mail bowtie....

Roflolommo says:

Mar 13, 2009. 4:21 PM REPLY yea lotsa people make chainmaille ties all the time id go with rather thin aluminum rings cause it can get pretty heavy. id suggest making some kind of band on the end to go around your neck instead of a clipon.

bstrickler says:

Mar 26, 2009. 1:41 AM REPLY I made a tie out of saw cut 20g 3/32" aluminum. Took over 4,000 rings to weave. about 30-40 hours total, weave time. Up for sale at $350. here's links to pics of the tie. Once I finish some of my current projects, I have plans for a tie out of smaller rings, possibly welding them, too, for strength. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/Bstrickler/DSC03340.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/Bstrickler/DSC03341.jpg

i_build_stuff says:

Mar 14, 2009. 12:45 PM REPLY

what kinda gauge you think then and how many rings should i get im not gonna make them.


Mar 14, 2009. 10:13 PM REPLY 18 GA 3/16 inch aluminum or 19 GA 1/8 inch bright aluminum from "the ring lord" would work, but i'm not sure how many rings you would need. on the ring lord website on the same page as the sizes and prices of the rings, there is info on the side that will tell you how many rings per square foot. You could use that to make an estimation and then buy that many with a hundred or so rings extra just to be safe.

Greywyn says:

Mar 18, 2009. 6:06 PM REPLY

Amazing Chainmaille Site: http://www.mailleartisans.com Gallery - Ties + Hats: http://www.mailleartisans.org/gallery/subcat.cgi?mode=cat&key=930

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:38 PM REPLY

My eyes... they burn... too...many...ties..and..hats......GAHHH!!!!!!!

vviggy says:

Mar 18, 2009. 3:24 PM REPLY As well as making my own links, I have also used square-section, spring-steel washers (anywhere between 4mm to 16mm diameter). They can be bought by the tens-of-thousands. Last chainmail top I made used 6mm washers. There were approx 30,000 links which, if my memory serves me well, cost £40.

Greywyn says:

Mar 19, 2009. 12:51 PM REPLY

Know any good sites to buy from?

Speedmite says: Make them, its awsome.


Mar 20, 2009. 5:33 PM REPLY

Darter76 says:

Mar 19, 2009. 1:41 PM REPLY

if you search on google then you find tons of sites then just compare prices that is what i did

sdbigguy says:

Mar 19, 2009. 3:46 PM REPLY I was rummaging around and saw a couple of videos and your instructable and thought I would give it a try. I went thru 300 feet of 14 gauge galvanized wire. My goal was to make a shirt but I'm a big guy... 6'4" and 280. Ended up with an almost complete chain mail headpiece. Weight in at just under 5 pounds. I may still go for the shirt/tunic but need to find a better way of making rings other than diagonal cutters.


Mar 19, 2009. 10:32 PM REPLY It is possible to make a chain maille rig that cuts rings 3-4 times faster (120-150 rings per minute) One I finish the project i'm working on i'll try to make an instructable on how to make one of those rigs

Speedmite says:

Mar 20, 2009. 5:31 PM REPLY

Its called "the powerdrill meets the mandrel, and the saw meets the coil.

barri_kid says:

Mar 19, 2009. 7:04 PM REPLY Hey, nice instructable. I am thinking of making this. It seems like a good way to get fit also! I was looking for weighted vests and those cost quite a bit, probably around 100$-$200 or so. Hmmm, According to my calculations You need about 9 sq feet of links If that is the case, the range in cost will be from $55-$180 depending on the size of the loops and a weight of 4-14 pounds. (using from The Ring Lord website prices and stats). The cheapest is: 14G 1/2 at 55$ (5.3Lb) The lightest is: 18G 1/4 at 4Lb (100$) The heaviest is: 12G 3/8 at 14Lb (142$) The middle one is: 12G 1/4 at $80 (9Lb), Probably the one Id make since its cheap and has a good weight if I wanted to train with it. All of the calculations were based on using 9 sq feet of rings, so it may have a different price for each person

McForten says: Ah, good instructable. I find it funny that the day I decided to start working on my chain mail shirt, an instructable for it is put in the weekend builder.

view all 63 comments


Mar 19, 2009. 3:52 PM REPLY