Chainmail weaving tutorials

Beginner's Euro 4-1 http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/simpleeuro.html

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European 4 in 1 is the most common and most basic interesting maille weave. That being said, it can still be achallenge for beginners who are new to maille. These instructions are intended to provide an introduction to thisweave. Euro 4-1 can be made from just about any ring size, though it becomes impractical with an aspect ratiobelow 3 or so. A couple of good beginner's sizes are .08" (~14 SWG) wire in a 3/8" inner diameter ring; .104"(~12 SWG) wire in a 1/2" ID ring, and .0625" (~16 SWG) in a 5/16" or 1/4" ID ring.

Step 1: Make a chain that consists of alternating a pair of rings, and a single ring. The easiest way to do this is toclose two rings and connect them with another ring. Then close two more rings, put them on an open ring, andpass it through the previous pair. And so on.

Step 2: We're going to start by making this patch taller. This is going to go one ring at a time. Orient your chainas in the image from step 1. Open a single ring, and pass it through the closer ring in the leftmost pair. Also passit through the closer ring in the next-to-leftmost pair. Close the ring.

Step 3: Just keep adding rings like that for the entire row. Each ring should pass through only two of the "silver"rings.

Step 4: Now we need to add more "silver" rings. Notice that what we now have is a chain of alternating pairs ofrings. We can do what we just did in steps 2 and 3 to continue making the patch taller. So just find the lower-leftring from the newest row, and pass a ring through it, and it only. This is a corner ring; it only passes through one

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ring at the moment.

Step 5: Now we can do like we did in step 2 - a new ring that passes through two other rings. The lower left tworings from the new row are our target; nab 'em both with a ring.

Step 6: Keep repeating step 5 until the row is done. The last ring, like the first ring, will only pass through oneother ring.

Step 7: You can just keep repeating steps 2 through 6 to make the patch taller; now we're going to start onmaking it wider. Start by adding a ring through the top two rings on the right side.



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Step 8: And just keep on doing that for the rest of the column.

Step 9: Now we need to add "silver" rings again. And again, the first ring's an odd one. Since it goes in thecorner, it'll only pass through one of the rings from the previous column. Nab it through the top-right ring.

Step 10: The next "silver" ring goes through two of the rightmost rings.



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Step 11: And just keep doing that until you hit the end of the column. Once again, the last ring is only going topass through one ring, since it's a corner ring.

That's all there is to weaving European 4-1, but there's one more thing you need to know before you can go. Theway you've been weaving Euro 4-1 here is only one of two possible orientations of the weave. This way, the"open" way, causes gravity to pull the rings away from each other. While it's a nice look, it's not very good forclothing, where you'd rather that the "cloth" have some natural stretch to it, so that people can move and breatheasily. If you rotate the weave 90 degrees, you'll get the other, "closed" orientation. When making mailleclothing, you want the weave to be in the closed orientation, looking something like the image on the right:



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The image on the right shows Euro 4-1 at partial stretch. It still has some room to move about, so if the personinside the shirt wants to breath in (expanding their chest), they have room to do so. The version on the left,while hung correctly, is already at full stretch; there's no room to move about underneath it. To gain somestretch, more material should be added to it. This requires a bit more work to cover the same surface area, butthe fit of the finished piece will be far better.

All items on this site are copyright 2005 Chris Weisiger (a.k.a. Derakon). That's right - I made everything on this site. Reproduction of any of my workin whole or in part requires my express consent.


Weaving European Four in One http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/euro4.html

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European Four in One is the most basic maille weave and a common choice for beginning maillers. It can be usedfor both armor and jewelery; it was the most common weave for medieval European armor. It works well in anincredibly wide range of ring sizes, from 1/2" 14 gauge (good costume maille in steel) to 1/8" 20 gauge (fordelicate jewelery). The minimum ring size for some common gauges are: 14 gauge, 1/4", 16 gauge, 3/16", 18gauge, 5/32". At these ring sizes, the weave will be very thick and rather inflexible, making for heavy armor orsolid jewelery. If you're planning on making armor, then 14 gauge 3/8" steel rings or 12.5 gauge 3/8" aluminumrings will work well.

The basic technique for making European Four in One is to make units, weave the units into chains, and thenweave the chains into sheets. For European Four in One, a unit is a single ring with four other rings hooked intoit, and it looks like this:

You'll need a lot of these units when you weave Euro 4-1, so you might as well make several now. Once youhave a few units made, you'll need to connect them into a chain. To do this, pass a new ring through two of therings on one unit and two of the rings on the other unit, like so:

Professional armorers generally make huge lengths of this "Unit Chain," often winding them onto spools so thatthey can easily cut off what they need for a given application. You don't need to make that much.Now, there is a certain rule to keep in mind about unit chains. They should always begin and end with a singlelink, so that you can count the length of a chain by counting the number of single links. This allows for easycommunication; if you need a unit chain six links long, for example...

...then you'll know exactly what you should make. Without this rule, people tend to get confused trying to countunits or individual rings. Another benefit of using unit chains this way is that when you weave two chainstogether, they will always match up. If you ignore the rule, then occasionally you'll have to add a single row oflinks so that you can connect two chains, and nobody wants to do that.So, to connect two unit chains, lay them out as shown:

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Pass a ring through one ring on one chain and one ring on another:

And continue adding rings on down the chains. Excepting the rings on the end, each ring that you add will passthrough four rings in total - two on one chain, two on the other.

Congratulations! You now have a sheet of European Four in One, and that makes you an official maillesmith!Have fun! But first, we should probably make an observation on the units with which you've been working. Youmight have noticed that there's not just one way to connect units; we can do it in the other direction as well:



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This is called a "Ribbon Chain," and it can be expanded into sheets just like unit chains can be. Line up tworibbon chains side by side, like so:

And connect them down the middle.

So why don't we use this method instead? Well, there are a few reasons. First off, it prevents us from using thathandy rule that we can use for unit chains. This can lead to all kinds of confusion when two maillesmiths try tocommunicate. Secondly, if we use ribbon chains instead of unit chains, we may occasionally find ourselveshaving to add a single row of links to the weave just to get things to match up. Finally, it's considerably moredifficult to weave ribbons than it is to weave units.However, nobody's perfect, and you may well find yourself needing an extra column of maille here or there. Inthose cases, ribbon chains can be useful. They just aren't recommended for general-purpose weaving.

Now that you've finished the first weave of maille, you might be interested in trying out a different weave. Fromhere, I recommend either box chain or byzantine. Both make good jewelery and are relatively simple. Good luck!




Weaving Kingsmaille http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/king.html

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Kingsmaille is a variant on European 4 in 1 where every link is doubled. In other words, wherever you wouldfind a single link in Euro 4-1, you will find two in Kingsmaille. You can use this same technique on manyother weaves to create simple variants. For example, Emperor's maille is Euro 6-1 with every ring doubled.

Of course, doubling the rings in a weave makes it tighter. Kingsmaille is considerably more dense than normalEuro 4-1, and cannot be made with several of the smaller ring sizes. Two good ring sizes for Kingsmaille are5/16" 16 gauge and 3/8" 16 gauge. Kingsmaille will invariably make heavier maille than Euro 4-1 - more thantwice as heavy for the same ring size.

We use the same basic technique to make Kingsmaille that we do to make Euro 4-1. To start out, pass eightrings onto a single ring. Pass another open ring through those eight and close it.

You can lengthen a unit chain by connecting units side to side, or by adding directly onto the chain, like so:

A finished unit chain, of course, begins and ends with what would be in Euro 4-1 a single link. Since we'reusing Kingsmaille, it's two links. This unit chain is six units long.

To connect unit chains together, lay them out as shown:

Pass two links through two of the links on one chain and two links on the other.

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Weaving Kingsmaille http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/king.html

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And continue adding links down the chain.

Note that each new link passes through eight other links. Thus Kingsmaille is an eight in one weave. However,because of the doubling, it is often known as "European Eight in Two", or Euro 8-2. This denotes that everyeight links passes through two links.That's really all there is to weaving Kingsmaille. Have fun!


All items on this site are copyright 2002 Chris Weisiger (a.k.a. Derakon). That's right - I made everything on this site. Reproduction of any of mywork in whole or in part requires my express consent.

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/king.html

Expanding circle coif instructions http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/coif.html

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The expanding circle is one of two methods of building the top of a coif. This method makes a circular patchwhich can then be attached to normal rectangular patches to finish the coif. The other method is to make fivetriangles and then to sew them together using 45 degree angle seams. I personally prefer the expanding circlemethod, which does not create any seams. Both methods can also be used wherever you need a circle, and thuscome in handy for pouches and other such projects.

The most important step in these instructions is the expansion. Expansion rings are rings which are used to makea weave wider or taller. Without them, the circle would quickly become far too tight to be feasible.

Step 1: add some closed rings to an open ring and then close that ring. Lay the group out as shown. The singleopen ring (sometimes referred to as the "queen ring") will be the center of your coif. You want to pack a fairnumber of rings onto the queen ring, but you still should not have any problems getting the rings to lie more orless flat. None of the rings should be pushed into the middle of the queen ring because of the density of the rings.To make this easier, use a larger ring for the queen ring - 3/8" ID if you're using 5/16" ID rings, or 7/16" ID for a3/8" ID piece, and so on. Call the outer rings Row 1.

Step 2: Add another row of rings in the Euro 4-1 style. That is, add another row of rings such that each ringpasses through two adjacent rings in the previous row. I'm sure you can figure it out. Call this Row 2.

Step 3: Go around the circle adding rings through Row 1, in such a way that the rings only pass through one ringin the row. Space them regularly. They should not pass through Row 2 rings.

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Expanding circle coif instructions http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/coif.html

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Step 4: Now add onto that row of normal and expansion rings. Each ring that you add should pass through two ofthe rings in the previous row, whether they be normal or expansion rings. Notice that each expansion ring nowpasses through three rings in total - one ring near the center and two in the row you just added.

That's the basic method for building a circular coif top. Just continue to build outwards, expanding whennecessary. Unfortunately, there's no good way to give hard numbers for the amount of expansion you have to do;head sizes vary far too much. I generally just eyeball my circles to see if the weave looks too dense or too tight. Ifthe latter, then I expand. Oh, and try not to put your expansions in the same location on different rows. Doing thatwill cause the coif to deform, creating a noticeable seam and losing the circular shape.

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Weaving Box Weave http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/box.html

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The box chain is one of the basic jewelry weaves. It's a derivative of the European 4 in 1 weave, and was probably originally discovered when some Euro 4-1 was rolled up tightly. The box chain weave can be made by sewing up a patch of Euro 4-1, but I personally prefer to make the chain directly, using the method shown below.

You may have noticed the similarities between the box chain and the byzantine chain. Byzantine is simply box with extra pairs of rings added. The change is subtle in construction but impressive in the final result.

Good ring sizes for box chain include 1/4" ID 14 gauge, 3/16" ID 16 or 18 gauge, and 1/8" ID 20 gauge. Tight weaves are advisable for box chain, as it has no real strength on its own and will collapse into an ugly mess if not held taut.

Step 1: Pass two open rings through four closed rings and lay them out as shown.

Step 2: Fold the two rings on the end of the chain back.

Step 3: Place two closed rings on an open ring. Pass the open ring through the two rings on the end of the chain that you folded back in the previous step. Add another open ring where the last one went.

Step 4: Fold the two rings on the end back again.

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Weaving Box Weave http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/box.html

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You're now back at step 3 again. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to lengthen the weave. Notice that if you simply add another pair of rings after step three and then continue as normal, then you'll have the byzantine chain.

Finished box chain:


All items on this site are copyright 2002 Chris Weisiger (a.k.a. Derakon). That's right - I made everything on this site. Reproduction of any of my worki\ n whole or in part requires my express consent.

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/box.html

Byzantine http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/byz2.html

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The byzantine weave is also known as birdcage, idiot box, fool's dilemma, and many other names. It makes a nicejewelry weave in 1/4" ID 14 gauge, 3/16" ID 16 gauge, or 1/8" ID 20 gauge rings. It can also be turned into asheet weave via the "hex" method (essentially, connecting byzantine chains at 120 degree angles and makinghexagons that then connect to each other).

Step 1: Make a 2-2-2 chain as shown.

Step 2: Fold the rings on one end of the chain back.

Step 3: Connect another 2-2-2 chain to the folded-back part of the previous one.

Step 4: Fold the end of that chain back as well.

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Byzantine http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/byz2.html

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Step 5: And lock the folded-back rings into place with a new pair.

That's it! Just repeat steps 4 and 5 to lengthen the chain. Not too bad, eh?



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Weaving Byzantine http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/byzantine.html

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The byzantine weave is also known as birdcage, idiot box, fool's dilemma, and many other names. It makes anice jewelry weave in 1/4" ID 14 gauge, 3/16" ID 16 gauge, or 1/8" ID 20 gauge rings. It can also be turnedinto a sheet weave via the "hex" method (essentially, connecting byzantine chains at 120 degree angles andmaking hexagons that then connect to each other). My instructions here are probably one of the morecomplicated ways of making this weave, but they allow speedweaving at each step (i.e. every step involves theaddition of closed rings with open rings). You might find it easier to skip steps 4 and 5 when learning theweave.

For these instructions, silver rings are new open rings. They carry bronze rings (new, closed rings) and pass through black rings (old rings that have already been added to the weave).

Step 1: Put four closed rings on two open rings. Close the rings, and lay them out as shown.

Step 2: Fold two of the rings on the end of the chain back, as shown.

Step 3: Put two closed rings onto an open ring, and pass the open ring through the two inner rings as shown. Add another open ring.

Step 4: This is the only really tricky bit. Add an open ring to one of the closed rings on the end of the chain. Thenadd two closed rings to the open ring. Pass the open ring through the remaining closed ring on the chain, and close it. If you want to skip this and the next step, just add two more rings onto the end of the chain and go to step 1.

Step 5: Repeat the process for the other side of the chain. Through one closed link, add two closed links,

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Weaving Byzantine http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/byzantine.html

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through the remaining link, then close.

Step 6: Last step. Add two open links with two closed links onto the end of the chain.

You should now be back where you started. Repeat steps 2 through 7 to lengthen the chain. Have fun!

Finished byzantine chain:



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Weaving Trizantine http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/trizantine.html

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Trizantine is a variation on the Byzantine weave. It looks like byzantine with an extra ring running down themiddle. It's considerably more dense than normal byzantine. Good ring sizes include 1/4" 18 gauge and 3/16"20 gauge. One "feature" of the weave is that the rings on the sides tend to flop around; there's no tension put onthem. To correct this, you can replace those rings with rings 1/16" (or even 1/32", if you have appropriatemandrels) in diameter smaller.

For these instructions, copper rings are new rings added to the weave. They pass through silver rings. Brassrings are not involved in the current step, although they may be in future steps.

Step one: Pass three closed rings through three open rings and lay them out as shown.

Step two: Add two more rings through the rings you added in the previous step.

Step three: Pass two rings through the two rings you added in the previous step and the middle ring from thefirst step.

Step four: Place a closed ring between the two rings added in the previous step. Lock that link in by passingthree rings through it and those two old rings.

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Weaving Trizantine http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/trizantine.html

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Step five: Add two rings next to that closed ring added in the previous step.

That's it! Repeat steps three through five to lengthen the chain. Some fantastic weaves can be made byalternating the metals used. Good luck!Finished Trizantine chain:


http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/trizantine.html

Weaving Roundmaille http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/round.html

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The roundmaille weave can be considered to be an extension of the box chain weave. It is essentially a strip ofEuropean 4 in 1 three rows wide connected to itself on the edges. The roundmaille chain tends to be quite heavy and thick, although with smaller ring sizes it can be very delicate. The weave works well in any ring combination that works for European 4 in 1, although it tends to look better with fairly dense ring sizes. Two good combinations are 3/16" ID 18 gauge wire, and 1/4" ID 16 gauge wire.

As roundmaille is an extension of box chain, there is an extension of the byzantine chain called Turkish Roundmaille. This variant can be made by repeating the fourth step in this weave; the extra rings will act as spacers and create the reversal effect that is shown in the byzantine weave.

Step 1: Create a chain with three sets of two links connected by two single links, as shown.

Step 2: Turn the chain into a loop by adding one more ring.

Step 3: Add a ring passing through one of the inner rings on each of two of the pairs. Add two more ringsaround the circle.

Step 4: Three more rings, to connect to the rings you added in the previous step. Notice that they go on theinside of the chain, not the outside. In essence, you are locking in a set of folded back rings, like in the box

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chain. If you wish to make Turkish Roundmaille, add three more rings to the three rings added in this step.

Step 5: And once again, go around the chain with three more rings.

That's about it. Repeat steps four and five to lengthen the chain. If you feel like trying speedweaving this weave, the rings in step four can be added as closed rings instead of open rings, but notice that two closed ringswill go with the first open ring. The second open ring adds one closed ring and passes through one of the closedrings already added. The third adds no closed rings.

Finished Roundmaille chain:




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Weaving Turkish Roundmaille http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/turkish.html

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Turkish Roundmaille is a variant on the roundmaille chain, much as Byzantine is a variant on box chain. In fact,techniques used in Turkish Roundmaille can be applied to Byzantine, and vice versa (that's how I got my techniquefor speedweaving Byzantine). You can make Box by taking a ribbon chain of Euro 4-1 and closing it up on itself.Likewise you can make Roundmaille by taking a five-wide ribbon chain and sewing it up on itself. Then Byzantine ismade by taking the Box units and spacing them out, and Turkish Round is made by taking the Roundmaille units andspacing them out. Of course, there are more efficient techniques for achieving either Byzantine or Turkish Round,such as are described on this page. Turkish Round forms a heavy, but intricate chain which is useful for jewelery.Because of its weight, it makes a better necklace than a bracelet, unless you use unusually small rings.

Speaking of ring sizes, some recommended sizes for Turkish roundmaille include 1/4" ID 16 gauge, 3/16" ID 18 gauge, and 1/8" ID 20 gauge. Each of these ring sizes can be stepped up by one gauge (e.g. 1/4" ID 14 gauge) for a much stiffer chain if so desired. 1/4" ID 14 gauge makes a very nice keychain.

Step one: Make a 2-1-2-1-2 chain, as shown.

Step two: Connect the ends of the chain with a single ring.

Step three: Add a ring through two of the inner silver rings. Add two more rings so that each inner silver ring passesthrough two brass rings.

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Step four: Add three rings through the brass rings in the same fashion as the brass rings passed through the silver inthe previous step.

Step five: As in step four, add three more rings. However, allow them to "fall back" on the rest of the chain.

Step six: Lock in the previous three rings. Each ring add should pass through two copper rings. Make certain that thebrass rings are on the inside of the silver rings, not the outside. This step locks in a unit of Turkish roundmaille



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That's all there is to it. Repeat steps four through six to lengthen the chain. Good luck!


All items on this site are copyright 2002 Chris Weisiger (a.k.a. Derakon). That's right - I made everything on this site. Reproduction of any of my work i\ nwhole or in part requires my express consent.


Weaving Inverted Roundmaille http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/iround.html

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Inverted roundmaille is a variant on the roundmaille weave. It is an unusual weave in that most ring sizes produce incredibly stiff chains, making this weave useful for sculpture, if a less likely candidate for jewelry. Any ring size that works for roundmaille will work for inverted roundmaille. For this weave, brown rings arenew rings. They pass through silver rings. Black rings have passed through all of the rings that they are going to.

Step 1: Create a 2-1-2-1-2 chain as shown.

Step 2: Connect the ends of the chain with a new ring.

Step 3: Pull the chain apart so that it looks like this:

Step 4: Add three new rings onto the end of the piece. Repeat this step to lengthen the chain.

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Weaving Inverted Roundmaille http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/iround.html

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That just about does it. As with roundmaille, you can speedweave this chain if you like by just adding openrings in with the closed ones in step 4.

Finished Inverted Roundmaille weave:



http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/iround.html

Weaving Box Sheet http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/boxsheet.html

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Box sheet is one method of turning the box chain weave into a sheet. You need to know how to make box chainbefore you can make this weave, but once you know, it should be fairly simple. Box sheet has an interestingtexture, a bit like courduroy.

This method makes for a somewhat stiffer weave with much more texture.

It's been brought to my attention that the "box chains" in these instructions are in fact Full Persian chains. Sincethe type of chain doesn't really matter, fixing this is really low on my priority list. Just imagine that they're boxchains.

Good ring sizes for box sheet should be larger than ring sizes for box chain. Try using 1/4" ID 18 gauge or 5/16"ID 16 gauge.

Step 1: Make two box chains. Again, if you need instructions for box chain, they can be found here.

Step 2: Pass a new ring through two of the rings on one chain, and their opposites on the other chain. For thismethod, the ring should pass through the copper rings, not the silver rings.

Step 3: Continue to add rings in this fashion down the length of the two chains.

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Weaving Box Sheet http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/boxsheet.html

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That's all there is to it! Simply create another box chain and connect it to one of the two chains you've alreadymade to widen the weave. Good luck!

Completed box sheet patch:



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Weaving Box Sheet http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/boxsheet2.html

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Box sheet is one method of turning the box chain weave into a sheet. You need to know how to make box chainbefore you can make this weave, but once you know, it should be fairly simple. Box sheet has an interestingtexture, a bit like courduroy.

This method makes for a flatter sheet that is more flexible.

It's been brought to my attention that the "box chains" in these instructions are in fact Full Persian chains. Sincethe type of chain doesn't really matter, fixing this is really low on my priority list. Just imagine that they're boxchains.

Good ring sizes for box sheet should be larger than ring sizes for box chain. Try using 1/4" ID 18 gauge or 5/16"ID 16 gauge.

Step 1: Make two box chains. Again, if you need instructions for box chain, they can be found here.

Step 2: Pass a new ring through two of the rings on one chain, and their opposites on the other chain. For thismethod, the ring should pass through the silver links, not the copper ones.

Step 3: Continue to add rings in this fashion down the length of the two chains.

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Weaving Box Sheet http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/boxsheet2.html

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That's all there is to it! Simply create another box chain and connect it to one of the two chains you've alreadymade to widen the weave. Good luck!

Completed box sheet patch:



http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/boxsheet2.html

Elfweave http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/elfweave.html

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Elfweave is an interesting chain weave that bears visual similarities to the Box chain. However, its manner ofconstruction is entirely different, as it is most easily made by creating a 2-1 chain and then modifying the chain intoElfweave. There is also a sheet version of the weave. Recommended aspect ratios are in the 3.5 range for the chain.

Step 1: Build a 2-1 chain a bit more than twice as long as you want the eventual finished piece to be. Find the middlelink (in this image, colored copper), and pull it out to one end so the rest of the links are paired up. Try to line up thelinks in the chain as shown in the image; at the very least, you'll need the ones closest to the middle to be as shown.

Step 2: We're going to go down the chain and lock in adjacent pairs of rings. Take a new ring and pass it through twoadjacent rings on one side of the chain, and then their counterparts on the other side. If you line up your chain so thatthe base (the first copper ring) is close to you, then you should start on the right-hand side. This way, when you're doneadding the ring, the closure is in an easily-accessible location.

Step three: Now just keep adding rings like this down the length of the chain.

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/elfweave.html


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Step four: We're going to have to do the same thing to the underside of the chain, so turn the chain over. No rings areadded in this step.

Step five: Just like in step two, add a new ring through the four rings closest to the end of the chain.

Step six: And just like in step three, continue adding rings down to the end of the chain.

Once you have a reasonably-sized chain made, you can add length to it relatively easily. Just find your original 2-1chain and lengthen it, then connect the new sections with more copper-colored rings. Finished Elfweave chain:



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All items on this site are copyright 2005 Chris Weisiger (a.k.a. Derakon). That's right - I made everything on this site. Reproduction of any of my work in wholeor in part requires my express consent.


Elfsheet http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/elfsheet.html

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Elfsheet is the sheet version of Elfweave. It's an ornate sheet weave that bears resemblances to Box Sheet, although it ismore tightly-integrated. It works best with an aspect ratio of about 4.

Before you use these instructions, you should know how to make Elfweave, so go there first.

Step 1: Create an Elfweave chain as long as you want the final sheet to be wide. Elfsheet expands best in the directionthat the chains run (in other words, if you're making armor from this weave, then the chains should run horizontally).

Step 2: We're going to start expanding the sheet by adding more copper-colored rings. These rings go into two layers, topand bottom. We're going to start with the top row, and the first one just goes through the leftmost silver ring.

Step 3: Add another top-layer copper ring. This one goes through the next two silver-colored rings.

Step 4: Keep adding top-layer rings until you reach the end of the chain.

Step 5: Now we're going to add the bottom row. However, it's relatively difficult to add rings to the underside of a weave,

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/elfsheet.html


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so flip the entire thing over now.

Step 6: Now we have a new layer of copper rings to add. This one goes through the two silver rings on the end.

Step 7: Just keep adding rings like that to the end of the chain. Now we have a new top row.

Step 8: Now that the copper rings are in place, it's time to start adding silver rings. The first one's easy - just through theleftmost ring of the new top row.

Step 9: This one's a bit trickier - it goes through the ring you just added, as well as the leftmost top and bottom-layer



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copper rings. Use a downward motion to capture all three rings easily.

Step 10: Again, this ring goes through one silver and two copper rings. Using an upward motion, go through the ringfrom step 9, then the leftmost bottom-layer copper ring, then the second top-layer copper ring.

Step 11: The same as step 9, really - use a downward motion to capture step 10's ring, as well as two copper rings.

Step 12: Keep using the alternating up- and down-motion to add rings to the weave until you've finished the row.



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That's all there is to it, really. It can be a bit difficult to keep track of the layers of copper rings since they lie right on topof each other, so, as with many weaves, it's a good idea to avoid disturbing Elfsheet as much as possible when you'restarting out. If you do jostle it, look at where the copper rings connect to the weave, and sort them out so that they layercorrectly. Adding the silver rings can be a bit intimidating at first, but as long as you keep track of which rings you'vejust "touched" with a new ring, you should be OK.Finished Elfsheet patch:

All items on this site are copyright 2005 Chris Weisiger (a.k.a. Derakon). That's right - I made everything on this site. Reproduction of any of my work in wholeor in part requires my express consent.


Weaving Serpent's Spine http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/serpent.html

1 of 2 17/02/2008 11.18


Serpent's Spine is a unique weave similar to a series of coif beginnings stacked upon one another. It makes a thick,round chain with a spiraled appearance which is particularly striking when two metals are used. Two ring sizes areneeded for this weave; one large and one small. One pair of sizes that works well is 7/16" 16 gauge large rings and1/4" 18 gauge small rings.

For these instructions, green and blue rings are horizontal large and small rings, respectively. Red rings are verticalrings. The small rings should fit inside of the large rings:

Step 1: Pass a vertical ring through a large ring and a small ring.

Step 2: Continue adding vertical rings around the circle. You want a fairly large number of rings, but don't packthem in too tightly.

Step 3: Add another large and small ring through all of the vertical rings.

Step 4: Add more vertical rings, going through the two new horizontal rings, but not through the first twohorizontal rings. To create the spiralling effect, make certain that all of the new vertical rings are to the left (or allto the right) of the previous vertical rings.

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Weaving Serpent's Spine http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/serpent.html

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That should do it. Repeate steps 3 and 4 to lengthen the weave. Good luck!Finish Serpent's Spine weave:


All items on this site are copyright 2002 Chris Weisiger (a.k.a. Derakon). That's right - I made everything on this site. Reproduction of any of my work inwhole or in part requires my express consent.

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/serpent.html

Weaving Dragonscale</font> http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/dscale.html

1 of 3 17/02/2008 11.19


Dragonscale is one of the more intricate sheet weaves. It consists of two different ring sizes interlocking; thesmall rings only pass through large rings, and vice versa. There are only a few limited ring sizes that you canuse for this weave, including 3/8" ID large and 1/4" small in 16 gauge, 3/16" large 1/8" small 21 gauge, and1/8" large 3/32" small 22 gauge. Essentially, you want a setup where the small ring can fit inside of the largering, although small rings that are too small will make the weave unmanageably tight.

For these instructions, silver rings are large rings and brass rings are small rings. 1: To start out, you want to make a simple 2-1 chain of alternating large and small links:

2: Now place single large links over the small links in the chain. These new links should not pass through anyof the chain links; they're just lying on top.

3: Pass a new large link through one of the small links in the starting chain. You should do this so that the linkyou added in the previous step gets locked into place.

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/dscale.html


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4: Add another large link through two of the small links in the chain - the one you just used plus its neighbor.In the process you should lock in another of the large links you added in step 2. Continue adding links in this fashion until you reach the end of the piece. In this case, that's just one more ring.

5: This step's a tad tricky. You'll need to connect those rings you added in step 2 to each other using smalllinks. You may have to flip the patch over to reach the links, depending on how tight your weave is.

6: Time for another row of large links. They should pass through those small links that you added last time.



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7: That does it! From here on, you should be able to repeat the pattern to make the weave longer. Have fun!




Weaving Full Persian http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/fpersian.html

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Full Persian is one of the basic jewelry weaves. It makes a solid, somewhat heavy, and very intricate chain. Because of the density of the weave, relatively large rings are required - 3/8" ID 14 gauge, 1/4" ID 18 gauge, and1/8" ID 22 gauge all work, with varying degrees of flexibility. Full Persian also forms the basis for two other jewelry weaves - Half Persian 3 in 1 and Half Persian 4 in 1. The 3-1 chain can actually be formed by weaving Full Persian and then continuing only half of the chain (hence the name).

Step 1: pass four closed rings through two open rings. Close the open rings and lay the collection out as shown.

Step 2: See those two dark links? They need to go between the copper links and through the silver ones. Thisisn't always that easy, especially when you're starting out. Try to avoid having the brass pair slip around. It mighthelp to stick a piece of wire through the silver and brass pairs where you want to add the dark rings.

Step 3: Really, now the worst step is over. In this step, you just add two more rings onto the end - the silver ringsin this case.

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Weaving Full Persian http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/fpersian.html

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Step 4: Now you need to repeat step 2. The copper links need to go through the brass and silver links, butbetween the dark ones. Again, using a piece of wire to hold the links in place may come in handy. Good luck.

That should do it! To lengthen the chain, just repeat steps 3 and 4. Have fun!

Finished Full Persian chain:



http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/fpersian.html

Weaving Half Persian 3 in 1 http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hp31.html

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The HP 3-1 weave is a delicate, low-profile chain good for simple jewelry. It's not particularly strong compared to most chains, however. It's known as Half Persian because it can be made by extending only half of the Full Persianweave. Like most of the Persian weaves, it works best with relatively large rings, like 5/16" ID 16 gauge, 1/4" ID 18gauge, or 3/16" ID 20 gauge.

Step 1: Put two closed rings on one open ring. Close the ring, and lay them out as shown.

Step 2: Put one closed ring on an open ring. Pass the open ring through the two closed rings from the previous step, from below.

Those are really the only steps involved in making Half Persian 3-1. To lengthen the chain, simply repeat step two. Notice that the weave has V-shaped profile; it lies differently depending on which side is up. Be certain to point this out to potential customers.

Finished Half Persian 3-1:

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hp31.html

Weaving Half Persian 3 in 1 http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hp31.html

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Weaving HP 5 in 1 sheet http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hp51.html

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HP 5 in 1 sheet is one of three methods of turning the HP 3-1 weave into a two dimensional sheet. It's a veryattractive weave and can be used for clothing in suitable ring sizes, but it's time-consuming to make. It also (obviously) requires that you have experience with the HP 3-1 weave. If you don't, well, I have instructions for those, too. :) In fact, it might be worth looking at those instructions just to see how I make HP 3-1, as I use the same methodfor the 5-1 instructions here.

For these instructions, red rings are new open rings. They carry purple (closed) rings and pass through blue (closed)rings. Silver rings are not important in the current step.

Step 1: Make an HP 3-1 chain slightly longer than the final piece should be wide. Sheeting HP 3-1 tightens the weave slightly, making it thinner.

Step 2: Put two closed (purple) rings onto an open ring. Pass the open ring through two of the closed rings in the bottom row of the HP 3-1 chain. Make certain that the new closed rings are lying as shown; these rings will be the basis for a new HP 3-1 chain.

Step 3: Put one closed ring onto an open ring. Pass the open ring through the two closed rings from the previous step,then two of the rings in the bottom row of the completed chain.

Step 4: Continue adding rings in this fashion until you reach the end of the row. The last ring of the row will not haveany closed rings added with it, and it will only pass through one of the rings in the old chain.


Weaving HP 5 in 1 sheet http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hp51.html

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That should do it. You now have two HP 3-1 chains sheeted together. Return to step 2 to continue lengthening the weave. Good luck!

Completed HP 5-1 patch:




http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hp31s6.html

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Half Persian 3 in 1 sheet 6 is a beautiful dense weave. Unlike the 5 in 1 version, it makes parallelograms (i.e. slanted rectangles) instead of straight rectangles. This can be good or bad, depending on what you're doing(shirts made from this type of weave can be truly stunning!). But in any event, it's a beautiful weave.

This weave works with 5/16" ID 16 gauge rings, although it is quite dense and inflexible; you might be better offwith 3/8" ID. 1/8" ID 22 gauge is the only other size I have tried.

You'll need to know how to weave normal HP 3-1 before you can do this weave.

Step 1: Make a chain of HP 3-1, as long as the final sheet should be wide.

Step 2: Place two closed rings on an open ring. Pass the open ring through the two leftmost lower rings on theprevious chain.

Step 3: Place one closed ring on an open ring. Pass the open ring up through the two closed rings from theprevious step (as in standard HP 3-1 weaving), then up through the leftmost ring on the previous chain, thendown through the two rings next to that one. The hardest step in this weave.



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Step 4: As in step three. Repeat these steps to lengthen the weave.

Step 5: When you reach the end of the chain, add an open ring with no closed ring on it. This ring goes upthrough the two rings on its row, up through one ring on the previous row, and down through one ring on theprevious row.

That's all there is to it! Have fun with this beautiful weave.

Finished HP 3-1 sheet 6 patch:



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Weaving Half-Persian 4 in 1 http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hp41.html

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Half Persian 4 in 1 is one of the most difficult standard jewelry chains in existence. Because of this, many peoplewho try to learn the weave will get one or two steps in, look at the tangled mess in their pliers, and give up. My best advice is to not do this. Keep going even if you think you're off, because you might well actually have it right; you just can't seethat you have it right. Half Persian 4 in 1 works well with relatively large ring sizes. 14 gauge 3/8" ID, 16 gauge 5/16" ID, 18 gauge 1/4" ID, and 20 gauge 3/16" ID will all work well. I recommend starting with grossly oversized rings (e.g. 1/2" ID 14 gauge), because there are some very tricky ring placements in this weave.

Step 1: Pass an open ring through three closed rings, and lay them out as shown. Be certain that the closed ringsare lying as they are here; else you'll run into problems in the next step.

Step 2: Pass an open ring through the ring on the right, from above. Then add a closed ring onto the open ring.Then pass the open ring through the remaining two closed rings, from below. This is the step with which most people have a lot of trouble. There's no real trick to doing it - you'll just have to practice.

Step 3: Just a repetition of step two, really. As before, pass the open ring through the ring on the right fromabove, add the closed ring, and pass the open ring through the two rings remaining, from below.

That should do it! Remember, this is one of the most difficult of the common jewelry weaves, so don't expect toget it on the first try (if you do, well, more power to you). Finished Half Persian 4 in 1 chain:


Weaving Half-Persian 4 in 1 http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hp41.html

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Weaving Half Persian 2-1 sheet 4 http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hp21s4.html

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Currently InaccurateHalf Persian 2-1 sheet 4 is an interesting sheet weave based on the 2-1 Half Persian chain (a unique beast to besure). The sheet version tends to curl in on itself, making it a poor choice for armor or other clothing. However, itis one of the "simplest" of the HP sheet weaves, as it is a four in one weave. Simple in this case does not meaneasy to make; this weave can be quite tricky. But it's one of the better ones to know, if you're planning of fleshingout your weave library.

For these instructions, silver rings are new open rings. They carry copper (closed) closed rings and pass throughbrass rings already in the weave. Black (annealed steel) rings are not involved in the current step.

Step 1: Pass four closed rings onto an open ring, Close the ring and lay the group out as shown.

Step 2: Place two closed rings onto an open ring. Pass the ring through the rightmost closed rings from theprevious step.

Step 3: Continue that step to lengthen the chain. Make it slightly longer than the final sheet should be wide, asadding the next row will constrict the weave slightly.

Step 4: Go back to the front of the chain. Place two closed rings on an open ring. Pass the ring through the twoleftmost bottom rings on the chain.



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Step 5: Place a single closed ring on an open ring. Pass the ring through the rightmost closed ring from theprevious step and two closed rings from the chain above.

Step 6: Continue that step to the end of the chain.

That's it! This is by no means a simple chain. If you disturb the weave, especially at the beginning, you may findyourself with a mess instead of a chain. The larger you make the patch, the more stable it becomes. Good luck!

Finished Half Persian Two in One, sheet Four patch:



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Half-Persian 6-1 Variants http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hpvar.html

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This page is not meant really to describe how to weave Half-Persian 6-1 chain variants. Instead, it's meant todemonstrate some theory about how the HP weaves work. To do so, I've made some images of three differentHalf-Persian 6-1 chain weaves, to provide pictoral support. If you actually want to make the chains, you'll needlarge rings. I'm talking larger than 3/8" ID 16 gauge, which is adequate for HP 5-1 but not for this. The ringsrendered in these instructions have an aspect ratio of 13! Of course, that's overdoing things. You couldprobably get away with 3/8" ID 18 gauge.

Yes, I said threedifferent variants, all with the same name. How is this possible? Without too much trouble, as it turns out. Ifyou make HP 4-1 as in my tutorial, you should run across a segment that says "Pass an open ring through thering on the right, from above. Then add a closed ring onto the open ring. Then pass the open ring through theremaining two closed rings, from below." The "from above" and "from below" parts are really what make theHalf-Persians so annoying to weave, since if you get them wrong then you get a weave that isn't what you'reaiming for. To simplify the verbiage, I'm going to call the "from above" rings "down" rings (since you passyour new ring down through them) and the "from below" rings "up" rings (for similar reasons).

Okay, so that gets us some terms defined, but what else does it gain us? Well, HP 4-1 as we commonly know itis the 2-down 2-up version. That is, when you add a new open ring, you pass it down through two rings (thesecond of which is generally a preclosed ring not already on the chain), and then up through two rings. The thing is, there's no particular reason why we have to keep things even. Half-Persian 6-1, for example, can bemade in these three forms: 1-down 5-up, 2-down 4-up, and 3-down 3-up. You can also make 4-down 2-up and5-down 1-up forms, but they're just mirror images of the 2-4 and 1-5 forms. Let's take each of the three formsin turn.

This is the beginning of the 1-down 5-up chain. To continue it, you would simply stick a closed ring on anopen ring and then pass the open ring through the five rightmost copper rings, from below. It's like weaving HP3-1, except denser. The finished chain would look something like this:

This weave has a drastically emphasized V-shaped cross-section, which might conceivably be useful forwrapping jobs, although I would personally use EPH or a three-fourths Persian weave. Alternatively, you couldjust make it because you like how it looks, but if you think this form looks nice, you should check out the 2-4version:

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/hpvar.html


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Again, this is the start of the 2-down 4-up form. It's like HP 4-1 in that you go down through one ring, then adda closed ring, then go up through the rest of the rings. However, in this case, the "going up through" part isthrough four rings instead of 2. Hence the name. The V-shaped cross-section is less pronounced in this form:

However, both of the above chains do have V cross-sections. Remember that traditional HP 4-1 has arectangular or X-shaped cross-section; can we replicate that in HP 6-1? Obviously, or I wouldn't be talkingabout it. The 3-down 3-up form of HP 6-1 has the same type of cross-section as HP 4-1, being merely a heck ofa lot more dense.

This is the start of the 3-3 split form. You'd have to go down through two rings, then add a ring, then upthrough three rings to lengthen the chain. Notice how the closed ring in that step takes the form of a "down"ring. That's just because of the orientation we're using when we weave; if we made it an "up" ring, then we'dalso have to reverse the weave (in which case it would be a 3-up 3-down chain instead of a 3-down 3-upchain). In any event, longer chains look a bit like this:

So now you've seen the three versions of HP 6-1 that exist (this is discounting the sheet forms!). However, youcan extend this theory to any level of Half-Persian chain. With these techniques, you can make an HP 4-1 witha V-shaped cross-section. You could aos, though I don't know why you'd want to, make 5 different HP 10-1weaves and string them all together. In any event, now you know. Enjoy!

Go back



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All items on this site are copyright 2003 Chris Weisiger (a.k.a. Derakon). That's right - I made everything on this site. Reproduction of any of mywork i\ n whole or in part requires my express consent.


Not Again http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/notagain.html

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Not Again is a weave that I devised while trying to learn GSG. The name comes from the fact that I had onceagain failed to get that weave correct. Not Again is a chain weave with a bit of breadth to it, created by turningsome form of Half- Persian sheet sideways (much like GSG).

Step 1: Make a little unit like this. Put rings 1 and 2 on ring 3. Pass ring 4 up through ring 1 and down throughring 2. This is a simple Half-Persian stitch, and it forms the basic unit of Not Again.

Step 2: Put two closed rings on an open ring. Pass the open ring through the two right-hand rings in the unityou made in step 1.

Step 3: Pass a new open ring down through the upper-right ring and up through the lower-right and upper-leftrings in that area. Sorry; poor wording. Basically another Half-Persian stitch to finish up another unit of NotAgain.

Step 4: Repeat step 2. An open ring carrying two closed rings goes through the two rings on the right-handside of the chain.

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Not Again http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/notagain.html

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Step 5: Repeat step 3. Do a Half-Persian stitch on the three available rings.

That's the weave. Keep on going to your heart's content.



http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/notagain.html

GSG http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/gsg.html

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Similar to Not Again, GSG is a HP sheet weave turned sideways. GSG is quite a bit denser than Not Again.The initials stand for Great Southern Gathering, which is where the weave was named. GSG was developedby Buddha, one of the wiser maillers out there.

A good ring size in which to practice this weave is 16 gauge 5/16" ID. Alternatively, for jewelry one coulduse 20 gauge 3/16" ID or 24 gauge 3/32" ID.

Step 1: Place two closed rings on an open ring and close the ring. Connect the two closed rings with aHalf-Persian stitch. Lay them out as shown.

Step 2: As Buddha once explained this weave to me, see the football (i.e. oblong hole) in the copper rings?First, we go through the hole...

Step 3: and then we go around the hole.

Step 4: Once again, through the hole...

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GSG http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/gsg.html

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Step 5: and around the hole.

That should do it. Although this weave can theoretically be speedwoven, in practice it's just not worth it. Onering at a time is easier and less likely to confuse you. Although, if you feel like getting confused, go ahead -the last two times someone tried to learn GSG, they invented a new weave (Viperscale and Not Again).Finished GSG chain:



http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/gsg.html

Weaving Oriental Six in One http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/or6.html

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Oriental Six in One is a fairly common sheet weave that was historically used to connect metal plates together.These days, of course, it is not so limited. The advantage to the Oriental (or Japanese) weaves is that they arevery fast to make. A shirt made from an Oriental weave can be finished in far less time than one woven in aEuropean weave. However, Oriental weaves are not very useful in combat; they lack the mass necessary todisperse the force of a blow.

Oriental weaves all consist of vertical and horizontal rings. The vertical rings connect two horizontal rings;horizontal rings never pass through other horizontal rings (same for the vertical rings). In general, these weaveslook better with small vertical rings and large horizontal rings. Otherwise they tend to look a bit floppy. Goodring sizes for Oriental Six in One include 3/8" 14 gauge large and 1/4" 14 gauge small, 5/16" 16 gauge large and3/16" 16 gauge small, 1/4" 18 gauge large and 1/8" 18 gauge small, or 18 gauge 3/16" large and 20 gauge 1/8"small. If you plan on speedweaving Oriental 6-1, make the small rings the closed rings.

Step 1: Put six small rings on one large ring. Close the large ring.

Step 2: Put five small rings on a large ring. Pass the large ring through one small ring on the other large ring.Close the ring.

Step 3: Place four small rings on a large ring. Pass the large ring through one small ring from the first large ringand one small ring from the second large ring. Make certain that you do not "trap" a small ring between thelarge rings.

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/or6.html


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Step 4: Continue adding large rings around the central ring. Each large ring should pass through one small ringfrom the central ring and one small ring from its neighbor, and should carry four small rings of its own. The lastring, which closes the circle, will carry three small rings.

Step 5: Now we need another row in the circle. The rings in this row will pass through either one or two smallrings from the previous row. Pass a large ring through four small rings, then two small rings from the outer rowof the circle. Close the ring.

Step 6: And go around the circle again, adding large rings. Notice that the large rings that you add alternatebetween passing through two small rings in the previous row, and only passing through one.

That's it! Of course, the circular shape isn't always useful, especially if you're making clothing. Makingrectangles is not terribly difficult, but it does result in a lower weaving speed. It's better to use circles for thebulk of your weaving, and then to "square them out" to make things fit better.



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Weaving the Japanese 4 in 1 Cube http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/jap41cube.html

1 of 3 17/02/2008 11.25


The Japanese cube is one of a very few true three-dimensional weaves. It is solid and can be used for sculpture, although it is highly ring-intensive. To keep its shape, it requires very small rings, so small, in fact, that it's usually easier to simply double up the rings. For example, good cubes can be made from doubled 1/4" ID 16 gauge rings, or doubled 3/16" ID 18 gauge rings, but they can also be made from single 16 gauge 1/8" rings. It is important to note that the Japanese cube, unlike its two-dimensional relatives, works best with only one ring size.For these instructions, copper rings are horizontal, and silver rings are vertical.

Step 1: Create a patch of Japanese 4 in 1, as shown.

Step 2: Pass a vertical ring through every existing vertical ring in the weave.

Step 3: Add nine horizontal links. This completes one layer of the cube - each layer has two rows each ofhorizontal and vertical rings.

Step 4: Another set of vertical links passing through horizontal links.

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/jap41cube.html


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Step 5: And even more horizontal links. By this point the pattern should be obvious.

Step 6: Continue following the pattern until you've finished the cube.



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Et voila! One Japanese cube. Of course, they don't have to be 3x3 - you can build them to any size you like and any dimensions.


All items on this site are copyright 2002 Chris Weisiger (a.k.a. Derakon). That's right - I made everything on this site. Reproduction of any ofmy work in whole or in part requires my express consent.


Weaving Euro-Persian Hybrid http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/eph.html

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Euro-Persian Hybrid is a weave that combines the Half-Persian 3 in 1 weave with European 4 in 1. It createssheets that tend to curve in on themselves, while having an appearance similar to courduroy. Good ring sizesinclude 1/4" 18 gauge, and 3/16" 20 gauge.

For these instructions, red and blue rings are the two rows of the Half-Persian chains. Green rings are used forthe European section.

Step 1: Weave two chains of HP 3-1 slightly longer than the final sheet should be tall. When the European ringsare added, they contract the weave slightly. Notice that one of the chains is woven in the opposite direction fromthe other. This is necessary to allow the next step.

Step 2: Pass a new ring (green) through two of the rings on one chain and two of the rings on the other. Noticethat the rings thus connected form a piece of European 4 in 1.

Step 3: Continue adding rings down the chains until you reach the end.

That's the basic concept. You should now have two HP chains connected to each other. To widen the weave,

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/eph.html

Weaving Euro-Persian Hybrid http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/eph.html

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make another HP chain running in the same direction as the chain on the left, and connect it to the chain on theright. Good luck! Finished Euro-Persian Hybrid patch:



http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/eph.html

Weaving Spiral Chains http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/spiral.html

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The spiral chain is an interesting chain that makes a beautiful spiral (hence the name). The only problem withspiral chains is that they will unwind unless they are secured at both ends. This actually makes spiral chainsvery difficult to work with sometimes; though they are not difficult to make, it can be quite aggravating toattach them to other items. Still, spirals themselves are not terribly difficult to make.

Good ring sizes for spirals include 3/8" 14 gauge, 5/16" 16 gauge, and 1/4" 18 gauge.

For these instructions, copper rings are new rings in the weave. They pass through silver rings. Brass rings arenot involved in the current step.

Step one: Close a ring. Simple enough, yes?

Step two: Pass a ring through the closed ring. Close it.

Step three: Pass a ring through the first two rings. Remember which direction through which you passed it in;you must use the same direction for all of the other rings, or else the spiral will reverse direction.

Step four: Pass a ring through the second and third rings, in the same direction as the third ring used.

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Weaving Spiral Chains http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/spiral.html

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That's it! You can keep adding rings in this fashion until the chain is as long as you want it to be. Have fun!

Finished spiral chain:



http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/spiral.html

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/viper.html

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Go back

Viperscale is a weave invented by Lady Lockeout while she was trying to learn how to weave GSG. It's a good jewelry weave for large aspect ratios; though it can be turned into a sheet weave, doing so requires unusuallylarge rings (with an aspect ratio on the order of 8). An alternative method of sheeting it is to take two chains ofViperscale and to connect them with Euro 4-1 stitches, much as EPH does. Anyway, on with the instructions. Thebasic chain can be made with aspect ratios of about 5.5 or 6.

Step 1: Put two rings through a single ring.

Step 2: Add a new ring. It should go around the middle ring and through the left ring, then through the middle andright rings.

Step 3: Add a new ring. This time, it goes around the middle ring and through the right ring, then through themiddle and left rings. This new ring should go under the previous ring.

Step 4: Probably the easiest step in the weave; just add a new silver ring through the two copper rings.

Step 5: Now we need to add a brass ring. Not only does it go through the silver ring; it also goes up through thetwo copper rings.



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Step 6: And again, add a brass ring.

Step 7: Time to add more copper rings. They only go through the latest silver and brass rings. This one goesaround on the left and through on the right.

Step 8: Another copper ring. This goes around on the right and through on the left.



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That's it! Go back to step 4 to continue making the weave. Finished Viperscale chain:

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Weaving This is not Food http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/tinf.html

1 of 2 17/02/2008 11.27


This rather amusingly-named weave is a spiral weave that does not unwind (unlike the tradiational spiral weave). This makes it rather less difficult to work with, as you don't have to hold onto both ends at all times. This weavedoes, however, require two ring sizes. The small ring should be just big enough to accomodate two of the largerrings. Good ring sizes include 1/4" and 1/8" 18 gauge and 5/16" and 3/16" 16 gauge. If you wish to speedweavethis chain, then make the small rings the closed ones.

Step 1: Place two small rings on a large ring and close it.

Step 2: Pass an open large ring through one of the small rings, then the large ring, then the other small ring. Addtwo closed small rings and close the ring. Remember the direction you used (e.g. going through the right-handring and then the left-hand ring); if you switch the direction, then the spiral will switch directions as well.

Step 3: Repeat step two. Pass a large ring through one small ring, the large ring, and then the other small ring.Add two closed rings and close the large ring.

That's really all there is to the weave. When you want to end the chain, simple add a large ring with no smallrings riding on it. Have fun!

Finished This is not Food chain:

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Weaving This is not Food http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/tinf.html

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http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/tinf.html

Trinity http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/trinity.html

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Go back to the front page

Trinity is a sheet weave with some rather unusual properties. It is a 3-1 sheet weave, possessing properties of boththe Persian and European weave families. It forms parallelograms instead of rectangles, and the sheets formedhave a tendency to curl in on themselves. This weave was developed by Lorenzo, who pioneered it in a shirtmade from #10 stainless steel lockwashers, which make a superb example of the weave. You can weave Trinitywith anything that will make European 4-1 and a few smaller ring sizes.

The only major problem with learning to weave Trinity is that the weave is very unstable in the beginning phases.Like with the Half-Persians, if you pick up your patch before it's sufficiently large, it may collapse into the weaveknown as "Bloody Mess". One way to fix this problem is to start your weaving off of a patch of European 4-1;this provides more stability and may make the starting parts easier. Another way is to simply not pick up theweave until you've added several rows on. Depending on your experience weaving, this may or may not be afeasible alternative. At any rate, onwards!

Step 1: Place three closed rings on an open ring and close the open ring. Lay it out as shown. If you're weavingoff of a patch of European 4-1, then you will not be able to use the speedweaving techniques described in the firstfew steps. Instead, make certain that the copper rings on the left in the image each pass through two rings of yourEuro 4-1 patch, then add in the other rings.

Step 2: Place two closed rings on an open ring. Pass the open ring through the upper-left closed ring from theprevious step. Again, if you are working off of Euro 4-1, then add one copper ring through two of the rings in theEuro 4-1, then add a silver ring through the top two coppers, then put a copper ring on the silver.

Step 3: In this fashion, continue adding rings until you have a sufficiently long chain. For your first patch, you'llprobably want to do at least two more iterations of step 2, but not too many more; the longer you leave the chainin this form, the more likely you are to achieve a useless-mess state. Note that the last silver ring added to thechain has only one copper ring on it. This ensures that we have the same number of rings in each row of theweave.

http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/trinity.html


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Step 4: Widening the patch. Put a copper ring on a silver ring and pass the silver ring through the bottom-mostcopper ring in the chain.

Step 5: Put a copper ring on a silver ring; pass the silver ring through the bottom two copper rings in the chain.Step 4 was really a "border" case for widening the chain; if we had made step 4 go through two rings instead ofone, then we would be gradually narrowing down our patch into a triangle. Step 5 is the standard step to widen apatch.



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Step 6: As in step 5, put a copper ring on a silver ring and pass the silver ring through two copper rings on thechain.

Step 7: Continue to widen the chain in this fashion. When you get to the end, be careful - even now the patch isnot completely stable. You'll need to add at least another row before you get a stable patch.



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To continue widening your patch, simply repeat steps 4 through 7. Good luck! Finished Trinity patch:

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Trizantine.jpg (JPEG Image, 762x149 pixels) http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/picts/Trizantine.jpg

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silverthyst.jpg (JPEG Image, 700x383 pixels) http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/picts/silverthyst.jpg

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singlelil.jpg (JPEG Image, 1015x790 pixels) http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/picts/singlelil.jpg

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microtriple.jpg (JPEG Image, 750x822 pixels) - Scaled (96%) http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/picts/microtriple.jpg

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inverted.jpg (JPEG Image, 743x197 pixels) http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/instructions/examples/inverted.jpg

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trinity.jpg (JPEG Image, 488x643 pixels) http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/picts/trinity.jpg

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turkish.jpg (JPEG Image, 422x285 pixels) http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/picts/turkish.jpg

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coiftop.jpg (JPEG Image, 734x653 pixels) http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/instructions/examples/coiftop.jpg

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silvereuro.jpg (JPEG Image, 958x908 pixels) - Scaled (87%) http://derakon.chainmailstore.com/picts/silvereuro.jpg

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Weaving Half Persian 4-1 http://home.stny.rr.com/vacacita/maille/hp4-1.html

1 of 4 17/02/2008 13.14

Weaving Half Persian 4-1

by Theresa Olin

Half Persian 4-1 is widely considered one of the most difficult chainmaille weaves. Unfortunately, this reputation can keep many aspiring maillers from trying this lovely and elegant chain. (Which, if you couldn't tell, is one of my favorites.) There are some challenges, especially in starting the weave, but once you find a method that works for you (and practice enough to get familiar with its nuances), it can be woven fairly quickly and, dare I say, easily. I learned the weave from Derakon's tutorial, but found that I could weave more easily and efficiently if I slightly changed how I did some of the steps.

The rings used for the pictures are 18swg 1/4". This size makes a looser weave than I like, but the rings are a lot easier to see than the smaller rings I usually use. I can highly recommend 20awg 5/32", 22awg 1/8", and 24awg 3/32" rings. The recommended AR is 5.

The key to understanding HP 4-1 is recognizing the layout of the weave. There are two rows of rings: one consists of the open rings worked while weaving the chain, and the other comprises the pre-closed rings that are added along the way. Each ring in a row lies in an over-under sequence with the adjacent rings in that row.(Imagine a row of books on a shelf that have slumped over partway.) Also, each ring goes through only ringsof the opposite row - never rings in the same row.

In these pictures, I used bright aluminum for the pre-closed rings and red anodized aluminum for the pre-opened rings. If you have rings in different colors, this method will help distinguish the two rows of rings.

Since I'm right-handed, that's how the pictures and descriptions are oriented. Left-handed maillers may need toreverse some of the direction-dependent instructions.

Procedure

1. Open a bunch of rings, and close a bunch more. You'll need approximately equal numbers of both.

2. Put three closed rings onto an open ring, and close the ring.

To start the weave, these three rings will have to be positioned carefully. Consider these two pictures:

In the first picture, the silver rings form a )( shape as they come out over the red ring. There's one ring on the ) side to the left, and two rings on the ( side to the right. In the second picture, ring 2 (the top ring of the two on the right) has been pushed to the left and positioned under ring 1. The three rings now lay on top of each other,like that slumped-over stack of books; 1 is on the top, 2 is in the middle, and 3 is on the bottom.

Now that we've examined the layout in still life, here's how to do it:

3.Hold the closed ring with your pliers in your right hand. Place the rings onto your left index finger so that the loose rings fall to the right. Then grasp the rings with your thumb and index finger.

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4. Grab the two right-most rings with your pliers. Then twist them 180 degrees, bringing the top to the front.

5.The rings should look something like the first layout picture in step 2. Jockey the middle ring so that it goes into position as in the second layout picture. You'll have to nudge it under the top ring and make sure the bottom ring stays in place.

6. Pick up an open ring with your pliers, and place a closed ring onto it.

7. Pass the open ring up through the right-most ring on the chain.



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8.Grasping the rings with your thumb and letting go with the pliers, turn the open ring around and grab the otherend of the ring with the pliers. This is the end you just passed through the right-most ring on the chain.

9.Pass the now-free end of the open ring up through the other two closed rings in the chain. It will end upparallel to the first open ring from step 2. This is probably the most difficult step, since you need to make sure the closed rings don't shift before you can get the open ring into position.

10.With a second pair of pliers, close the open ring. The other rings will probably fall into a loose tangle like theydid here.

11.Holding the same ring with the pliers in your right hand, place the chain onto your left index finger so that the rings align properly, as in the picture. It may take a few tries and some wiggling to get the rings in the rightplace. Do not let go with your pliers.As long as you're holding that ring with your pliers, you're safe. If you let go, you'll have to deal with a big tangled mess, which usually means starting over. So hold on tight until you've got the rings where you wantthem.



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12.Grasp the chain with your thumb again, and let go with the pliers. Now you're back at step 6. Pick up another open ring, put a closed ring on it, and weave away.

13. When you get to the length you want (or if you want to join the chain into a continuous loop), you'll need to take off the loose ring seen on the right end of the picture below. (Or simply don't include it with the last ring you add.)

Notes

* Some people find weaving easier if the chain is pinned down or placed on a flat surface. I prefer to keep the chain in my hand for greater control.

* You can avoid having to start the weave with each new piece by keeping short lengths of chain on hand to use as starter chains. Start weaving directly onto the starter chain, and then remove the piece when you get to aworkable length.

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Theresa Olin, 2004-2007


Joining Half Persian 4-1, version 2 http://home.stny.rr.com/vacacita/maille/joininghp4-1.html

1 of 4 17/02/2008 13.15

Joining Half Persian 4-1, version 2

by Theresa Olin

I revised my tutorial on joining Half Persian 4-1 to focus more on the actual procedure I use, with detailed photos to clarify each step. The original version, with CGI renders, can be found on the MAIL site here.

Visit Derakon's Library or see my tutorialfor instructions on weaving HP 4-1. It's a very good idea to be comfortable with working the weave beforeyou try joining it, and it takes some practice to get this weave down.

The key to joining a length of Half Persian 4-1 chain into a continuous loop is recognizing how the two rowsof rings interact. To make this clearer, I've used different colored rings for each row. One row (red) consistsof the open rings worked while weaving the chain, and the other (silver) row comprises the pre-closed rings that are added along the way.

There are two important principles: First, each ring in a row lies in an over-under sequence with the adjacentrings in that row. (Imagine a row of books on a shelf that have slumped over partway.) Second, each ringgoes through only rings of the opposite row.

Some notes: I'm right-handed, so the instructions and pictures reflect that orientation. Left-handed maillers may have an easier time by going at some steps from a different angle. Also, if you have rings of different colors, try using a different color for each row as in the pictures. That simply means that all open rings will be one color, and all pre-closed rings will be another. It's not necessary to use the same colors I use for the example, but I'll refer to the rings by their colors to make things simple.

Procedure

1.Make a length of HP 4-1 chain that is one 2-ring unit shorter than the finished connected length. (An easy way to count units is to count the number of open rings you've added. For example, the chain in the picture will be 30 units long when it's joined, so it now has 29 red rings in the top row.) When you weave the lastring of this chain, don't add the extra pre-closed ring. (So, if the finished closed chain will be 30 units long total, the 29th open ring should be added without a closed ring.) Or you can just remove that extra ring afterit's been woven on.

2.Lay out the chain as shown. The row of open-worked rings is on top, and the end you started with is on theleft. The bottom row should stick out past the top row on both ends. (The purple ring on the left end is partof the silver row.) You can also check the direction each row is "going" in: if you follow the overlap of therings, the top row should progress toward the left, and the bottom row should progress toward the right.

3.Pick up the left side of the chain so that the end is pointing up. Notice that the silver-row ring farthest on the end (purple in the pictures) goes through two red rings.

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Take off this end ring, move it underneath the red rings, and pass it through one silver ring. Don't close thering yet. It is now part of the red row.

* Note: If you want to make a loop in which each row of rings is a different color, you'll need to replace the ring you removed with one of the correct color. Simply remove the end ring as shown, and then get an openring of the proper color and pass that through the single ring underneath the chain.

4. Still holding that ring with your pliers, bring the other end of the chain back and up to meet the open ring.

5.In the picture above, see the two silver rings under my finger on the top end of the chain? Pass the open ringthrough those two rings, going over (but not through) the red ring. Then close the ring. The purple ringshould now have three silver rings going through it.



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6.Still holding that ring with your pliers, slip a finger or two through the loop from the other side. Then youcan let go with the pliers.

7.Next you'll add another open ring (blue in the following pictures) to the silver row to completely close thegap. It will go through only rings from the red row, including the purple ring you just closed. In the firstpicture below, the black arrow points to a silver ring on the left side of the gap; the new ring will go underneath that ring, so you'll need to nudge it out of the way.

As the second picture shows, you'll actually pass the new open ring down through two rings from the red row - the purple ring and the next red ring. The new ring goes underneath the silver ring that you moved outof the way. Make sure you don't pass through any silver rings.

8.With the chain oriented as in the first picture below, continue passing the new ring through the closest two red rings above it (marked with black lines). Keep the new ring on top of the next silver ring. Then close thering.



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9.In the third picture above, see the red ring and silver ring that don't cross through each other? (They're sort of framed by the blue and purple rings.) Open one of those rings and pass it through the other so that theymatch the rest of the pattern.

That's it! For good measure, you can check the join area for anything out of place. It should look exactly likethe rest of the weave pattern. If anything is amiss, just try retracing your steps and remember the twoprinciples I mentioned at the beginning.


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M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - Half Persian 4-1: Joi... http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=10566

1 of 4 17/02/2008 13.16

Help Wanted!

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Half Persian 4-1: Joining Ends (CGI)Submitted by Vacacita ([email protected])

Joining Half Persian 4-1

By Theresa Olin (tutorial) and Jeff Olin (renders) Vacacita and Phong on The Ring Lord Forum

It's a very good idea to be comfortable with working HP 4-1 before you try joining it. If you're new to the weave, head over to one of the basic HP 4-1 tutorials (Derakon's is my favorite) and give it plenty of practice time before you try making sense of these instructions.

The key to joining a length of Half Persian 4-1 chain into a continuous loop is recognizing how the two rows of rings interact. One row (red in the diagrams below) consists of the open rings worked while weaving the chain, and the other (blue) row comprises the pre-closed rings that are added along the way.

There are two important principles: First, each ring in a row lies in an over-under sequence with the adjacent rings in that row. (Imagine a row of books on a shelf that have slumped over partway.)Second, each ring goes through only rings of the opposite row.

A couple of notes: These instructions are designed for a right-handed person, so lefties may have an easier time by going at some steps from a different angle. Also, if you have rings of different colors, try using a different color for each row as in the pictures. That simply means that all open rings will be one color, and all pre-closed rings will be another.

Procedure

1. Make a length of HP 4-1 chain that is one 2-ring unit shorter than the finished connected length. (An easy way to count units is to count the number of open rings you've added, since there will generally be extra pre-closed rings on each end.) At the next to last unit, don't add the extra pre-closed ring. (Forexample, if the finished closed chain will be 30 units long total, the 29th open ring should be added without a closed ring.)

2. Lay out the chain as shown, with the row of open-worked rings on top.

3. See how the bottom row has rings sticking out on both ends? Take off the extra ring on the left side.

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4. Move the ends of the chain up toward each other to form the shape of a circle. The "red" (top) ringsshould be on the inside of the circle. This is the layout of the chain ends as they will be joined:

5. Add a new ring (green in the diagrams below) to the "red" row, starting on the left side. I always find it easier to start on the end where the new ring will lay underneath the adjacent ring, which you will notice is the case on the left side. Pass the new open ring through one blue ring, under the red ring on the very end.

6. Bring the other end up to meet the working end, making sure the chain isn't twisted. Continue passing the open ring through 2 blue rings on the other end, keeping it on top of the red ring. Close the ring.

7. Turn the chain around 180 degrees. This will make it easier to add the new "blue" ring on the leftside so that it lays underneath the adjacent blue ring.

8. Add a new ring (orange in the diagrams below) to the "blue" row, once again starting on the left side of the gap. Start by nudging that blue ring out of the way, since the new ring will settle in underneath



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it. Pass down through the green ring and then through the next red ring. Make sure you don't actually go through any rings from the blue row.

Here's the view from below, so you can see where the orange ring goes through the red ring:

9. Continue passing up through 2 red rings on the right side, with the orange ring laying over the adjacent blue ring. Close the ring.

10. In the picture above, see the blue ring and red ring that don't cross through each other? (They're sort of framed by the green ring.) Open one of those rings and pass it through the other so that theymatch the rest of the pattern.

That's it! For good measure, you can check the join area for anything out of place. It should lookexactly like the rest of the weave pattern. If anything is amiss, just try retracing your steps andremember the two principles I mentioned at the beginning.

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All web content copyright 2000-2004 The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.). Articles, Weaves,Links, and Gallery submissions are the property of the author(s), and any reproduction requires their express writtenpermission.

The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.) and any affiliates thereof will not be held responsible for anyinjuries or mishaps in the use or misuse of any information presented at this website whether intentional orcoincidental.

Maille construction is not intended for children or intended to be taken lightly. Care must be taken at all times, assharp hand and power tools may be used, as well as other materials capable of causing injuries or repetitive stressdisorders. Take precautions and have fun mailling responsibly.


Helm/Parallel Chain http://home.stny.rr.com/vacacita/maille/helm.html

1 of 3 17/02/2008 13.17

Helm/Parallel Chain

by Theresa Olin

This weave is known by the names Helm chain (from the Finnish term) and Parallel chain (for the parallel rowsof rings). It can be thought of as a 2-2 chain made with two ring sizes, with large orbital rings sandwichedbetween each pair of large rings and encircling each pair of small rings. Two sizes of rings are needed, suchthat the smaller ring will fit inside the larger ring with a bit of room to spare. A good general guideline is that a pair of ring sizes that will work for Dragonscale will work for Helm chain. (In fact, following the first few steps of Dragonscale and doubling the small rings will result in Helm chain.) I've successfully used 20awg3/16" & 20awg 1/8" and 18swg 5/16" & 18swg 7/32".

There are a few different ways to weave this chain. I prefer the following method for its efficiency. You willneed pre-closed small and large rings, and you'll be working with open large rings.

Procedure

1. Put four closed small rings onto one large ring. Arrange them as shown.

2. Place a closed large ring (bronze) around one pair of small rings. This will be an orbital ring, so it will not gothrough any other rings.

3.Pass a large ring (gold) through the two "orbited" small rings. This will partially lock the orbital ring in place.Continue passing the large ring through the other two small rings. This new ring mirrors the large ring fromstep 1.

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4.Put two more small rings onto a large ring, and pass the large ring through the two orbited small rings. I find it easiest to place the new ring underneath the orbital ring. Arrange the rings as shown.

5. Place another closed large ring around the small rings you just added.

6.Pass a large ring through the newest pair of small rings and continue passing through the orbited rings from the last step. This will completely lock in the first orbital ring and partially lock in the second orbital ring.

7. Repeat steps 4-6 for the length of the chain.

8. To finish the chain, leave out the last orbital ring before you add the last gold ring. This end should look justlike the starting end.



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9. Add a clasp using each pair of non-orbited small rings on each end.


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Finishing Triplicate Chain Weaves http://home.stny.rr.com/vacacita/maille/finishtriple.html

1 of 6 17/02/2008 13.18

Finishing Triplicate Chain Weaves

Concept by Desert Rhino Adaptation & Tutorial by Theresa Olin

Certain chain weaves can be thought of as triplicate versions of their duplicate cousins. These include Roundmaille, Inverted Round, Captive Inverted Round, and Turkish Round. These weaves present a challengewhen finishing a necklace or bracelet - the three rings at the end of the chain must be reduced to the one ring necessary to add a clasp. This tutorial will show how to make wire findings that smoothly and attractively gofrom three loops to one.

As you can see in the example picture, the beauty of these findings is that they can be integrated right into the weave - in this case, Turkish Round. The three loops on the finding are treated as rings, and carefully "woven"onto the end of the chain. As in the example bracelet, you can incorporate a hook-and-eye clasp directly intothe findings. Or, you can make two eye findings and add a separate clasp.

(If you've read this introduction before, you can jump directly to the eye finding or the hook finding.)

A word of caution: It will take lots of practice before you get findings that look good enough to use. I wentthrough a lot of mangled wire before I came up with the set in the picture. Start with copper, bright aluminum,etc. rather than the more expensive metals, and don't expect that your first attempts will be perfect. Even with practice, you'll have to do some tweaking.

The measurements given in this tutorial work with 20awg wire, since that's what I've done so far. Theprocedure can be used for other wire sizes, of course, but you'll have to experiment to come up with the correct measurements.

Materials & Tools

20awg half-hard round wire in metal of choice

ruler wire cutter flat-nose and/or chain-nose pliers round-nose pliers wire-looping pliers or mandrel to match ring ID (optional but very helpful) crimping pliers (optional but helpful)

* Dead-soft wire can be used, but it will be, well, softer. You may need to tumble it or otherwise work-hardenit to ensure that it will hold its shape properly. I've also found it slightly more difficult to make cleanly-definedbends in soft copper. On the other hand, you'll have to adjust to the higher springback of harder wires.

* I discovered that full-hard bright aluminum has a bad habit of breaking when it's doubled over. If you're

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making a hook finding with bright aluminum (or, probably, any full-hard or brittle wire), be very careful not to put too much stress on the wire. The dead-soft copper and half-hard silver I've used have been fine in thatrespect.

* I like to work directly from the spool of wire, to cut down on waste. If you prefer to work with a pre-cutpiece of wire, the eye finding will take around 3.5" and the hook finding will take around 5". You may want to add a bit more just to be safe.

* Wire-looping pliers are very helpful for this project because they have cylindrical steps that allow you to make uniform loops and bends with multiple wires. This is much harder to do with round-nose pliers, although it's possible if you're careful. The wire-looping pliers I have are from Monsterslayer, found on this page. Thesepliers have steps at 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm. This is good because 3mm is close to 1/8", the ID of the rings I use for Turkish Round. If you use a different ring size, you may need to find wire-looping pliers withdifferent-sized graduations. Other sources include Brandywine (one "fine" set with 1.5mm, 2.5mm, and 4mm steps, and one with 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 5mm) and Santa Fe (steps are slightly tapered: 2.1-2.6mm, 3.15-3.45mm, and 4.35-4.75mm). See the conversion table at Venom's Pit if you need to convert inches to mm.

* If you cut your own rings, you can also use the mandrel to make the loops on the finding.

Procedure

Before you begin, it's a good idea to use a Sharpie to mark your round-nose pliers at the spot where you'll be making loops. This will help you make consistent loops. In this case, you can just slide on a ring and mark the pliers where the ring falls. I also marked the spot I use for the eye loop. (As you can see, I've used these pliers for plenty of other projects too. )

It's also a good idea to straighten the wire, especially if it's been on a spool or in a coil. Just pull it through yourfingers a few times. Use a tissue or paper towel to help clean off any dirt or tarnish that may be on the wire.

Anatomy of a finding: here are some terms I'll be using throughout the tutorial.

One more note: The eye finding shown in the step-by-step pictures was done in bright aluminum; the hook finding was done in sterling silver.

Eye Finding

This finding will take about 3.5" of wire.

1. Make a 90 degree bend 1/8" (3mm) from the end, or however long you want the neck to be.



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2. Wrap the long end of the wire around the round-nose pliers to make the eye loop.

3. Where the long end crosses the short end, bend the long end so that the two ends are parallel.

4. Make a 90 degree bend at the bottom of the neck where the short wire ends.

5.Make three side-by-side loops. I like to start these loops with my round-nose pliers, and then switch to the second step of the wire-looping pliers. You can also wrap the wire around a mandrel. These loops should be thesame size as the rings in the chain.

6.Bring the wire end back to the base of the neck and wrap the neck, stopping when you get to the bottom of theeye. Be careful that the loops don't get pulled out of shape.



4 of 6 17/02/2008 13.18

7. Cut the wire as close to the wrap as you can, and tuck the cut end down. Crimping pliers are great for this.

8.This is where it gets tricky. You'll need to position those three loops so that they can be woven into the chain.First, separate the loops slightly with your fingernail or flat-nose pliers. Try not to scratch the wire.

9. Next, bring the outer loops together so they touch - but you'll want to do it in a certain way. In the right-handpicture above, see how the loop on the right leads into the wrap around the neck? Find that loop on yourfinding, and imagine twisting it so that the wrap starts to come undone. That's the direction you need to movethat loop. Grab each end loop with a pair of pliers, and bring them together as shown below.

(In this picture, the loop that leads into the wrap is actually on the left. It can be done either way, as long asyou're twisting in the correct direction.)

10. Now the middle loop needs to be turned out to fill in the third side. It should be turned such that once it's inposition, the wires will cross at the top of the loop rather than making a misshapen "U".

Grab the middle loop with a pair of pliers, and simultaneously turn it and pull it out into position.



5 of 6 17/02/2008 13.18

11.You'll probably need to make some adjustments, to straighten the neck out, make the loops the same size, etc.

Hook Finding

This finding will take about 5" of wire.

12. Double over 13/16" (just over 3/4", or 1.3cm) and flatten it against the rest of the wire.

13.With the smallest step on the wire-looping pliers or the round-nose pliers, make a slight bend at the very tip of the folded wire.

14.With the same pliers/step, make the bend for the hook just short of halfway down the folded wire. The end ofthe folded wire should extend past the tip of the hook, to leave room for the wrapped neck.

15. Bend back the wires for the neck.

Continue with the same procedure used for the eye finding, starting at step 4. In step 6, stop wrapping just



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before you get to the bend you made in step 15.

The finished hook finding:

There you have it! Once you have your completed findings, you can work out the best way to incorporate theminto whatever weave you're using. Then just sit back and admire the fruits of your labor.


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Welcome to Fjetland's Chain Mail Emporium http://home.online.no/~fjetla/dragonscale.html

1 of 3 17/02/2008 14.14

How to make the Dragonscale PatternBy Frank Hiemstra

Dragon Scale is an interesting pattern that looks, oddly enough,like the scales of a dragon when completed. It is a little tricky to

get started, but gets easier once it is going.

For this weave to work, you will need two different sizes of rings.The smaller diameter of ring should just be able to fit through thelarger rings. Ideally, the smaller ring should be a little bigger than

the ones pictured here to work right. I have used a slightly smaller ringhere to better show the difference between the two ring sizes in the weave.

Start with a simple chain of alternating small and large rings.

Place a closed large ring over the small ring, and straddling the two large rings below.

Loop and close a large ring through the small ring so that it is pulled up through the closed ring that wejust laid down. This will

anchor the ring that we just laid on top.

Place another closed large ring down over the next small ring. Thread another large ring through thefirst and second small rings and close.

Continue until the row is complete.

http://home.online.no/~fjetla/dragonscale.html


2 of 3 17/02/2008 14.14

You should now have a strip of mail that is three layers of large rings deep.Place a small ring through the first two large rings of the second layer. This ring should stick up

through the large ring on the top layer. I have coloured this ring so you can see it in there. Care must betaken that this small ring stays behind the other small rings. This "stepping-back" of the small rings is

what allows the mail to hang in the scale pattern. I find it easiest to push thetop layer out of the way, close the small ring through the large rings on the second layer, then push it

up through the top layer.

Take a large ring and thread it through the small ring you just put in. This will keep the small ring frombeing pulled back down through the weave. In this picture you can also see the consequences of usinga small ring that is too small. The small ring has worked its way forward of the one below it on the left

side. This needs tobe corrected by moving the ring to sit behind the lower one for the pattern to sitstraight. This problem can be avoided by using a small ring that just barely fits inside the large ring.

Take a small ring and place it through the second and third ring of the second layer. Poke it up throughthe large ring of the third layer. Take another large ring and thread it through this ring and the small ring

you put in before it.Continue in this manner until this row is complete.

The weave is continued like this until it is the size that you wish. The important things to remember arethat the smaller rings should just fit through the large rings, and to keep the small rings one behind the

other in a step pattern as the weave gets larger.



3 of 3 17/02/2008 14.14


M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - Fire Wyrm [pictures]... http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=22307

1 of 6 17/02/2008 14.31

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Fire Wyrm [pictures]Submitted by Zuriel ([email protected])

FireWyrm is a fairly basic modification of Full persian 6 in 1 that produces a totally different feel. Hopefully this tutorialwill help you understand how to make it better. Firewyrm requires a very large aspect ratio. This tutorial is made with 3/8" ID 17 gauge galvanized steel rings, which makes the weave totally rigid. The chain in the final picture is made with 7/16" rings.

FOR THOSE WHO ALREADY KNOW HOW TO MAKE FULL PERSIAN 6-1 SKIP TO STEP 3

STEP 1 Start by connecting 6 rings in a 2-2-2 chain:

STEP 2 Push the two rings from one side towards the top of the ring, in between the two rings opposite of it, and hook two linksthrough them, on the inside of the middle two rings. Once you're done thinking 'WHAT?!', go see the more detailed description in kateryne's Full Persian 6-1 tutorial www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=168.

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Step 3 Flatten the weave. Viewed from the end, you will see a doubled x. Put a ring inside the outermost extremities of the x(inside the outer upper right, outer lower right, outer lower left and upper left) while placing the opposite end of each of those rings inside the new ring.... like THIS:

STEP 4



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Double up that ring:

Step 5 Continue the Full Persian chain by linking two more rings around the furthest two rings, again see kateryne's FullPersian 6-1 tutorial www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=168.




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Step 6 Finish the new Full Persian link. Yet again, see kateryne's Full Persian 6-1 tutorialwww.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=168.

STEP 7 Repeat steps 3 and 4.




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STEP 8 Rinse, and repeat steps 5 through 7.....over and over and over again.



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Article Updated: 15-1-2008 Bookmark Us (CTRL-D) | Tell a friend!

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All web content copyright 2000-2004 The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.). Articles, Weaves, Links, and Gallerysubmissions are the property of the author(s), and any reproduction requires their express written permission.

The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.) and any affiliates thereof will not be held responsible for any injuries or mishaps inthe use or misuse of any information presented at this website whether intentional or coincidental.

Maille construction is not intended for children or intended to be taken lightly. Care must be taken at all times, as sharp hand and powertools may be used, as well as other materials capable of causing injuries or repetitive stress disorders. Take precautions and have funmailling responsibly.


M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - B8FP - Submitted b... http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=12913

1 of 3 17/02/2008 14.32

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B8FPSubmitted by MaxumX ([email protected])

This tutorial will take you through making B8FP or Sand Worm in 3 easy steps.

Ring size used 1/2in (.500" or 12.7mm ) 14g ( 0.078" or 2.03mm)

First make a chain of Full Persian about 4" or 5" long. This is going to be the core of the weave.

Next weave a ring through the two side rings on each side as shown. Do not put through the cross-section of the FP; it will be too tight at this AR, but with larger ARs you could do this to tighten it up a bit more.

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2 of 3 17/02/2008 14.32

Now, add your top and bottom rows just as if you were stitching box. Be sure to get the inside ring in there or you'll just have shaggy rings around your FP instead of a box weave.

When you have done this, it should look like so:



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All web content copyright 2000-2004 The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.). Articles, Weaves, Links, and Gallery submissions are the property of the author(s), andany reproduction requires their express written permission.

The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.) and any affiliates thereof will not be held responsible for any injuries or mishaps in the use or misuse of any informationpresented at this website whether intentional or coincidental.



3 of 3 17/02/2008 14.32

Maille construction is not intended for children or intended to be taken lightly. Care must be taken at all times, as sharp hand and power tools may be used, as well as othermaterials capable of causing injuries or repetitive stress disorders. Take precautions and have fun mailling responsibly.


M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - FP 6-1 Grizzly (CG)... http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=11255

1 of 3 17/02/2008 14.34

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FP 6-1 Grizzly (CG)Submitted by Tesserex ([email protected])

This is a full persian variant where the "arrows" on each side of the weave face the same way. It isaccomplished by changing one side so that the TEs are on the outside of the previous set of rings, instead of the inside. If you do this same switch to both sets of rings, you get FP 6-1 Dense.

New rings are gold, old rings are silver. The ones used here are 18g 5/16, with 5% springback (.048, .324).

1. Start with a 2-2 unit as shown.

2. Add two new rings to the second unit of two.

3. Position the rings from step 2 outside the first set. Run rings through the eyes between sets of horizontal rings on the outside of the vertical set. This will begin some of the angling of rings.

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4. Add two new rings through the two from step 3.

5. Like step three, position the rings from step 4 outside the previous set and run rings through the eyes on the outside.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to any length you wish.

This AR should be flexible in reality, because I spent a lot of time adjusting my renderings to make sure there were no rings coinciding.



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3 of 3 17/02/2008 14.34

sharp hand and power tools may be used, as well as other materials capable of causing injuries or repetitive stressdisorders. Take precautions and have fun mailling responsibly.


zlosk.com: Jewelry Weaves http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/jewelry.html

1 of 3 17/02/2008 14.56

Maille Home

Jewelry Weaves

Instructions

Inlays

Materials

Links

Search

Jewelry Weaves

I've been playing around with some of the various weaves for a while now, and finally picked up some clasps so now bracelets are removeable instead of being permanently woven to the wrist. The weaves used should appear around life-size on your monitor (72 dpi), but I have a 1 inch scale shown below for comparison.

1 inch

To gain a better understanding of the weave, I also have VRML models for some of the weaves. You may need to download a VRML viewer to be able to view the models. I use the free Cosmo Player available at http://cosmosoftware.com.

WeaveForar's Kaede (aka Spring Chain)

Full Persian

Box VRML

European 4-in-1

European 6-in-1

European 8-in-1

Home 3D Brewing Maille Miscellaneous Photo Gallery Programming Recipes

Robotics Videogames

http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/jewelry.html

http://cosmosoftware.com


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Round

Byzantine (2-connector) VRML

Byzantine (3-connector)

Byzantine variants

Turkish Round

Half Persian 3-in-1 VRML

Half Persian 4-in-1 / X-Weave VRML



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Half Persian 5-in-1

Jens Pind's Linkage

One Hour Less Sleep (weave by Thexnihil) VRML

One Hour Less Sleep variant VRML

Pheasible (weave by Cyril)

Questions or comments? Email me at [email protected].

This page last updated on January 6, 2005.


M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - Jens Pind Linkage -... http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=9008

1 of 3 17/02/2008 15.12

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Jens Pind LinkageSubmitted by Criterion ([email protected])

Tutorial for Jens Pind Linkage

written for Maille Artisans International League

For the purposes of this tutorial, rings that are linked through will be shown as white, new rings being added will be shown as orange, and rings already processed will be shown as silver. The optimum AR

for this weave is in the vicinity of 3, I like to go a bit tighter, down to 2.85.

Step 1

Start by connecting 3 rings, interlinked within each other as in a mobius ball.

Step 2

Place a new ring into 2 of the previous rings as shown, noting that it is of similar orientation as the ring it is not linked into. Pay attention also, to the side on which the new link passes by the unlinked

ring. This will start the stairstep effect.

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Step 3

Add a new ring, going through the ring added previously, and 1 ring of the original mobius as shown. Notice that the orientation of this ring is similar to the ring it is not linking, the 3rd ring back from the

current ring.

Step 4

Add a new ring, going through the last 2 rings. Noting again it has a similar orientation to the 3rd ring back that it is not linked into.

Step 5

Continue linking rings this way, each new ring goes through the 2 rings previously added, at the same orientation as the ring directly before those 2.

Step 6

Lather, rinse, repeat.



3 of 3 17/02/2008 15.12



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Maille construction is not intended for children or intended to be taken lightly. Care must be taken at all times, assharp hand and power tools may be used, as well as other materials capable of causing injuries or repetitive stressdisorders. Take precautions and have fun mailling responsibly.


CGMaille.com - Jens Pind Linkage http://cgmaille.com/tutorials/jpl.shtml

1 of 1 17/02/2008 15.13

Jens Pind Linkage (JPL) is a tight spiral weave that does not unwind. Its construction is just like that for a normal spiral weave; the small aspect ratio is what gives it its unique properties. Jens Pind can also be (theoretically) joined into a continuous chain.

Jens Pind takes rings on the small AR end, with 2.8 - 3 being preferred. Jens Pind can be made with slightly larger ARs, but the chain may turn out too loose and the spiral will unwind. These rings have an approximate AR of 3.4. 20awg 3/32", 18swg 1/8" and 16swg 3/16" should be adequate for Jens Pind.

Metric sizes - approximately 0.8mm wire/2.4mm ID; 1.2mm wire/3.2mm ID; and 1.6mm wire/4.8mm ID.

Old rings are steel and new rings are bronze.

Step 1:Add an open ring to a closed ring. Close the second ring, and angle it so the left ring is coming out above the right ring.

Step 2: Pass a ring through the two closed rings, and lay it such that it starts to make the spiral pattern.

Step 3: Pass an open ring through the last two rings, making sure it goes under and not through the left-most ring. This is the start of the repeating pattern.

Step 4:Add a ring to the last two rings, putting it over the second ring in the chain. Again, make sure the new ring only goes through two rings.

Step 5:Add a ring to the last two rings, with it going behind the third ring in the chain (the ring you added in Step 2).

Step 6: Add another ring to the last two rings in the chain. It should go under the ring from Step 3.

Step 7: Add a ring to the last two rings, putting it above the ring from Step 4.

Step 8: Add a ring to the last two rings, putting it behind the ring from Step 5.

Step 9: Repeat Steps 6 - 8 until the chain is the desired length.

http://cgmaille.com/tutorials/jpl.shtml

zlosk.com: Tao 3 Instructions http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/tao3.html

1 of 2 20/02/2008 9.48

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Tao 3 Instructions

Weave by BativeInstructions by Zlosk

Materials

(5) 16 ga. (.062) × 1/4 I.D. rings(3) 16 ga. (.062) × 5/16 I.D. rings

Instructions

For the purpose of this instruction set, the 1/4 I.D. rings are silver and the 5/16 I.D. rings are gold.

1. Open (3) of the 1/4 I.D. rings and close (2) of them. 2. Open (2) of the 5/16 I.D. rings and close (1) of them.

3. Make an orbital unit from (1) 1/4 I.D. closed ring and (2) 5/16 I.D. rings, using one of the 5/16 I.D. closed rings as the orbiting ring.

4. Use the just closed 5/16 I.D. ring as the orbit of a new orbital unit, adding in a closed 1/4 I.D. closed ring and a 5/16 I.D. open ring.

5. Fold the just closed 5/16 I.D. ring over.

6. Use a 1/4 I.D. open ring to grab the original orbiting 5/16 I.D. ring (from step 3) and close it.

Home 3D Brewing Maille Miscellaneous Photo Gallery Programming Recipes Robotics Videogames

http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/tao3.html

zlosk.com: Tao 3 Instructions http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/tao3.html

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7. Run a 1/4 I.D. open ring through the (3) orbiting 5/16 I.D. rings and close it.

8. Flip the unit over and run a 1/4 I.D. open ring through the (3) orbiting 5/16 I.D. rings and close it.

You're done!



http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/tao3.html

zlosk.com: Not Tao 3 Instructions http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/nottao3.html

1 of 2 20/02/2008 9.50

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Not Tao 3 Instructions

Weave & Instructions by Zlosk

Materials

(6) 16 ga. (.062) × 1/4 I.D. rings(2) 16 ga. (.062) × 5/16 I.D. rings

Instructions

For this instruction set, new rings are gold and existing rings are silver.

1. Connect six rings 16 ga. x 1/4 ID in a simple 1-1 chain circle.

2. Scrunch the rings a little closer together.

3. Add a 16 ga. x 5/16 ID ring as shown.

4. Flip the unit over, and add another 5/16 ID ring.

You're done!


http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/nottao3.html

zlosk.com: Not Tao 3 Instructions http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/nottao3.html

2 of 2 20/02/2008 9.50



http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/nottao3.html

zlosk.com: Tomato Sandwich / Harvest Moon Instructions http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/tomatosandwich.html

1 of 2 20/02/2008 9.52

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Tomato Sandwich / Harvest Moon Instructions

Instructions by Zlosk

Materials

I don't have a favorite aspect ratio (AR) for this weave yet. The calculated minimum AR for this weave is 1 + sqrt(13), or 4.606. I'll usually just aim to use rings with an AR around 5. This works out to:

14 ga. (.080) x .400 (about 3/8) I.D.16 ga. (.062) x .310 (about 5/16) I.D.18 ga. (.045) x .225 (about 1/4) I.D.20 ga. (.032) x .160 (about 5/32) I.D.22 ga. (.025) x .125 (about 1/8) I.D.24 ga. (.020) x .100 (about 3/32) I.D.

Steps 1 - 8 require (12) rings.

Instructions

For this instruction set, new rings are gold, existing but moving rings are cyan, and existing stationary rings are silver.

1. Make a 1-3 chain.

2. Move the center ring to the left.

3. Create a 1-2 chain.

4. Move the 1-2 chain into place as shown.


http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/tomatosandwich.html

zlosk.com: Tomato Sandwich / Harvest Moon Instructions http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/tomatosandwich.html

2 of 2 20/02/2008 9.52

5. Add a ring (through 3 existing rings, in-between 2 others).

6. Create a 1-2 chain.

7. Move the 1-2 chain into place as shown.

8. Add a ring (through 3 existing rings, in-between 2 others).

9. If you look at the right end of the chain, you'll notice that the end is the same as it is in Step 2. Keep on repeating steps 3 through 8 until the chain is as long as required.

You're done!



http://home.comcast.net/~zlosk/maille/instructions/tomatosandwich.html

5524hoodoo.jpg (JPEG Image, 765x303 pixels) http://www.mailleartisans.org/weaves/pics/5524hoodoo.jpg

1 of 1 20/02/2008 11.38

http://www.mailleartisans.org/weaves/pics/5524hoodoo.jpg

M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - Hoodoo Chain - Submitted by Blaise http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=6928

1 of 12 20/02/2008 11.38

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Hoodoo ChainSubmitted by Blaise ([email protected])

Hoodoo is a variant of the Voodoo family. It is constructed virtually the same way, only using rings of a smaller aspect ratio, andwithout the smaller, inner rings.

This chain version of Hoodoo is a single row of Hoodoo units, with the outer rings stripped off, and can be constructed using aspectratios of about 3. Perversely, this simpler version of the Hoodoo weave is easier to construct if one has already mastered HoodooSheet.

Step 1:

Attach two rings together. Keep it in mind that every ring in this weave has a "lean" to it, and if a ring leans the wrong way, theweave will have a flaw.

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Step 2:

Attach another ring to the first two, passing it entirely through the internal plane of both rings. Make sure it is held such that it hasthe same lean as the first. Note that in the example, the lean of this cluster of rings is clockwise. This cluster of rings demonstratesthe method by which every ring in the weave will be joined to others.



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(top view)



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Step 3:

Start a new cluster that shares the ring closest to you by passing another ring through it alone. The lean of this cluster will beopposite to the lean of the first cluster.



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(top view)



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Step 4:

Complete the cluster with a third ring, being careful to maintain the (in this example) counter-clockwise lean.



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Step 5:

Now begin another cluster which uses one of the rings from the first cluster. Note that one of the rings from this cluster is alsoactually starting yet another cluster, attached to the second cluster we created. Note that from this point on, checkered rings are ringswe don't have to put in, as they were already there.



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Step 6:

Complete the fourth cluster by adding a third ring, making sure to maintain the cluster's lean. We now have a complete Hoodoo chainunit.



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Step 7:

Begin a chain by adding a second Hoodoo unit to the first. Note that it will share 2 rings with the first unit created.



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Continuation:

Repeat this process, and you have a chain.



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The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.) and any affiliates thereof will not be held responsible for any injuries or mishaps in the use or misuseof any information presented at this website whether intentional or coincidental.

Maille construction is not intended for children or intended to be taken lightly. Care must be taken at all times, as sharp hand and power tools may be used,



12 of 12 20/02/2008 11.38

as well as other materials capable of causing injuries or repetitive stress disorders. Take precautions and have fun mailling responsibly.


M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - Modifications of Per... http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=7608

1 of 11 20/02/2008 12.55

Help Wanted!

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Modifications of Persian WeavesSubmitted by Eli ([email protected])

Modifications of Persian WeavesThis article is designed for those unfortunate maillers who can make one of the Persian Weaves but not the others. The most common of the Persian Weaves are Full Persian 6in1, Half Persian 3in1 and Half Persian 4in1. I will demonstrate these following items:

Making a chain of HP 3in1 from a chain of FP 6in1.Transforming HP 3in1 into HP 4in1.Transforming HP 4in1 into HP 3in1.

The color coding is as follows: Silver rings are rings being added to the weave at the step. Brass-yellow rings are the rings the new ones pass through. Copper-red rings are idle rings at the step.

Making a chain of HP 3in1 from a chain of FP 6in1

The FP 6in1 chain is basically two HP 3in1 connected together. It is easy to make a HP 3in1 chain from a FP6in1 chain. This is useful for people who haven t yet mastered the art starting of the Half Persian weaves. Byusing the following method one can start a chain of HP 3in1 from a much easier to build FP 6in1, making astarting "tail" for future making of HP 3in1 chains. If you desire a HP 4in1 chain "tail" all you need to do isstart a HP 3in1 chain and make it a HP 4in1 as described later in this article. If you want to know how to makea FP 6in1 chain here is a nice tutorial: Full Persian 6-1 (CGI)

The rings in this section have an AR of 7.333

1. Start with a length of FP 6in1 that is enough to make it stable. I found that over 5 ring s length the FP isstable enough to work with:

2. Now add a single ring through the last two as depicted here:

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3. Now pass another ring (note that the placing of the ring is important to the direction of the HP chain. The ring in full silver (right) will make a standard right handed chain. The transparent ring (left) will produce a left handed version. I will describe here the right handed version) through the ring you added in step two and the last ring of the original FP chain, like so:

4. Add a ring through the ring from step 3:



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5. Pass a new ring through the rings from step 2 and step 4 in a similar fashion to step 3:

6. This new ring is already in the HP chain, however is not yet stable enough to remove the chain from the FP piece. The ring goes like in step 4, through the last ring added:



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7. This ring goes through the rings from steps 4 and 6:

8. Keep adding rings like in step 6 and step 7 to lengthen the chain. The ring from step 6 can be closed and conneceted to the ring from step 7 when it is added to the chain:



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9. When you feel that the chain is stable enough to hold its form you can remove it from the FP piece by removing the two rings from steps 2 and 3, marked in gold here (with the HP chain in silver and the FP piece in deep red):

Transforming HP 3in1 into HP 4in1

Now that you know how to make HP 3in1 from FP, you might want to make HP 4in1. Here is an easy way of using a piece of HP 3in1 (whether made on its own or as a part of FP) for making HP 4in1.

The rings in this section have an AR of 6

1. Start with a length of HP 3in1. It should be reasonably long. The chain should be laying face down, with the flat side facing you:



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2. Now, you need to have 2 rings at the end of the chain instead of the single rings HP 3in1 uses. This will require you to add one or two rings, depending on how you made the chain. For chain shown in step one you will need to add 2 rings:

3. Now, place a closed ring under the last ring in the chain, in the same way you would when making a normal chain of HP 4in1:

4. Now pass a new ring through the three last rings of the chain and the new ring. Make sure the ring is added correctly, like shown here. This ring passes through two rings of the HP 3in1 chain, and two rings of the new HP 4in1 chain:

5. Place another closed ring under the end of the chain:



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6. Pass a new ring through the three last rings of the chain and the new ring. Make sure the ring is added correctly, like shown here. This ring passes through only one ring of the HP 3in1 chain, and through three rings of the new HP 4in1 chain:

7. Continue to add rings as in steps 5 and 6 to lengthen the chain. Now all of the new rings are a part of the HP 4in1 chain:

8. When you feel that the HP 4in1 chain is stable enough to hold its form you can remove it from the HP 3in1 chain by removing the two rings marked in gold here (with the HP 3in1 in copper and the HP 4in1 in silver). You can see both sides:



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Transforming HP 4in1 into HP 3in1

Here I will demonstrate how to make a HP 3in1 chain by using a HP 4in1 chain as a base.

The rings in this section have an AR of 6

1. Start with a length of HP 4in1. It should be reasonably long. The chain should be laying like this, so that you easily add rings to the right side. Note that you need to have the rings at the right side as shown:

2. Now, place a closed ring under the last ring in the chain, in the same way you would when making a normal chain of HP 3in1

3. Now pass a new ring through the two last rings of the chain and the new ring. Make sure the ring is added correctly, like shown here. This ring passes through two rings of the HP 4in1 chain, and one ring of the new HP 3in1 chain:



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4. Place another closed ring under the end of the chain:

5. Pass a new ring through the two last rings of the chain and the new ring. Make sure the ring is added correctly, like shown here. This ring passes through one ring of the HP 4in1 chain, and two rings of the new HP 3in1 chain:

6. Continue to add rings as in steps 4 and 5 to lengthen the chain. Now all of the new rings are a part of the HP 3in1 chain:

7. When you feel that the HP 3in1 chain is stable enough to hold its form you can remove it from the HP 4in1 chain by removing the two rings marked in gold here (with the HP 4in1 in copper and the HP 3in1 in silver). You can see both sides:



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Here you can see a chain of HP3in1 (on the left) connected to a chain of HP4in1(on the right). The other photo shows a close up on the connecting area:



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All web content copyright 2000-2004 The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.). Articles, Weaves, Links, andGallery submissions are the property of the author(s), and any reproduction requires their express written permission.

The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.) and any affiliates thereof will not be held responsible for any injuries ormishaps in the use or misuse of any information presented at this website whether intentional or coincidental.



11 of 11 20/02/2008 12.55

Maille construction is not intended for children or intended to be taken lightly. Care must be taken at all times, as sharp handand power tools may be used, as well as other materials capable of causing injuries or repetitive stress disorders. Takeprecautions and have fun mailling responsibly.


M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - Half Persian 4-1 the ... http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.cgi?key=12662

1 of 3 20/02/2008 13.00

Help Wanted!

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Half Persian 4-1 the easiest way (yarn as a guide)Submitted by azul_chromis ([email protected])

The easiest method of starting (and doing) Half Persian 4 in 1I came up with this idea after trying and failing multiple times to create Half Persian. Stringing the"bottom" rings along a piece of yarn keeps everything in place, so you can see exactly which loop iswhich. When you're done, just pull the string out. Enjoy!

1.

Step 1. Place three rings on your choice of yarn,string, cord, etc.

2.

Step 2. Insert the first ring as shown. Leave it open atthe bottom. Note: the loop you just put in goes in frontof the yarn, not around it.

3.

Step 3. Hook a closed ring onto the ring you justinserted. Close the open ring.

4.

Step 4. Thread the end of the rope through the closedring you just put on, and pull the rope so that the ringslides over to where you're working, with the otherrings.

5.

Step 5. This is what it should look like once you'vebrought that last ring over.

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6.

Step 6. Now we just repeat the pattern. Again, dropanother ring "onto" the last three loops, and leave itopen at the bottom.

7.

Step 7. Hook a closed ring onto the open ends, andclose the open ring.

8.

Step 8. Stick the rope through the new ring, and slideit along the length of the rope so it joins the others.

9.

Step 9. This is what it should look like now.

10.

Step 10. Drop another loop down onto the last threeloops of the chain. Leave it open so you can hook aclosed loop onto it. Once you've placed the new loop,close the open one, and string the new loop onto the rope. Repeat until the chain is the desired length or adnauseum.



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All web content copyright 2000-2004 The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.). Articles, Weaves, Links, and Gallerysubmissions are the property of the author(s), and any reproduction requires their express written permission.

The Maille Artisans International League (M.A.I.L.) and any affiliates thereof will not be held responsible for any injuries ormishaps in the use or misuse of any information presented at this website whether intentional or coincidental.



3 of 3 20/02/2008 13.00

Maille construction is not intended for children or intended to be taken lightly. Care must be taken at all times, as sharp hand andpower tools may be used, as well as other materials capable of causing injuries or repetitive stress disorders. Take precautions andhave fun mailling responsibly.


Forårs Kæde Tutorial http://apfilms.corradiation.net/jewelry/tutorial.html

1 of 3 20/02/2008 15.01

So, this chain that I found, that somehow no one has ever heard of before.It looks like a Full Persian with half of the rings taken out, that's the best I can explain it to people who know what Full Persian is.

Needless to say, you've come here because you want to learn how to make it. It is the least I can do to oblige.

The rings I use have an aspect ratio of about 4 or 5, so 20 Gauge wire on either a 1/8" or 3/16" dowel will do nicely for a delicate looking chain.

To begin, you will take 3 rings linked together 1-1.

Pay close attention that the two horizontal rings are overlapping, that is key in this chain.

Now you take an open ring and put through the overlap between the horizontal.

Here's the trick, the next ring you set on is going to be on the underside of the last ring. So, this time, you're going to put the open ring through the vertical overlap, beneath the last horizontal ring.

They way I learned it, the instructions said to rotate the chain 1/4 turn so that you're always looking down at the last ring you set in the chain, that way you could see where you're going to put the next ring.

The next step is putting another ring through the farthest overlap on the opposite side of the second to last ringyou set.

http://apfilms.corradiation.net/jewelry/tutorial.html


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And so you continue with the next ring, and the next ring, and the next, etc.

One thing you need to pay attention to is that there are two planes that the rings are on, each perpendicular to each other, when you look at it from the end you're working on, you should se sort of a # sign formed by the links. If you look carefully, you'll see it lengthens in a spiral.

The beauty of this chain is that it increases in increments of 1 ring at a time, so you can set it to virtually any length you want.



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I hope this can get you started well enough on your way. If not, I'll just have to add more later.

This is one of mine, it's 20g 1/8"ID sterling silver. The AR is somewhere between 3.5 and 4.2.

I like this the best, but some people have tried larger ARs and have found that you can twist the chain along the axis to make some sort of triangular spiral. I haven't tried this yet, so I can't say anything about it.

Cheers,-Steffen

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