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INTRODUCTION
Welcome. Are you the kind of person that has several hours of free-time available each day? The kind of
person that rocking chairs dread? Are you the kind of person who can recite an entire episode of Gilligan's
Island? Have you mastered all of the Nintendo games and are looking for something new? Does bungee
jumping no longer hold any thrills for you? Have you macrometed all the plant hangers your family and friends
can stand?!
Well, if you are the kind of person that's really hurting for a new hobby, then become an Apprentice Armorer!
Making mail is easier than pulling your own teeth, more time consuming than Differential Calculus, and more
fun than doing the dishes. (Seriously.)
This handbook is intended to provide a simple, systematic approach for making Mail Armor. While many
books describe the use of mail and may show a picture of a person wearing it, the materials and processes for
making mail have not been well addressed. This handbook contains clear illustrations and lessons-learned, so
that anyone who has the curiosity can indulge in a new hobby. As a hobby, making mail may be rather new,
but the concept has been in use for millenia. From the time of the Romans until about 1350 AD, Mail was the
warrior's principle defense against cutting weapons. The progression of armor from mail to plate was
necessary for protection from the force of the blow. Mail provided little defense against a well swung club.
Mail was available only to the gentry of the day, as its labor-intensive production made it prohibitively
expensive to the common foot soldier. It was the principle armor of the knights of the Crusades. The typical
knight would be covered head to toe in mail with a Heaume (helmet) and Shield besides.
Unfortunately, the weight of mail of the Teutonic nations versus that of the nomadic cavalry of the East was a
great handicap to the freeing of the Holy Land. The lighter mail of the Moors enabled they and their horses
much greater mobility in the field. The Crusades proved to be very costly to western kingdoms. By the time of
the mid-fourteenth century, an improvement made to the spanning mechanism of the crossbow greatly
increased its power. A crossbow quarrel could then pierce mail with ease. To counter this threat, armor plates
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were sewn inside a tabard. The tabard was then buckled on over the mail shirt, providing more protection as
projectile weapons became more common. Throughout this period, mail continued to be the mainstay of the
knight's protection. Not until the early seventeenth century, with the increased use of firearms, did the use of
mail decline.
So, while mail will still not protect the wearer from broken bones, or provide thermonuclear protection, there
is a lot of fun to be had at historical festivals wearing armor you have made, that looks great and costs little.
There are more options in material available to today's apprentice armorer than in the past. Contrary to
popular legend, it has been historically difficult to find dwarves or elves who could make mithril, although
some fine shoes were available for a time.(1)
Mail was, and still is, an expensive item, not because of its materials but because of the time required to
assemble it. Current prices list a mail hauberk at $800. By assembling the rings at home, the apprentice
armorer will literally save hundreds of dollars in labor.
Historically, the rings were made from relatively short lengths of drawn wire fastened together with a small
rivet. The wire was iron or pearlitic steel with a low carbon content and was not very strong. The state of
technology during that period did not allow the armorer to draw long lengths of wire or to produce wire of the
strength and hardness available today. There was some variation in the manufature of the mail. The general
method was to join one ring to four others, but sometimes alternate double rings would be used or additional
rows of rings would be added above or below. Another pattern that was occasionally used was a six-in-one
pattern which, together with the four-in-one pattern, will be detailed in this book.
The first chapter of this handbook will provide the apprentice armorer with sources of material. Chapter 2 will
discuss assembly methods and give step-by-step instructions for assembly of the basic four-in-one
"International" pattern. Chapter 3 details the more intricate six-in-one pattern.
(1) Reference "The Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R. Tolkien and "The Shoemaker and the Elves"
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corrosion of the platings will result. Write for a catalog and order blank to:
The Worth Manufacturing Co.
PO Box 88214 Sherman Ave.
Stevens Point, WI 54481
Figure 1: Front View of Wire Winding Apparatus. Approximate dimensions are shown. 1"x4" and a 2"x4" can
be used for the frame. Angle brackets are recommended for rigidity. Also recommended is to press-fit short
pieces of steel or copper tubing into the holes drilled for the rod, which will allow easier turning of the rod.
The apparatus will need to be firmly attached/clamped to a work bench or other surface so it won't tip during
winding.
Figure 2: Top View of Wire Winding apparatus. WEARING GLOVES, Insert the end of the wire into the hole
drilled thru the rod. Line up the wire with the threads and begin turning the rod. A simple handle is shown
here, but other methods could also be used. It is important to keep an even tension on the wire as you turn the
rod.
1. The wooden frame can be made from one 18" piece of 2"x4" and two 6" pieces of 1"x4". Brace the
corners with angle brackets to make the wooden frame rigid.
2. Drill a holes in each 1"x4" to pass the rod through. See Figure 1. The holes should be large enough to
allow free rotation of the rod. In addition, inserting pieces of steel or copper tubing into the holes to act
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as a sleeve for the rod is recommended. Drill the hole such that the tubing will fit snugly. (For example:
For a 3/8" dia. rod, drill a 1/2" hole in the frame and insert 1/2"dia. tubing.)
3. Drill an 1/8" hole through the rod about 6" from one end. Use a bit-type made for drilling through mild
steel. Remove any burrs from the edge of the hole so that the coil will not catch on it when it's time to
remove the rod.
4. Attach a handle or crank to the other end of the rod to wind the wire. Since the required effort will vary
with the wire thickness, heavier gauge wires may require using a better means of turning the rod,
perhaps a longer crank for more torque.
5. Firmly attach the apparatus with clamps or bolts to a work bench or other surface so that it will not
move around during the winding operation. Attaching it to the kitchen countertop is recommended only
for bachelors.
During the winding operation, gloves should be worn to protect the hands and to improve the feed of the
wire onto the rod. Unroll a length of wire from the spool (~6 ft of 16 gage (.0625 dia) wire will make an
~8 inch coil). Insert an end of the wire into the hole in the rod. For best results, coil the wire onto the
rod the same way it came off the spool. Turn the rod evenly, checking the coil for uniformity.
When the coil is finished, cut the end of the coil from the starting hole. Holding the coil in one hand,
unthread the rod from the coil. Take care not to distort the coil. Using heavy duty wire cutters or
needle-nosed tin snips (to ensure a clean cut), clip a straight line up the coil. Cut slowly to maintain a
straight line. See Figure 3. The rings should be uniform with a minimal gap, but no overlap of the ends.
Screen the results and remove the rings that have too great a gap or are distorted. The ring ends should
move together to form a minimal gap without overlap.
ON TO ASSEMBLY!...
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the apprentice becomes more experienced, reruns of Cheers will become acceptable. Mystery Science
Theater 3000 is always a good choice.
The first pattern presented for the aspiring apprentice is the four-in-one pattern. Logically, four rings
pass through each ring in a symmetrical interlocking pattern. The apprentice is advised to master this
pattern before moving on to the more intricate six-in-one pattern. Mastering the basics will enable the
apprentice to spot mistakes more readily and increase the apprentice's appreciation of the art.
The six-in-one pattern uses almost twice as many rings to make the same size area as the four-in-one,
and is more time consuming to assemble. When this is factored into the economics of producing an
article of mail, it is easy to understand the popularity of the four-in-one pattern. The six-in-one pattern
is "really cool - Naomi.", and can be incorporated into the four-in-one pattern with out much trouble
along the shoulders for a nice effect.
The following pages illustrate how to attach the rings to form mail. Depending on the type of rings used,
some tools will be needed to help. If double split rings are being used, a sharpened wooden dowel (see
Figure 4) is recommended to hold the ring apart while interlinking other rings or ring assemblies. If the
rings are made from wire using the procedure previously decribed, a simple pair of pliers is
recommended for closing the rings.
Proceed to Chapter 2- The 4 in 1 Pattern
Proceed to Chapter 3- The 6 in 1 Pattern
Return to Palmer House BS
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