Chainmail Patterns
From Fozzee.net
Initially, I had lots of trouble figuring out some of the various chainmail patterns. I started with "Italian 4-in-1", which basically is just a box weave. 1 ring facing forward, with rings on edge connecting them. This weave could, theoretically, use larger rings as the "primaries" to make the armor look more flat. My mailshirt is made from this pattern. Historically, it's more of a slashing armor, since arrows would slip right through the larger holes in the pattern.
Eventually, with the help of Jesse, I figured out the more traditional "European" 4-in-1, which I've been working on for some time. Eventually, I'd like to make another, slightly larger mailshirt out of this pattern. It does use a TON more rings and as such, making much of anything will take for-ev-er.
Jesse is slightly more insane than I am, and chose to build a shirt out of 6-in-1. He found some black-finished 16ga steel wire, which we turned into rings. 6-in-1 is enormously dense... I'd estimate his shirt to weigh in excess of 30 pounds. When last I saw it, it was more of a vest, but I haven't seen it in some time.
