Maille arrived

[Sir James A]

I recently learned that the wedge riveted mail is actually more commonly 'period' than the dome headed riveted is. There's a thread on MyArmoury that talks about wedge riveted being common for (13th-15th or 14th-16th) century german armor, but that dome headed rivets are the vast majority style prior to 13th/14th for all of europe.

I've been happy with my dome riveted so far. It'll get a "live" test at MDRF next weekend, experience thus far has just been handling, tailoring, and fitting.

[Sir Wolf]

well domed can be found throughout wedge can only be found really in the 14th and 15th. so you are technically safe with either type. each modern style is just as wrong as the other when compared to existing mail so most groups accept either.

[Sir Ulrich]

Mines dome riveted, ALL riveted, only complaint I have is it doesn't have half solid rings but I cant really be too picky because theres NOT many places to get riveted maille in the USA. I didn't want wedge riveted because I'm portraying the 13th century mainly...
For the record heres a closeup of my maille.


Now I finally got around to inspecting my hauberk up close, most of the rivets are well riveted but some need replacing. One is missing its rivet but the ends of the ring are peened together so much I cant even remove the ring. Others are just poorly set and I mean VERY poorly set... Those ones are the first to go once my rings come in the mail, which should be a few weeks....

Heres the full hauberk

Closeup of the sleeves as you can see they need  a bit of tailoring.

[Sir Edward]

Yeah, I think that's just the reality of buying riveted mail. Some rivets will be done poorly. That's why I'd like to start getting to some hand-riveting myself, so I can fix mistakes, or the inevitable (but hopefully just occasional) popped rivet.

Overall I think the rivets are pretty strong most of the time. I'm used to aluminum mail. And a hauberk/haubergeon is going to take much less of a beating just from wearing it than the chausses will. It's amazing how much force can get applied to the rings in those just by walking.

[Sir Ulrich]

Then I'll have to keep in mind when I make chausses I am going to carefully rivet each ring, but that may be a pain. Making my own shouldn't be TOO hard I just need a source of solid rings so I don't have to rivet each individual ring, or maybe I should just buy them from Icefalcon instead, make it my next major purchase. Only problem is it wont have the black texture my hauberk has.

[Sir James A]

Last I spoke with IceFalcon (a few months ago?) he doesn't have a source for individual solid rings (9mm stainless is what I asked for, though). Rivited mail isn't really any "harder" than butted, but it's easily twice as time consuming since you have to weave the rings slightly different to keep them from deforming, and having to constantly swap needlenose for riviting pliers and then setting the rivits. When I finished with my mail skirt a week or two ago, I had 3 blisters on my hand from the riviting pliers.

I found an interesting post on MyArmoury about the rivited mail. Seems that some places have someone who just builds "squares" of mail, and then to make chausses, hauberks, haubergeons, etc, they assemble the squares into the final shape. That explains the always tube shape, and possibly why some rivits are set poorly - multiple makers working on a single item.

I've got the mail riviting pliers and I'm quickly getting used to working with mail again, if there's any interest I can host a "workshop" at my house or something.

[Sir William]

I think we can drum up interest, Sir James...maybe make a caravan out to see you.  Since we aren't altogether sure that there will be electricity and running water, we'll bring batteries and bottled water.  LOL

I'm kidding...I know WV is mostly modern. 

[Sir Ulrich]

I wouldnt mind learning how to tailor maille myself, my maille needs a bit of tailoring in the sleeves but I wont try it till I got 9MM butted rings at least, because I plan to tailor it with butted links first then replace them with riveted links afterward so making a mistake would be easier to fix.

[Sir William]

Working with mail requires a lot of manual strength...by the time you're finished, Ulrich, you'll have a steel hard grip.

[Sir Ulrich]

Well my rings did come, but the tool is still on back order which irritates me, They dont exactly match the maille from Icefalcon but I'm gonna have to make due.. Once I tailor my maille I should be OK as long as I can blacken the rings to make them match the rest of the hauberk. Not sure how to do it though.

[Sir Gerard de Rodes]

If you are ever needing a particular itemor something tailored, Marc at Cap-a-pie is a good friend of mine and, although a little expensive, will sort you out with exactly what you want. There is even The Maille tailor, Gavin, that works with Marc on those more tailored items.

http://www.capapie.co.uk/index.html

G.

[Sir William]

Wow...I really like the look of his hauberks.  Do these suffer the Bingo Wing malady as well?  I'd love to send him my hauberk to get tailored.

[Sir Gerard de Rodes]

Wow...I really like the look of his hauberks.  Do these suffer the Bingo Wing malady as well?  I'd love to send him my hauberk to get tailored.

I`m not too sure to be perfectly honest. I`m sure that if you specified a tailored arm then that`s what you would get.
Marc is one of a very few people who have access, for his research, to origional pieces in the back rooms at Leeds Armouries
G.

[Sir Ulrich]

Shame they're in the UK, which means shipping would cost a fortune, thats probably where I would of gotten my maille though cause I couldn't find any half riveted half non with dome rivets in the USA and this place seems to sell it. I do want my maille tailored and I am gonna have to buy some rings from icefalcon to make it look good as I don't think the 9.5MM rings from GDFB would look good on my blackened hauberk with 9MM rings, the GDFB rings are SLIGHTLY thicker than the Icefalcon ones too, I dunno if thats better or worse but it makes me rethink my purchase 

[Sir William]

Gosh, I'm torn...do I go for the tailored hauberk from there to the tune of just under $1000 USD after shipping and packing...or do I go for a breastplate instead and hack up my existing hauberk to make voiders, mail standard and whatever else it might be useful for?

I could always go back to my Crusader persona at a later date.  I can't do like Sir Wolf and keep each kit...I'd be 60 before I could complete all the ones I want.  I need to go back a few centuries as well...I'm particularly interested in Frankish arms and armor during Charles Martel's time.  And then go forward til about the first half of the 16th C...a kit for each one.

Yea...don't have the time or money.  If I hit the lottery, well...you'll all be invited to my new museum!  lol