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Tailoring Maille
Sir William:
As told to me, by Squire Nathan Quarantillo (now Sir Nathan Paul Quarantillo, Knight of the Order of the Marshal)- posting here at his request.
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Actually, the rings I used to close the seams are simple butted, round ring. Cheapies. They will hold up remarkably well for stuff like this though. Joe Metz (The guy who gave me the rundown on this ) has used the same bunch since 2006.
I laid the hauberk out in front of me, with the arms out like a T shape. I then identified the bottommost pair of rings, and used a cheap (and preferably quite easy to wipe off) Expo marker to mark the line of rings to about an inch to my armpit (That's where things get complicated. Stay away from the armpit). I then used a pair of Wire cutters to cut the marked line out (I as much as possible cut out riveted rings, as the solid ones are stronger).
You should now have not sleeves, but really big flaps that loop into sleeves at the armpit.
Next up: measurements. This is probably the toughest part of the whole endeavor.
(Just as a general rule when taking measurements, always give yourself about an extra link or two for space. And always measure everything at its thickest, with the elbow bent. It's always better to overestimate slightly then to have it slightly too small)
For measurements, I measured myself with a strip of butted maille, 40 rings long. I added 2 rings to every 5th ring, so I could tell by feel (I did this whole thing without any assistance whatsoever) the measure of my circumference in rings (this will translate much better onto your maille than inches or any other form of numerical measurement). Note: when you take your measurements, adhere to the old builder's adage- measure twice, cut once and don't forget to write it down (much easier than trying to remember it all).
I measured my wrist, my forearm (at its thickest), elbow (bent), and bicep (flexed). Most importantly, I measured my clenched fist, as my hand will have to fit through it all.
I then took the measurements, and applied them to the appropriate spots on the maille (with the Expo). For this, I had the sleeve spread out in front of me, laid flat on the ground (I also did the whole thing with the hauberk lying on the ground, as I don't own an armour stand)
So with it laid out, I was actually putting the markings on the inside of the sleeve, if it can give you a better mental picture of how I laid it out.
After that, I played connect the measurement markings. As much as possible, try to keep the line you mark out flat (of course moving upwards to accommodate measurements), with it gradually reaching the top of where you ended your original seam.
You then cut the marked links. Follow your marker line as much as possible. If you lose it, find the next marked link, and cut your way to it. After you fully cut the marked section out, you should have two long slightly tapering rectangles with rough triangles at the end separate from your Hauberk.
Get ready....here's the home stretch.
Now you put on your hauberk (with the sleeves still cut) and check to make sure everything it right, measurement wise. You can check this by pinching the sides together; they should be tight, but not too tight.
If everything lines up, then take it off and proceed to the next phase. (if too tight, simply add a few more links to the seam, too loose, take out a few more)
Take your spare links, and line up the two sides.
( this is where keeping the seam as linear as possible will pay off, as lining them into 4 and 1 link pairings is much easier when they are devoid of frequent changes)
The seams lined up will provide two sides that make the 4 in the 4 and 1 link. Your job is to add the one.
Keep doing that until you reach the wrist (I started at the closest to the armpit) and you should be done! Repeat with other arm and take pictures!
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Here ends Nathan's treatise...with very little editing (mostly word choice or placement) - an excellent job of getting it down to a science. I may even attempt to tackle this over the weekend. Of course, w/out any loose rings, I'll need to order some but it seems like the hardest part is the measuring/cutting as it must be just so or otherwise one could be screwed. Judging from what I've seen of his though, done right - it looks marvelous as you can see from the finished product, no Bingo Wings in attendance!
Sir Rodney:
Tutorials such as this can really help those who are able to, but maybe afraid to, give it a go. I wish I had something like this to read 13 years ago. Thank you for taking the time to put this information together Sir Nathan!
SirNathanQ:
No problem! I put it together for Sir William, and thought some others here might want to use it as a resource.
And for those intimidated, remember, this was done by a 16 year old kid by himself, with no special tools or armour stand, who has almost nil in real skill level :P
Thanks for the editing Sir William! :)
Sir William:
My pleasure, Nathan...and I have a question- those boots you're wearing, where'd you get them?
SirNathanQ:
Revival Clothing. They've held up great for me.
http://www.revivalclothing.com/restockedtalbotsmedievalankleboots.aspx
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