ABS maille and improving my kit.

[Sir Ulrich]

Well he messaged me about shoulder measurement which I am unsure of how to take. He also said at least 48 inches should suit me. My old hauberk was 48 but cause I tailored it it didnt fit right over the gambeson. I think I may ask him to make it 48 maybe 50 cause i'm working out and I dont want it to not fit me afterward.

[Sir Edward]

Every time I see this thread, I keep thinking it's a thread about mail made from ABS plastic, and feel like I should jump in and say "OMG no!".

I imagine it would be even worse for armor than it is for plumbing. Though it makes for good LEGOs.

[Sir Rodney]

I imagine it would be even worse for armor than it is for plumbing.

As a former “city desk” order writer for a plumbing wholesaler, I can attest that ABS doesn’t hold a candle to solid core schedule 40 PVC for DWV (drain, waste & vent).

For a new fighter in the SCA, ABS can be an inexpensive way to get armoured as long as it’s properly formed and well disguised.  I made a bunch of killer elbow and knee cops from sheet ABS by heating the blanks in a toaster oven, forming them over steel cops, covering them with suede leather and adding decorative rivets.  (Quality ABS can be purchased in 4’ x 8’ sheets through a plumbing wholesale house.)

Getting back to the original discussion regarding All Best Stuff, I’m really excited to see how this turns out!

[Sir Wolf]

all i can think of is abs brakes for some reason

[Sir Ulrich]

I asked them about what weight 18 gauge would of been, I do kinda wanna go with 16 cause it just seems like tougher stuff, I was told schmid maille weighed about 30something pounds so obviously 18 gauge flat is a bit on the.. flimsy side if used for larger rings, unless you go for wedge riveted or smaller gauge. To be blunt I dont really like the flat ring round riveted stuff so I'd prefer the round ring stuff. Might have to put up with the extra weight but it's not like I plan to wear anything OVER this maille, thats what my lighter wedge riveted hauberk is for, I plan to use that one for a 14th century kit and this new one for a just maille 12th-13th century outfit.

[Henrik Granlid]

Isn't round rings also the proper road to take for anything pre-14th century pretty much?

[Sir Nate]

Isn't round rings also the proper road to take for anything pre-14th century pretty much?

Intergrated/Alternating Round ring and solid ring is the safe road for pre 14th.

[Sir Ulrich]

Flat rings historically werent nearly as flat as they are made out to be by modern maille makers, with the exception of wedge riveted. Round ring alternating is the way to go if you want pre 1300s maille. Thats why I am going for this combination rather than the flat ring riveted stuff.

[Sir Ulrich]

Welp been a while since updating. I took my measurements and got the right size for it. They asked me if I wanted a separate coif or a integrated. Robert Coleman told me the integrated ones there have issues with turning your head so it stays still. Went with separate cause I plan to cut the avantail down to be square shaped. That seems to of been done as early as 1170 so it's still period for the third crusade era, seems to of been mostly common in Germanic Europe as well. I got the 16 gauge alternating stuff with round ring round riveted. Might be a bit heavy but I hope it works out for me. The flat ring stuff seems a bit... weak. To be blunt I was trying to get as close as I could to this schmid 12th century maille, which Nate took a pic of his and his is 16 gauge round riveted all riveted. I'm going with alternating because I prefer the look of that more. I prefer the round rings to flat. Heres some pics of both the Schmid 12 century maille and Nate's maille and they look pretty similar actually.

[Sir William]

Well he messaged me about shoulder measurement which I am unsure of how to take. He also said at least 48 inches should suit me. My old hauberk was 48 but cause I tailored it it didnt fit right over the gambeson. I think I may ask him to make it 48 maybe 50 cause i'm working out and I dont want it to not fit me afterward.

Measure like you would for chest circumference, but go outside of the shoulders.  Best to have someone help you- its important because if the shirt is made to your chest measurements you may never actually be able to wear it as squeezing in your shoulders may cause it to bind and you'll just be stuck.  If your other hauberk was a 48 and you could get in and out of it fine then its a safe number, if you can't find someone to take the actual measurement.  Best if you're wearing your arming clothes before you take measurement.

[Sir Ulrich]

I just payed up for it, cost me 490 dollars. Good price for all the stuff honestly. Cant wait to get it but not sure when I will.  Went for the separate coif cause I plan to cut the avantail up to be square rather than round. Hopefully 12 inches of tapering will be enough as theres no way to tailor it with the mittens added. But 490 for a full suit is really a good deal, less than what I payed for for you current suit.

[Sir Nate]

I just payed up for it, cost me 490 dollars. Good price for all the stuff honestly. Cant wait to get it but not sure when I will.  Went for the separate coif cause I plan to cut the avantail up to be square rather than round. Hopefully 12 inches of tapering will be enough as theres no way to tailor it with the mittens added. But 490 for a full suit is really a good deal, less than what I payed for for you current suit.

I hope everything fits alright.

[Sir Ulrich]

The package is shipping apparently I got free shipping too which is a rarity.. One 24 pound box and another 20 pound box. Apparently the hauberk alone doesn't weigh 45 pounds, he meant the complete set was 45 pounds. 24+20=44 so the sizing must've taken off a pound of steel. So I can deal with a 24 pound hauberk just fine, my guess for the reason mine will weigh less than Nate's is that mine has those flat alternating rings in it that brings the weight down due to them not being made of as much thick metal. I dunno what I was thinking when I thought I could handle a 45 pound hauberk. I must've been insane or something.... I dont think historical maille even weighed that much. Most historical maille was around 24-35 pounds in weight depending on ring size. I will be updating this soon once the package arrives.

[Sir William]

The weight depends on the shirt itself- even historical counterparts will have some variance unless they were made by the same armorer in the same frame of time.  As for how much one weighed over another, hard to tell for me as I can only go off of what's published.  I think the shipping weight might be guesstimated- I can't imagine a coif weighing 20lbs.  Unless you're also getting chausses- I could see the box being closer to that weight then.

[Sir Ulrich]

Yeah I did get chausses with the coif.  Plan on cutting the coif's avantail to be square too. Dont really like round ones much though I did get the full set cause it would be cheaper to get it now and take advantage of the free shipping they threw in than order later.