Chainmail is a type of metal armor made of interlocking rings of steel. It is very flexible and provides great protection. Chainmail armor is very heavy, about 15 to 20lbs for a typical shirt. It is also time consuming to make.
Several types of chainmail exist. The type demonstrated here is a typical European Medieval pattern.
You can make this type of armor in your own house and it is surprisingly easy and inexpensive to do!
Who invented or wore chainmail?
No one is really sure. Either the Scythians in the Middle East developed it during the 5th century B.C. or it was the Celts in Europe.
The first army to widely use chainmail was the Roman Army, 1 century B.C. (Roman Republic). European knights and crusaders of the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries are the most popular warriors associated with this type of armor.
Chainmail was the main type of body armor until it was replaced by steel plate armor around the1300's.
Even today people continue to find uses for chainmail. Sea divers, for example, sometimes wear chainmail suits to defend themselves against shark bites.
Is this chainmail realistic?
This chainmail is very realistic. It has the similar handling charatieristics and the weight of real chainmail. It differs on two major points:
1) It does not rust. It turns black instead.
(It oxidizes because it is galvinized)
2) The links are not rivited together.
Rivited link used on real chainmail. To save time and money every other row was often made of solid stamped rings.
The links used here are just cut and pressed together.
Everyone has their own peculiar system for making chainmail and there are many good sites listed on the Web. I strongly suggest you experiment and create your own system. Contact me if you figure out a way to speed up the process.
