Appropriately sized maille

[Glendor]

I know for some reason there is no longer a rule really for maille but I was wondering what would be a reasonable size for the rings I was thinking that 16g with 3/8 in rings or would that be too weak? Sorry as I am sure this question has been asked many times.

[Karyx]

make a small patch, about creditcard size and see if you can get your little finger through it (i doubt it)- that should tell you if it's good on the "finger catching" aspect. the big questions are:

1. how well does it hold up to a beating?
2. is the weight comfortable?

a smallish diameter/wire size ratio like yours should be ok for durability, but make sure you are comfortable in it. its a * to do all that work then never use it because it doesn't wear comfortably.

[Soo Ma Tai]

Chain mail is one of those things I never got into, however, I would PM Zuloo here on the boards. The stuff he's making is very nice, and totally legal, and seems to be holding up really well. I would ask him what size wire/dia rings he is using.

[Zuloo]

this is what i usually use for my rings.
16 gauge i wind the wire at 1/4" dia, for 14 gauge i wind it at 3/8" dia.
you can use 3/8" for 16 gauge but chances are it wont look as good and will get mistaken for a factory made piece, and personally i would not use anything thinner than 16 gauge, it will prolly be to weak and fail armor check when they start pulling on it.

[Arrakis]

Also, fyi, this is on sale right now: http://historicenterprises.com/hauberge ... th=101_141

And it weighs *drumroll* 13.5 pounds. Holy crap.