Belegarth

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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