Chainmail Made Easy: 8 Wicked Weaves with 8 Practical Projects: Chainmail Made Easy, #2

By Jeff Baker

Have you always wanted to learn to chainmail but were afraid it's too difficult to learn or too expensive?

This is the second in a series of books detailing how to chainmail for beginners with absolutely no experience. Chain mail, also known as chainmail, maille, or chainmaille is a great hobby for any age that doesn't involve just making armor.

In this second volume you'll learn the following:
• General chainmail techniques

8 Wicked Weaves:
• Euro 4-in-1 (also found in Volume 1)
• Euro 6-in-1
• Box chain
• GSG
• Spiral
• Jens Pind Linkage
• Helm chain
• Dragonscale

8 Practical Projects:
• Neoprene Bracelet
• Spiral Necklace
• Euro 6-in-1 Belt
• Hand Flower
• Celtic Star Key Chain
• Juggling balls
• GSG Anklet
• Celtic Bracelet
• BONUS PROJECT: Dragon Inlay Pouch

Chainmail is neither difficult to learn nor expensive. All it takes is a willingness to try something new no matter your age, education, or income!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeff Baker
• Release date: Feb 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781502274991

Jeff Baker

Jeff Baker was born in Lansing, Michigan, to Italian and Czech heritage parents, grew up in Arlington, Texas and has spent most of his life there with his wife, four cats, and two dogs. For eighteen years he's worked as a computer programmer. During that time he's published nine articles in "FoxTalk" magazine, "Foxpro Advisor" magazine, "SQL Server Magazine" and two chapters were included in the book "Exploring FoxPro - Volume II". He's also published a collection of science fiction/fantasy short stories with a co-author titled "Tales of Fables, Fantasy, and Fiction." His latest book has just been published, "Chainmail Made Easy: 8 Wicked Weaves with 8 Practical Projects".

Book preview

Preface

Welcome to Chainmail Made Easy: Volume2 - 8 Wicked Weaves with 8 Practical Projects. This volume builds off the first, Chainmail Made Easy: Beginner's Guide in 7 Easy Steps!, and concentrates on teaching you 8 weaves along with 8 interesting new projects. Given the nature that most weaves form a long strand, not all projects in this volume tie directly to a weave. It would get boring very quickly if all the projects were bracelets or necklaces just to match each weave.

However, four of the projects do relate directly to weaves taught in this volume. The other four are based on a variation of one weave taught. The choice was made to include a wider variety of projects instead of a bracelet for each weave.

A note about the Euro 4-in-1 weave also found in Volume 1

I made the decision to include the Euro 4-in-1 weave in this volume even though it was initially taught in Volume 1. The choice was simple. I could either possibly irritate readers of Volume 1 (though there are 7 new weaves in this volume matching the number in the first volume) by including Euro 4-in-1 so people who've only bought Volume 2 can do all the projects without having to buy volume 1 OR I could leave it out thus requiring you to also purchase Volume 1 in order to do half of the projects here, if you didn't already know Euro 4-in-1.

Honestly, that would be rather...crappy to do. I chose to include the weave already taught and if some people get irritated by it, so be it. I felt it was better than forcing you to buy another book in order to create some of the projects found within.

Why did I include these 8 weaves? There are hundreds of different weaves in multiple different families. I picked these as I felt several built upon what was started in Volume 1 leading to a natural progression like going from Euro 4-in-1 to Euro 6-in-1. Others are simple to pick up and quite nice when made into jewelry. One I just find very cool, Dragonscale, and another starts you on the road to inlays.

With that said, you'll learn the following weaves in this volume:

Euro 4-in-1

Euro 6-in-1

Box chain

GSG

Spiral

Jens Pind Linkage

Helm chain

Dragonscale

And you’ll learn how to create these 8 projects along with a 9th bonus project:

Euro 4-in-1 neoprene bracelet

GSG anklet/bracelet

Hand Flower

Spiral necklace

Euro 6-in-1 belt

Juggling balls

Celtic stars/key chain

Celtic bracelet

BONUS PROJECT: Dragon inlay pouch

Let's get started!

my_signature.jpg

Thank you for downloading my book. The boys above ask that you please REVIEW this book wherever you purchased it. I need your feedback to make the next version better and to create additional volumes. Thank you very much!

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Tips, Tricks, and Refreshers

Below are a few things that'll speed up your weaving or make your life a little easier when working on projects. These are things you usually learn over time but are nice to know starting out.

Over time you'll discover your own tricks while mailling. There is no right or wrong way, regardless of what some people might say. It all depends on what best feels comfortable for you.

All of the following are also explained in Volume 1 as they apply to any weave or project you work on.

What Tools Do I Use?

Pliers

Pliers are the main tool used to open, close and fix misshapen rings. You'll need two pair, one for each hand. The size and type of pliers will vary depending upon your preference, ring size, ring metal, and project. For smaller rings used in jewelry you might use a flat angled, wide nose pair. For anodized rings you'll want to use flat or nylon nosed pliers to avoid scratching the rings. For a hauberk made from larger, galvanized steel rings a larger pair of toothed linesman pliers works well.

The size of pliers needed varies with the project. For jewelry and smaller projects, a pair of 5-6 pliers works well. For larger ring sizes such as 3/8-14 SWG (SWG will be explained in the Review of Aspect RatioGauge section) or larger, a pair of linesman 8" pliers work better. It all depends on your strength, project size, and preference.

The main types of pliers are:

Flat nosed

These are a good pair of pliers for opening and closing rings in tight places. Generally good for lighter, smaller chainmail. Used especially for rings that you don't want to scratch such as anodized aluminum, bright aluminum, silver, gold, and anodized titanium. However, with the flat surface on their nose, rings tend to slide around more in the pliers’ grip.

FlatNosed.jpg

Flat angled nose

An angled nose pliers without teeth. Good for working tight weaves. The bend can be used to open and close larger rings along the large curve while the curved point works well on smaller rings. These are my preferred pliers for smaller rings. I find them best to

Reviews for Chainmail Made Easy

[heatherbennett32 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book and well written.

[lexiesmom-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first must admit that the book was not at all what I expected. I must have had a bit of a brain cramp and thought it was a collection of crazy chain letters.That being said I may have found a new hobby. The directions were clear and easy to follow. The illustrations were clear and showed exactly how things would look while in progress. I'm fairly certain I have found a new hobby.I received this book for free in exchange for this honest review.

[crazy_bunny_lady · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great Book. Well written. It had the descriptions as well as photos showing how to do it. want to try it sometime soon!

[jaiw-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This instructional book is beautifully illustrated and clearly written. The projects are attractive and you are provided with all the information needed to complete them. Highly recommended.

[gbcmars · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've never done a chainmail project, but as others have noted, this book is inspirational on the subject. Very clear descriptions and excellent photographs lead you right through several types of traditional chainmail structures, and then 9 interesting projects. Recommended.

[citlali_DA · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

los proyectos de la pulsera con flor, las bolas y la tercera cadena.