When was chain-mail first used?
Medieval sources referred to armour of this type simply as mail; however, chain-mail has become a commonly used, if incorrect, neologism coined no later than 1786, appearing in Francis Grose's A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, and brought to popular attention no later than 1822 in Sir Walter Scott's novel The Fortunes of Nigel.
Why was chain mail so hard to make?
Chain mail required a lot of intense labour to make and it was also extremely heavy, but very difficult to penetrate. Chain mail was even used in helmets which took immense skill to make. Some other warriors in the Viking era who used chain mail armor were the Anglo Saxons.
When did mail stop being used as armor?
After this time, the use of mail slowly diminished as better plate armour was developed for the arms and legs, although it was still in use as late as the 17th century in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The craft of making mail is quite separate and distinct from that of the process of manufacturing plate armour.
When was chain mail armor invented?
However, the earliest known record of chain mail armor is of a Persian solider who was wearing a chain mail shirt in battle around 359 BC.
When was chainmail armor added to Minecraft?
Chainmail armor was first added to Minecraft in its very early development in 12w21a. Minecraft's creator Notch added the armor variant to the game in the indevelopment versions of the game. Back then, armor spawned on mobs and could be worn by players as well.
When did chainmail armor stop being used?
15th centuryThere were many benefits to wearing chainmail for protection: it was flexible, easy to fix, easy to make, and surprisingly effective in protecting against cuts and slashes. Although it was very heavy (55 to 60 pounds) and difficult to wear, chainmail remained popular until around the 15th century.
How do you heat treat chainmail?
The ideal temper for chainmaille is a nice spring temper. The easiest way to do this is to use an oven. Set it at 500 degrees and leave the metal in for a good bit of time.
How did medieval blacksmiths make chainmail?
Chain mail was a prominent piece of armor during the Middle Ages between the fifth and sixteenth centuries. European mail was generally manufactured through a process of drawing and coiling iron wire into links that were later flattened to create a mesh-like fabric.
How did knights keep their armor from rusting?
It's a myth that armor was so heavy that the knight had to be lifted on to his horse with a crane. But he did need attendants to pick him up if he fell off his horse in battle. When the fighting was over, they cleaned his armor with a mixture of sand and urine to stop it from getting rusty!
Is scale mail better than chainmail?
Scale armour offers better and more solid protection from piercing and blunt attacks than mail. It is also cheaper to produce, but it is not as flexible and does not offer the same amount of coverage.
What is butted mail?
Butted chain mail has the rings bent together with no mechanical connection holding the ends together. This results in links that come apart relatively easily, while it does offer mild protection against slashes if the rings are heavy enough.
How do you soften high carbon steel?
Place the steel in a heat treat oven or forge and slowly raise the temperature of the steel to its particular austenite region. ... Hold the steel at the austenite temperature for at least 30 minutes. ... Lower the temperature of the steel slowly. ... Cool the steel to room temperature and machine as needed.
How is riveted mail made?
Riveted chainmail is made out of wire that is coiled into a spiral. You take the spiral and cut off rings with overlapping ends. Later you flatten these ends by hammer strikes to provide space for a hole. During manufacturing, the rings become harder as you deform the metal.
What was the weight of chainmail?
Prior to this time, chain mail was the most prevalent and effective type of body armament. Maile weighed about the same as full body plate style. The average weight was about 45 - 55 pounds.
How long did it take to make chainmail?
If chainmail is produced in a workshop, many workers can team up and start with sheets of chainmail that they have prepared in advance. Thus it would take one or two weeks to build a custom-tailored chainmail shirt. I assume it was done this way in the middle ages. 3.
What were the weaknesses of chain mail?
Weaknesses: Although chainmail can do well at protecting against slashing, it has other weaknesses which have been exploited throughout history. First and foremost, chainmail does not stand up well to impacts from very pointy objects, like tips of swords.
What was chain mail used for?
Chain mail required a lot of intense labour to make and it was also extremely heavy, but very difficult to penetrate. Chain mail was even used in helmets which took immense skill to make. Some other warriors in the Viking era who used chain mail armor were the Anglo Saxons.
Who invented chain mail?
The History Of Chain Mail. Many archeologists have come to believe that chainmail was invented by the Celts because rusty masses were found in some Celtic graves, dating as far back as 400 BC, and they were identified as being remains of old chain mails. However, the earliest known record of chain mail armor is of a Persian solider who was wearing ...
What was the name of the Roman chainmail shirt?
The Roman chainmail shirts were referred to as Lorica Hamata.
Why is chainmail used in armor?
As plate armor began to develop in Europe, it became common to start using chainmail to protect areas that need to flex more that the metal plates would allow . Chainmail became very common in elbow joints, knees and so on. This plate and main “Transition armor” along with Persian Plate and Chainmail, are some of the Armors the cross classification. It wasn’t long before full plate armor became popular and with the invention of the fully articulated joints, chainmail began to lose its popularity. However, it still did hold a place in history as it was used as decoration and armor up until the First World War.
What were the Roman chains shirts called?
The Roman chainmail shirts were referred to as Lorica Hamata.
What was the Saxon mail?
Saxon mail was generally more decorative than the plain Viking style but by the 11th century, when warriors across northern Europe all wore similar chain mail, the Anglo Saxon swords and armor were the equipment of wealthy warriors.
What is chain mail with punched links called?
Another example of chain mail with punched links is called “Theta” or “Bar Link” which comes from Persia and India. It is called “Theta” or “Bar Link” because the punched links have a bar going across their centre which makes them resemble the Greek letter and mathematical term “Theta”.
Why did medieval mailsmiths anneal the rings?
In practice, the medieval mailsmith may have annealed the rings prior to each step in the production of mail. This would eliminate any work hardening from each of the previous manufacturing processes, and keep the wire as soft as possible.
What metals were used to add decorative trim to mail garments?
Brass and possibly more precious metals were sometimes used to add decorative trim to mail garments, often as edgings.
Why are rings annealed after flattening?
This would be done to eliminate the work hardening caused by the flattening process, to make the metal as soft as possible in preparation for the punching operation. This would have the affect of sparing undue stress on the punch tool.
Why is iron used in mail?
Another theory, and perhaps the more likely, is that iron was chosen specifically for its softer workability traits, so as to spare the wear and tear that would be wrought upon the tools used to make mail, specifically the punch to create the rivet hole. This might explain why some mail garments were carburized (had carbon added to them) and hardened after assembly of the garment had been completed.
How to anneal a ring?
The simplest way to anneal the rings is to simply string them onto a piece of wire and throw them into a forge. After bringing them to a red heat, simply remove them from the fire and allow them to air-cool. The more slowly the rings cool the softer they will be.
What was the raw material for the wire?
The raw material for the wire was predominantly iron, not steel. Of the 16 rings mentioned previously by Dr. Smith, only 3 of them contained enough carbon to be considered steel. Those three steel rings had also been heat treated to harden them.
Was mail wire made of iron?
What we may deduce from this is that mail was undoubtedly made from both drawn and slit wire. We might speculate that perhaps mail wire was originally simply cut from sheets of iron, and that as the technology of drawing wire matured, drawn wire may have become more prevalent. This assumption about the evolution of wire manufacture may be incorrect, however, as the 17th century example made of slit wire, described above, might attest.
What is a riveted chainmail?
Riveted chainmail is made out of wire that is coiled into a spiral. You take the spiral and cut off rings with overlapping ends. Later you flatten these ends by hammer strikes to provide space for a hole. During manufacturing, the rings become harder as you deform the metal.
How to make chainmail rings?
With these 8 steps, you make riveted chainmail rings: 1 Coiling wire into a spiral#N#Take iron wire and wind it around a metal rod. You can build a rack as in the picture or use your hands. 2 Cutting rings off the spiral#N#Cut off rings with an overlap. It is useful to have a modified pair of pliers for this. Read below how to make or get them. 3 First annealing#N#Collect a few rings in a can. Heat them in a fire to red hot. Then let them cool as slowly as possible. This will make the metal soft. 4 Flattening by hammer#N#Hit the rings until the overlapping area is flat. You can use any big piece of metal instead of an anvil. 5 Second Annealing#N#The rings have become harder by the deformation. Heat them again in a fire to red hot. Then let them cool as slowly as possible. 6 Punching a hole for the rivet#N#Take a pointy screwdriver or nail to punch a hole through the overlapping area. Alternatively you can drill a hole. 7 Cutting rivets#N#Cut off tiny bits of wire. In the next step, you can use them as rivets. Try different lengths. 8 Setting a rivet#N#Set a rivet into the rivet hole. Align it to the center. Squeeze the rivet with pliers. Ideally, you have modified pliers with dents in the jaws.
What is Ironskins chainmail search?
It is a search tool that I made to help you find specific rings in online shops. Click on the image below.
Does India ship rings?
India, ships worldwide, sells shirts – no rings. AllBestStuff offers chainmail at low prices. I have a reserved opinion.
Is riveted mail good for jewelry?
Butted chainmail can be nice for chainmail jewelry projects or if you want to experiment with chainmail tailoring. Nevertheless, riveted mail is superior in longevity and appearance when you wear it as armor – for example in historical martial arts.
Is riveted chainmail shipping worldwide?
This is us: Your friendly shop for riveted chainmail, shipping worldwide. You get suitable rings of selected quality. And you support us when you buy here.
What is the first step in heat treatment?
The first step in the heat treatment process is heating the metal. The temperature depends on the types of metal and the technique used. Sometimes you need to heat the outer surfaces of the metal, and sometimes you need to heat the whole body. That depends on what kind of alteration you want in the mechanical structure.
What is heat treatment?
Heat treatment is a heating and then cooling process using predefined methods to achieve desired mechanical properties like hardness , ductility, toughness, strength, etc. It is the combination of thermal, industrial, and metalworking processes to alter the mechanical properties and chemical properties of metals.
How does heat treatment help metals?
Heat treatment assist in improving the ductility of metal in the annealing process. Heat treatment helps in hardening metals. Case hardening helps in hardening only the outer surface of the metal piece keeping the rest of the portion soft and ductile. Machinability of metals gets improved.
How is annealing done?
Annealing is done by heating the metals at the above critical temperature , hold them there for some time and then cool it at a very slow rate in the furnace itself. Annealing is usually done on ferrous and non-ferrous metals to reduce hardness after the cold working process.
What is annealing in metals?
Annealing. Annealing is a heat treatment process that is used to soften the metal. In other words, annealing helps to improve ductility, machinability, and toughness. On the flip side, the hardness of metals gets reduced. Annealing does this by changing the microstructure of metals.
How does tampering work?
Tampering is a very common process for machine tools, knives, etc. Tampering is usually done by heating the metal at a relatively low temperature. The temperature depends on the required mechanical properties of metals.
How many types of annealing processes are there?
There are two types of annealing process which are shown below.
Is De Re Metallica a pre 1000?
De Re Metallica is * renaissance* and so not the best source for pre 1000 information. However you may note that iron "currency bars" are a *common* iron age find indicating that iron was traded all over the place in Europe from early times.
Did medieval maille makers mine iron?
Of course a medieval maille maker would not be mining and refining his own iron but would buy it; just like the smiths would. Drawing of high slag content bloomery iron would be "not fun at all". I have some puddled old telegraph Wrought Iron wire to experiment with; but it's MUCH nicer than the pre 1000 CE stuff!
Overview
Etymology
The origins of the word mail are not fully known. One theory is that it originally derives from the Latin word macula, meaning spot or opacity (as in macula of retina). Another theory relates the word to the old French maillier, meaning to hammer (related to the modern English word malleable). In modern French, maille refers to a loop or stitch. The Arabic words "burnus", برنوس, a burnoose; a hooded cloak, also a chasuble (worn by Coptic priests) and "barnaza", برنز, to bronze…
History
The earliest examples of surviving mail were found in the Carpathian Basin at a burial in Horný Jatov, Slovakia dated at 3rd century BC, and in a chieftain's burial located in Ciumești, Romania. Its invention is commonly credited to the Celts, but there are examples of Etruscan pattern mail dating from at least the 4th century BC. Mail may have been inspired by the much earlier scale armour. Mail sprea…
In Europe
The use of mail as battlefield armour was common during the Iron Age and the Middle Ages, becoming less common over the course of the 16th and 17th centuries when plate armour and more advanced firearms were developed. It is believed that the Roman Republic first came into contact with mail fighting the Gauls in Cisalpine Gaul, now Northern Italy. The Roman army adopted the tech…
In Asia
Mail armour was introduced to the Middle East and Asia through the Romans and was adopted by the Sassanid Persians starting in the 3rd century AD, where it was supplemental to the scale and lamellar armour already used. Mail was commonly also used as horse armour for cataphracts and heavy cavalry as well as armour for the soldiers themselves. Asian mail could be just as heavy as th…
Effectiveness
Mail armour provided an effective defense against slashing blows by edged weapons and some forms of penetration by many thrusting and piercing weapons; in fact, a study conducted at the Royal Armouries at Leeds concluded that "it is almost impossible to penetrate using any conventional medieval weapon". Generally speaking, mail's resistance to weapons is determined by fo…
Manufacture
Several patterns of linking the rings together have been known since ancient times, with the most common being the 4-to-1 pattern (where each ring is linked with four others). In Europe, the 4-to-1 pattern was completely dominant. Mail was also common in East Asia, primarily Japan, with several more patterns being utilised and an entire nomenclature developing around them.
Modern uses
Mail is used as protective clothing for butchers against meat-packing equipment. Workers may wear up to 8 pounds (3.6 kg) of mail under their white coats. Butchers also commonly wear a single mail glove to protect themselves from self-inflicted injury while cutting meat, as do many oyster shuckers.
Scuba divers sometimes use mail to protect them from sharkbite, as do anima…