There has GOT to be a better way!!!

Osbourn

Osbourn

Joined
Jun 27, 1999
Messages
804
I know, we say this every day for all kinds of subjects, but I have said it over and over again in regards to one subject. Chainmail. There HAS to be a better way to cut rings than one at a time from the coil with wire cutters. I thought getting better cutters would help. I've been using Kleins. Can't get much better. I'm just working on a camail right now, but I have this wierd fantasy about chainmail damascus...
Any ideas are welcome at this point.
 
I've been making chain for quite some time and have thought the same thing. I took some wire and played around with making the chainmail damascus too. It was just like forging chain, like chainsaw or timing. The piece I did make, didn't show the pattern well enough and I didn't have enough material in it. I have some tool steel wire that I'm going to try again with sometime.

Normally I'm used to seeing this question on a different board, but here's how I do it. First, coil a bunch of wire. I use a drill and a coiling jig. The jig is a piece of wood with a few holes. Say I'm winding 3/8" links. I'll drill a 3/8" hole all the way through the wood. If I'm using 14 guage wire, I'll drill a hole halfway through that same hole that is 3/8" + twice the thickness of the wire. Then I'll drill one hole perpendicular to that a little bigger than the wire. I'll set a spool nearby and coil it. If you need a picture, let me know.

For cutting links, I can cut about 3000 an hour with my setup. I use my metal cutting bandsaw and a cutting jig. Here's what the jig looks like.
link_jig_3.jpg

I slide the coil onto it, cut it until the rest of the coil falls, turn it off slide the links into a container and do it again. The rod is bent up to almost match the angle of the blade.

The problem I have is I have more links than I know what to do with.
links.jpg


Jamie
 
Very cool, thanks Stiletto. I didn't think a bandsaw would work, but you've obviously got it going. More rings than you can use? The thought boggles the mind.
For chain damascus, I was thinking of alternating between tool steel and mild steel links, and possibly sandwiching it between a couple of pieces of 1095. I think the pattern would show then.
Thanks again!
 
I don't make chainmail, so I'm not even sure exactly what you're asking, but maybe this will help. I knew a guy who made chainmail a lot, he said he got all the wire coiled around the rod, and then he took a dremel (probably with a cutoff wheel), and he sliced down the coil with it. and then he had like 30 links.
 
I've cut most of mine with a jeweler's saw, about 5 strokes per ring (way more if stainless :barf: ). Making a whole bunch once I built a block to clamp my Dremel to, slipped the coil over a slotted mandrel, clamped the mandrel so the slot was positioned around the cutoff wheel, and slowly fed the coil into the tool. As each ring cut through it went flying...eventually I put a bucket about where most of the rings were going and caught the majority of them. Maybe I had a death wish. Sorry, no pics, this was before I knew anyone else made the stuff -- even before the Internet.

If you have heavy enough wire the band saw idea looks like heaven, and the concept of more rings than you know what do do with...that boggles the mind for sure. :D

No! I'm not making any rings! No!

Dave
 
I am currently making a piece of mail for an art project, and here is my method: I use 12' sections of drop ceiling hanging wire ($0.25 each at home depot), and coil it around a rod, maybe 3/8" dia. I affixed a crank to one end and support the rod in blocks. Then I slide the coil off the rod and clamp it in a vise, supported by carved wood blocks, then cut the links with a fine bladed hacksaw (32tpi). I use pliers to close the links.
I really like the idea of automating the cutting process. I thought about using my dremel w/ cutoff wheel, but I think the wheel might shatter when the link breaks free, and a hacksaw is not too bad for the amount I'm doing (about 7"x10").
I never thought of chainmail damascus before. Anyone have a pic?
 
Stilleto, that system rocks. I have done tons of mail and never have thought of that. I use a 4' powered Ivars crank and 10 gauge steel bracing wire. I always cut them with a pair of hand sized bolt cutters. It was fast and easy but left the links a little pointed. I am adding that jig to my shop setup.

Thanks
 
Dremel worked, but slow and inefficient. It cut very nice edges, but ended up taking about twice as long as wire cutters when you factor in breaking blades. Wire cutters have always been an acceptable annoyance in the past because, when it really came down to it, they worked. With the project I'm doing now, stainless wears out the hands too fast, and destroyed the cheap cutters. I can't wait to try out Stilettos' jig. I just hope it will work with my portable band saw.
 
Rio Grande a jewlery supply outfit has a set up to cut jump rings for items that uses a dremel tool setup. It has a jigged fixture that guides the cutoffwheel and eliminates breakage. I adapted a similar setup for sloting my linerlocks until I got a mill. I noy use a metal sloting wheel and a new jig setup to slot my locks. The mill I have can be used vertical or horizontally which means I could coil a wire around a rod and slot the whole coil at one time.
 
Jamie, using the bandsaw to cut all those rings at once is one slick idea. With the rod height set correctly to the saw, even an auto shutoff!

Thank you.
 
Thanks for the comments. I tried the bolt cutter method, and it wasn't clean enough for me. I tried the jeweler's saw method, and it took to long. Dremel discs got eaten up too quickly and the jump ringer from Rio didn't work well with non ferrous rings. I came up with this idea after many unsuccessful attempts at mass producing rings. I'm not sure how it'll work with a portable bandsaw, but if I'd had one before, I would have tried it. I make a lot of rings for the local SCA group. That jar is one of many that I have filled with various types of rings scattered about. Did the description of the coiling jig make sense? I can coil a 1/4 mile of wire in less than 30 minutes with it and a drill.

I was actually thinking of getting some w-1 and o-1 thin wire stock to try this with but other projects and work have delayed that. If I can find the smaller piece I did, I'll post a pict of the chainmail damascus.

Jamie
 
I made this jig for my brand spankin' new HF metal cutting bandsaw, using 1" square stock and 3/8" brass rod, and it worked beautifully. Especially with a 24tpi blade.
Thanks again!
 
I wish I had a metal cutting bandsaw 20 years ago when I was making mail! I have cut many thousands of links with hand held bolt cutters and end nippers. I'd use them until the jaws crumbled and I had to get a new set.

If I was to make mail again it would have to be riveted mail! Check out these links I found recently:

http://home.tiscali.be/klauwaer/malien/engels.html

http://www.forth-armoury.com/Product_Catalog/doityourself_supplies.htm

Twenty years ago you couldn't find anything on making riveted mail. I may have to try making some real mail soon! Have the links would be riveted and the others could be welded.

The chain mail damascus sounds very interesting!
 
I actually have a new way to cut links. Check it out at http://www.polarbearforge.com/chainmail.htm If I'm cutting 14 guage galvy, I can cut a 4 foot coil in less than 2 minutes and there are no burrs.

I got about 100 pounds of 1068 wire from an ebay auction a quite a while ago. Coiling it is a royal pain. I haven't used up those links yet, so I haven't had to coil or cut any.

Jamie
 
Hey Jamie, I didn't realize that was you (stiletto). Have you stated something new since the damascus bowie?
 
I had been thinking about Ti chainmail. Is there anyone out there doing that and /or any recomendations as to where I might find either Ti rings? The other thought I was working on was aluminum chain and spot welding each link, but I don't have access to a spot welder that will do Al and I don't really feel like tiging each link.

WS
 
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