How To Make Chain Mail

[Music] I've been a mail maker for 26 years as makers we're always learning learning from history learning from friends as we work and refine our craft there's an incredible sense of community amongst mail makers it's a community that's built from shared passion passion about history passion about cultures using traditional methods today it might take a lone male maker a year to make a full coat of armor historically many people would have been involved each with their own specific specialism and skillset mail was a treasured an expensive possession passed down through generations and not all Warriors could afford to wear mail into battle due to the prestige associated a peasant would never be allowed to wear mail we do know from the Bayeux Tapestry the norman cavalry wore mail as did the Saxon to the scholars who were the King's bodyguards fallen soldiers would have been promptly stripped of their mail and the new owner would make that harm on their own the process of making mail is long arduous and requires patience and skill firstly we draw the wire this is a strenuous task that requires a sturdy vise tongs and draw plate next we wind the wire with a mandrel to form a spring different size mandles are used to create different sized Springs once wound into a spring we cut the Rings from the coil leaving an overlap [Music] [Music] the rings are then annealed then the overlapping is made flat this allows the holes to be drifted [Music] [Music] the rings are then annealed again next we drift the holes into the Rings for the rivets round for early male wedge-shaped for later this is a slow process requiring real precision dedication and thought at this stage we're ready to start joining the rings to shape the male [Music] a full coat of mail from start to finish might have 2.8 kilometers of wire within so there's a huge amount of work invested in it a true Crossman would crank mail with varying size rings to allow for the armor to flex and fit precisely properly fitted male shouldn't restrict movement the word mail comes from the Latin macula and the French word for mesh or net the word chainmail which is often used or beer incorrectly is a term which originates from Victorian times in the same way that each item of mail was always being modified and improved so too is our craft history informs teases and influences us each maker past and present leaves their own fingerprints on the garments they make the quirks the techniques and the imperfections make up the DNA of the male it's an honor to be able to continue to study the history of male and share our knowledge you

Channel: English Heritage

Views: 211,070

Keywords: English Heritage, English Heritage Membership, Chain mail, Chainmail, Chain maile, Chain mail armour, Chain mail armor, Making chainmail, Chain mail tutorial, How chainmail is made, What is chain mail, Maille, Battle of Hastings, Re-enactors, armour, armor, how to, 1066, 1066 battle of hastings, wirework, medieval, knight, middle ages, protection, war, warriors, knights, armored, how to make, armorsmith, maille maker, traditional, soldier, warfare

Id: Sw2UDtU2SgM

Length: 4min 49sec (289 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 23 2018