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Greetings everyone. I am trying to shore up my kit, but am a little confused.
Have been reading different things, and it seems that things talk about 5th and 6th century chain at the time in various mm's, but they rarely state if it is in ID or OD.
Thinking of purchasing some welded chain, but I dont want to get stuff that is to small and wont look right.
Anyone shed some light on this? The stuff I was looking at, is 5.3mm OD, which have read some things that might be in range, but I am so used to 9mm stuff I have had in the past, and I cant even remember if that was ID or OD.
Thanks for your time.
John Tibbs
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Hi, Flyn. Most of the times that I've seen, the dimension is listed as ID. That saves them from also having to list the wire guage, I guess. It seems to me that "too small" would not be the problem, as some hamata links are reported as small as 4 or 5mm ID. I can simply not imagine welding things that tiny, but maybe when I was younger and my vision better it wouldn't seem so incredible. Having said that, the "real stuff" was generally made by one row of solid rings, like washers (sort of) alternating with riveted links in the next row. Talk about miniature work! punching holes through two overlapping wires and setting a rivet when the links are small as a pencil diameter...I'm sure I'd never get finished with a shirt using that process.
Prepunched rivetable links and solids of the same size are available for those who want to do that process, though.
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)
Saepe veritas est dura.
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The skills and tools required to make mail have a lot more in common with jewellery making than armoury. I strongly suspect that mail was invented by a jeweller and wouldn't be surprised if, sometime in the future, the earliest example of a mail mesh is dug up and found to be made of gold wire.
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That sounds pretty possible to me. However, I imagine it was probably melted down by whoever killed the person wearing it!
Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus! * Me semper rogo, Quid faceret Iulius Caesar? * Confidence is a good thing! Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
Titus Flavius Germanus
Batavian Coh I
Byron Angel
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And I'll just bet that was one heavy shirt!
hock:
I'd like to have the money to buy a solid gold hamata. Don't get me wrong: I wouldn't buy one, but I'd still like to have that sum of money.... :roll: :wink:
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)
Saepe veritas est dura.
