1st Post and Hamata Supplies Question

[Dan Howard]

My point is that all suppliers use links that are "crap" IMO. Even when watching a show on TV I can usually tell what sort of mail is being worn and whether the links came from India so, yes, to some people the discrepancies are obvious when viewing the armour from a distance of a few feet. If someone wants to buy mail that closely resembles a museum example or wants to conduct weapons tests then there is nothing currently available that is remotely suitable. If you want to use mail for a multitude of other purposes then there are plenty of options, which I have already said multiple times in this thread. If I was pedantic about everyone wearing muesum replicas then I wouldn't have suggested butted mail or galvanised metal.

There is no point asking about the links from this supplier or that supplier because pretty much all suppliers get them from the same manufactures in India and Pakistan. If all of the suppliers use the same links then it doesn't matter which supplier you choose in this regard. It isn't even worth worrying about whether you buy round or wedge riveted mail - the difference is insignificant compared to all the other discrepancies. Forget about the links and look at other factors such as cost, nationality of the seller, how closely the overall armour resembles extant examples, and how well it is tailored to fit you. Serious reenactors and WMA practitioners often buy Indian mail that is oversized and then spend time modifying it to suit their need. It usually works out cheaper and quicker than buying the links and making it yourself from scratch.

[Dan Howard]

This thread shows one forumite's tenacity when trying to work out how to make a replica of Scandinavian mail.
http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic....sc&start=0
Near the end of the thread he starts to experiment with Indian links to see if he can make them more closely resemble extant examples.