Chainmail

Chainmail (also chain mail, chain maille, or just mail or maille) is a type of armour or jewelry that consists of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. Mail can generally be punctured by a spear or shorn by the blow from a heavy axe or sword (although riveted chainmail is much stronger), and its flexibility means that its wearer is still vulnerable to blunt weapons. Nevertheless, it was an effective and popular defense for its ability to stop cutting weapons from piercing the skin. Medieval physicians could usually set broken bones, but when it came to preventing infection they were woefully inadequate. Thus the mail was weak in defending against wounds which could be more easily mended but strong against those to which the soldier was most vulnerable. The word chainmail is of relatively recent coinage, having been in use only since the 1700s, prior to this it was refered to simply as mail http://www.regia.org/warfare/Mail.htm.

Manufacture

Several patterns of linking the rings together have been known since ancient times, with the most common being the 1-to-4 pattern (where each ring is linked with four others). In Europe, the 1-to-4 pattern was almost completely dominant, with 1-to-6 being seen very rarely. In East Asia (primarily Japan), mail was also common, but here several more patterns were utilized and an entire nomenclature developed around them. In the Middle East, yet other patterns were developed and often combined with metal plates linked in with the rings.

Related Topics:
Europe - East Asia - Japan - Middle East

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Historically, the rings composing a piece of mail would be riveted shut, to reduce the chance of the rings splitting open when subjected to a thrusting attack or a hit by an arrow. Some pieces were made of alternating rows of riveted and solid rings of steel punched from a sheet.

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In modern re-enactment (such as that of the Society for Creative Anachronism) and live action role-playing games (LARPs), suits of mail and mail jewlery are hand-made from rings of wire. They may or may not be welded or soldered but are rarely riveted. They may also be made of split sprung steel washers. Usually two pairs of pliers are used to bend the washers open and closed while "knitting" the mail. The resulting mail is usually heavier than traditional wire-wound mail, but very durable.

Related Topics:
Society for Creative Anachronism - Live action role-playing game

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