While SCA might be the place to ask, I'm not yet that interested in beating anyone with a wooden sword - for fun.

Okay, enough bad mouthing. I understand that medieval coats of mail are composed of small rings of iron/steel??, that they are rather light to wear, and their purpose is to protect the wearer against sword and knife attack. Is this body armor intended to protect against thrusts of sword and knife points, or merely from cutting action?

At whatever protection level it is intended, how well did it do its job when wearing such armor was a good idea?

I have seen TV programs that show clearly how efficient chain mail [maille] was in cutting and slicing protection !
Remember that it's not just the mail but the mail backed by padding that's the defence !

Here in Britain you can still buy chain mail left hand gloves. For meat de-boners or processors. So they protect well against a slash.

But as another has said it isn't the slash but the trauma too. So a severe downward blow with a sword might still break a bone even if not actual open wound occurred.

Thus the padding aspect. To stop the trauma.

But we Brits were inventive folk so used a "bodkin" which is really a stiletto shaped three cornered arrowhead to penetrate plate or chain armour.

Poorer folks or lightly armoured troops as far back as ancient times used leather armour.

Mail was expensive so it also served as a display of wealth and rank of the person who wore it or whose soldiers wore it. But the padding underneath was an important part of it working.

quote:

Mail was expensive so it also served as a display of wealth and rank of the person who wore it or whose soldiers wore it.

Mail was expensive so it also served as a display of wealth and rank of the person who wore it or whose soldiers wore it.

You can make your own, if so inclined.

http://metalsmithing.wonderhow...tart-finish-0118499/

Grizz

Chain mail was useful for the foot soldiers as they would deal with swords + daggers primarily slashed but sometimes driven.Pretty useless against the bodkins of the English archers,which would even penetrate plate (not so successful against that plate made in Milan).This was predominant in the 100 year war that ran in the mid 1300's.BTW, only the English had a steady amount of archers which is why they constantly defeated the French.

At the times when Mail was a primary armour, the standard sword was normally an Oakeshotte X, XI or maybe XII. Think late Viking era, Norman era early Crusades.

These swords were slashing, not stabbing swords, usually with a large central fuller (blood gutter to some people), with a not very sharp point and not really reinforced for the stab.

Mail was used far earlier in Roman times as well - Lorica Squamata (I think, it may have been called) - it was a lot cheaper than the Lorica Segmentata we see in the movies.

This is all from memory, so some of the names may not be quite right.

The strength and resistance of Ring mail is largely dependent on several factors of construction

The profile of the wire that the rings are constructed of (round, square, oval, etc) the material, the heat treatment, and how the ring ends are joined (riveted, welded, cold formed)
and the "weaving pattern" most common are four in one and six in one patterns...

It's possible to weave 6-in-1 weaving patters of mail starting with preformed rings, say #10 lock washers.

I once made a 1'x2' panel out of stainless (18-8) steel lock washers, you'd be surprised what it was capable of resisting penetration from.... even without any attempt of joining the individual ring ends together...

But it must be remembered that armor of the middle ages were complex integrated systems plate armor was worn over ring mail which was worn over leather, which was worn over linen, and under it all against the skin was a layer of cotton or silk depending on the depth of your finances...

O.K. a true story here. Some friends of mine did the Texas Renaissance Festival;you know,costumes + all. Anyway on the drive home to Houston one of the large lads went in the the men's room (still wearing his chain mail + battle ax under his trench coat.While at the urinal he feels a slight pressure on his lower back + the sound of a broken switchblade knife hitting the floor. He turns around + sees this black gang banger with a broken knife;then ho opens his trench coat + removes his battle ax + says "Blood For Odin"! That kids feet never hit the ground.Now that was good but the best part that was 3 weeks later our hero is in a mens room in downtown Houston + sees the same black guy taking a piss,so he comes up behind him + say "ODIN!" That dude jumped out of a 3rd. story window.

Back in Ancient Roman times there was a method to harden leather .A very efficient armour !

Cleaning chain mail ? Just like reloaders .Mail, sand, in a rotating barrel !

I Need several thousand more rings to complete my mail shirt, but I know from testing of it that someone coming after you with a knife will likely suffer a broken wrist as a minimum from attempting to stab you.

I'm using stainless steel #10 lock-washers.

It takes about 1200 of them to make a piece of mail about the size of a postcard....

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Allan.things are getting really rough in PA !I'll have to stay north of the river.
Lock washers are harded than standard washers . do you snap them together or weld them ?

You would wear a padded jerkin with the mail. Else the blow would in any case cause injury.

In the British Army chain mail still survives in the shoulder dress of some, light cavalry regiments.

Japanese armor was shellaced leather in the sword fighting days.

I picked up a mail shirt on ebay for my son years ago for a Halloween costume. Actually several costumes, because a helmet change and a different shield makes for a different costume.

Anyway, my brother dropped by and tried it on, along with a crusader helm, with a sort of skull cap and some dish-towels and pot holders for padding on the helm. While he was trying to see out of the little slots I managed to land 3 or four good body shots with an ornamental claymore and a front and rear hit on the helm. Got a couple good "ooommph" sounds, a couple of great clangs and a "WTF". According to this scientific "test" someone wearing a mail shirt without the proper padding would probably live through the experience.

I worked in a technical support center for a few years. After the first few months, some calls you knew you'd be on for an hour and you didn't have to think or research, just walk the. Through the steps. A coworker made and sold chain mail, so a bunch of us started making it too. For about $80 in wire, we could make a $700 shirt. Coil the wire around a steel rod, cut into individual links, and start linking them together. Passed the time, and was a lucrative side business. Way better than yo-yo tricks, which was a common distraction before the armory got going.

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Originally posted by mete:
Allan.things are getting really rough in PA !I'll have to stay north of the river.
Lock washers are harded than standard washers . do you snap them together or weld them ?

I use stainless steel washers, because they are 18-8 or 316L stainless steel which is sufficiently ductile to be bent t open and close the gap...

I'm probably not going to bother following tradition and actually weld or rivet the ring ends together as stainless steel lock washers are made from heavier wire stock than traditional rings.

I will say that a piece the size of a large manila envelope draped over a hay-bale will reliably stop unjacketed pistol bullets and will turn broad-heads into twisted metal garbage.

Plain lead bullets just sort of flow into the gaps in the rings like honey poured onto a screen...

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