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How to Make Metal SCA Armor

The Society for Creative Anachronism, or the SCA, is a living history organization that holds events recreating the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods of Western Europe. For those seeking to play the role of a knight, authentic-looking metal armor is often an important part of the costume. Various types of metal armor exist, primarily in the categories of plate mail and chain mail. Of these, chain mail is the easiest to construct at home, using regular tools to create an interlinked pattern of metal rings.

Things You'll Need

5,000 to 9,000 single or double split rings, typically spring steel with zinc plating, medium gauge
Pair of pliers

Instructions

- 1
  Hold a first ring flat and attach two more rings to it using the pliers to open and close the rings. This piece, with one ring attached to two other rings, is called a ring assembly and is the basic building block for making the chain mail. Continue making as many assemblies as possible.
- 2
  Begin a chain by attaching the single ring from a first ring assembly to the two rings of a second ring assembly.
- 3
  Fold out the two side rings of the top ring assembly and flip the middle ring over.
- 4
  Attach the two rings of another ring assembly to the flipped-over middle ring.
- 5
  Repeat steps 3 and 4 to build a chain link with an interlocking pattern. A good length for now would be a chain made up of 20 ring assemblies. When the chain is of the desired length, flip the bottom ring so that it is angled the same way as the other rings in the column, creating a continuous pattern.
- 6
  Prepare several chains.These chains will be attached together to form sections of chain mail.
- 7
  Lay two chains side by side, so that one chain has the rings in the central column angled upward while the second chain has them angled downward; these will be referred to as chain A and chain B.
- 8
  Attach the top side ring from chain B to the two side rings of chain A, so that it is angled in the same way as the rings in the central column of chain A.
- 9
  Continue attaching the two chains together, interlocking one ring from chain B with two rings from chain A, and taking care to maintain the ring pattern.
- 10
  Attach more chains to the section in the same manner, linking one ring with two, and always maintaining the pattern.
- 11
  Rotate the chains and sections 90 degrees and assemble them into the desired pattern. For example, a simple chain mail shirt would follow the general pattern of a long-sleeved shirt. Rotating the pieces 90 degrees will result in the rings' being drawn together by their own weight and will help grant greater freedom of movement when wearing a finished piece.

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