Is this any good for chain mail?

Hi i was wondering if this was any good for you folks who wanted chain mail fabric the other week?



Its white but I probably could be painted / spayed

its a laundry bag for small items from my local supermarket

It isn't flexible enough so it won't drape properly. It is like using canvas to make 1:6 clothing.

I think it has potential (depending on how one cuts it and puts it together), but given the patterning, perhaps as some sort of futuristic type of armor or equipment?

Shazzdan have you tried using it? it isn't stiff at all in fact I'm pretty sure it would drape like a lot of fabrics. You can get some of the mesh bags that are quite stiff and have larger holes.


perhaps i need a more 'reference' shot with a penny or rule

It is the same material from which they make shade cloth.

Thew Question is, what do You want to use for Your chainmail Project, Fabric or metal ?

Just buy a sheet of premade chainmail from the Ring Lord. I've provided the link multiple times. It isn't expensive. You only need two tools - pliers and sidecutters. To remove a piece you need to cut some links. You save these links and reuse them to join sections together. Start by making something simple like a skirt. Then try making a vest.

Oh well it was an idea. I might try the real metal sometime but just thought knit mail might be an alternative.


As an aside and okay maybe i'm daft but what are 'shade cloths'? genuine question

oh thanks, I know the sort of thing you mean I have some as a wind break on my trellis/fence and that is quite stiff kind of like its made from plastic string.

the stuff I'm on about is a 'woven nylon' material that is actually quite soft and flexible you could almost make a shirt or a blouse out of it.

The problems with making a full-sized shirt or blouse are multiplied many times in 1:6 scale. The best material is much softer and lighter than what we use for regular clothing. I've been looking for twenty years and have concluded that nothing can be used for chainmail except chainmail. The alternatives don't look right, they don't sit and drape properly, and they can't be tailored properly.

https://i.servimg.com/u/f44/20/03/91/85/chain_10.jpg

I bought a damaged metal mesh coin purse from ebay, maybe 10 bucks. it could be pieced together or stitched

ringdoc wrote:I bought a damaged metal mesh coin purse from ebay, maybe 10 bucks. it could be pieced together or stitched

It looks quite promising.

Yep. Nothing looks like chain mail except chain mail, like that. Nice find. Ten bucks is a bargain.

Very interesting Ringdoc. Looks really good in the picture. I'd be curious to see it used. Now if only there was an easy source for it...

I bought one of these old money purses myself to use the chainmail part, but in the end it was way too small, and I've never seen another with the exact same chain pattern and metal color (it had a lovely dark patina)

Anyway they are fine pieces that would make perfect chainmail!

As for the nylon woven fabrics, they make great chainmail lookalikes, we often use them in interior design, the only problem with those is the stitching, quite hard to make it look elegant and subtle (heat could be something to test in place of stitching since it's nylon based, but risky without proper tools...)

It drapes well and is very much in scale

You're right, it does appear to work very well in this scale.

ringdoc wrote:It drapes well

That's because it is proper chainmail.

and is very much in scale

What size are the rings? Typical mail had links ranging from 6mm to 10mm in diameter. At 1:6 scale the links need to be less than 2mm, which would cause the loss of one's sanity (and eyesight) in short order. What you have looks to be closer to 3mm. The stuff I bought from the Ring Lord is around 3.5mm

These fabrics seem promising