In 1999, Ed the Viking (a vendor at many midwest renfairs) approached me to make him a chain shirt. In October of 2001, we met up again and I began work. I began the shirt on October 1 and as of May 4, 2002 it has 50,221 rings. It is a 16ga aluminum, 1/4" ID shirt. The collar and hemlines will be encased in a box chain.

Here are some photos of his second fitting at the OSU Ren Fair on May 4, 2002.

May 31, 2002

On May 30, I stopped at Ed's and fitted him with one sleeve completed. I was pleased with the overall fit and look of the sleeve. However, in tailoring the sides, I wasn't pleased with a little "cup" of maille that sticks out. When unbelted, it stands out, but when he put a belt on with it, it was not noticeable.

I'm going to put a bronze inlay around the sleeves. Have started sketching it out.

June 29, 2002

I finally finished big ed's shirt on June 28 and delivered it to him on the 29th. The box chain around the sleeve contracted the weave too much so we went with king's maille 18 ga bronze. Decided against the inlay because the bronze didn't contrast enough with the aluminum. The box chain around the bottom contracted some, too, but he's going to add slits up the front and back for mobility anyway.

Here's the final stats:

16 ga dull aluminum wire & 18 ga bronze wire

1/4" ID rings

2,020 Bronze rings

59,2000 aluminum rings

61,220 rings total

If you have any questions or comments, please email me at: rjl@falcon1.net.

Back to Becky's Home