How I Got Sucked into Mail Armor Madness
Okay so last weekend I was binge-watching fantasy shows when I saw this warrior wearing shiny fish-scale armor. I’m like “man I wanna make something like that for Renaissance fair” but didn’t know scale mail vs chainmail difference. Started googling stuff like a madman at 2AM.
Gathering Supplies Like a Squirrel
First thing next morning I raided my garage for materials. Found:
- A bunch of washers from that plumbing project I never finished
- Grandpa’s old toolbox with metal cutting snips
- Some leather strips from when I tried making bracelets
- My kid’s modeling pliers (don’t tell him!)
The Epic Fail Phase
Started trying to copy what I saw online. Cut washers into tiny scales – took forever and looked like garbage. Then tried linking them using jump rings like normal chainmail but everything kept flipping sideways. Had scales pointing everywhere like a pinecone. Wasted three hours before realizing you gotta OVERLAP them downward to work.
Major lightbulb moment: Scale mail isn’t actually chainmail at all! Proper chainmail connects rings to rings like a net, while scale hooks plates onto leather/fabric or onto mail rings.
Experimenting with Styles
After wasting 50 washers, I finally got these styles figured out:
- Classic scale – Like those roof shingles where each row covers the row below it. Soaked leather in water overnight before attaching so it tightens as dries
- Roman style – Made horizontal rows with scales riveted between mail rings, kept splitting my thumbnail opening those tiny jump rings
- Lamellar madness – Tried lacing scales side-to-side like samurai armor. Looks cool but took me 45 minutes per row!
My hands got wrecked bending metal for hours. Bandaged three cuts before giving up and ordering pre-cut aluminum scales online like a normal person.
What Actually Works for Beginners
Truth bomb: Proper European chainmail is way simpler than scale armor! Made a patch using 4-in-1 pattern (one ring connects four neighbors) in like twenty minutes. For scales, fish-scale arrangement is easiest starter pattern – way more forgiving than trying straight rows.
Final thoughts? Chainmail = satisfying clicky puzzle. Scale armor = masochistic plate-wrangling marathon. Still proud of my shitty washer-scales though. Hanging them on my garage wall to remind me that YouTube tutorials lie about “easy DIY armor” projects!
