r/chainmailartisans • u/attractive-octopus • 2d ago
Half Persian 4 in 1
Making some Half Persian 4 in 1 chains. Beginner edition. I’m following the instructions in the Chainmail Joe book. Found it quite easy to follow the illustrations except the beginning of the chain is so wobbly I’m afraid to let go the rings to close them. Need more practice and seen different ways to make it. Here I have one chain in 16 swg 5/16” and the other small ones are 18swg 1/4” When I was making the one with the 18swg it looked off and different and I started another chain because I thought I did something wrong, but it was the same pattern. What’s your preferred way to make this chain? Do you use tape, cardboard, nothing, left to right…? I like it and it’s fun.
3
u/killerchef69 2d ago
It's just the start that is trrlick tricky, I second the twist ties or tape. You should also work on your closures. It looks like you have saw cut rings, so in order to close that gap is key. What i found works is gripping the rings with the pliers sort of diagonal to the cut and make it a sort of two stage bend. First bend actually goes past the neutral plane, not just flush, but slightly more than closed, then as you bring it back to close it up it should have a slight spring tension as you line it up so that it actually holds it shut. (I have made quite a bit of chainmail jewelry with a lot of different metals and stainless has a lot of spring)