"It stops you dying." Probably the most important one.

I had a hilarious idea watching this. Lacquer a few dozen envelopes, glue them all together, and you now have mail mail.

Get a knife and try to stab through a piece of paper that is free-hanging. Bodkin arrows would stick in when striking at shallower angles, yes, but there still comes a point when they zing off, and a shallow angle would cause the arrow to swerve and not transfer the full weight of the shaft into the target. Yes, we have reason to believe that bodkin arrows were designed to improve the performance of arrows against mail, which is a further bit of evidence that mail was good against arrows.

the best thing about these videos is, that they never get out ot date : )

Yes, there are numerous records in both Christian and Muslim chronicles about knights struck with multiple arrows but kept on fighting because their armor protected them. It must have been a demoralizing sight for their enemies, to see their most celebrated weapon, the bow and arrow, having no apparent effect on the knights.

If you make your mail out of iron, do you then have fe-mail?

Unfortunately "Chainmail" is less ambiguous than you might hope. If someone who isn't really into this sort of thing asks me what I do for hobbies, and I reply "I like to make chainmail," they generally look at me strangely and ask "As in 'forward this to 15 people or your genitals shall wither and your dog will get by a bus' chain-mail?"

and all the knight in the old world probably sent each other chain mails in their free time for kicks

=( am i the only one who didint suspected at all that he was wearing one?

I think youre the first person ive heard, that agrees with me on the point that chainmail is incredibly relaxing to just handle. I love the feeling of mail in my hand. On one hand its cold and hard as steel is, but yet its still soft and bendy....... my wife thinks im nuts when i sit and "fondle" a bit of mail. I even tried giving some to her, but she seemed rather unimpressed.

Imagine a knight, full of arrows, is running at you seemingly uninjured with intent to kill. That’d be truly terrifying.

Dear Lloyd! Actually, wearing chainmail in winter actually helps you staying warm! You just have to remember the layer to wear on TOP of the armour. Thin linen or silk or cotton will do. but a more sturdy garment works best. It turns the mail into a thermostatic layer, (iow, it insulates you) keeping you cozy and warm... I know this from experience. We have REAL winters here. Down to minus 25 C at times, not just barely touching zero, and wearing chain mail helped keep me suffering from hypothermia quite a lot.

Oh yeah, and it stops you from dying! Almost forgot that one :P

So, extra weight, good heatsink, no movement obstruction plus you look cool. That would be great for working out.

14 years later, this pops up on my feed. KZfaq forgot I watched it when it came out. Nice to see it holds up to this day.

In Braveheart, there is one shot in which the King of England raises his arm and you can see that even the King has exposed armpits.

Ok so....I've watched many of your videos and I can safely say you are now my favorite history teacher

Mithril is a fantasy metal which supposedly is very light and strong. The mail armour Frodo wears on The Lord of the Rings is described as saving him from a thrown spear in a fight, which is perfectly possible. In the Jackson film, however, we see a tree-trunk sized spear rammed into him by a gigantic monster, and he would have been killed anyway by the sheer impact.

One important point to making (chain) mail easier on your shoulders: wear a belt, bunch up the mail slightly, and your hips will carry a lot of the weight. Which is what they're good at. I do find the weight and movement of mail on the arms gets in the way of fighting, but with real weapons the difference was probably small enough compared to the weapon's weight that it didn't matter. A poorly constructed armpit would definitely get in the way of high swings and blocks.

@paperboard1 People did not layer armour much, except to add padding to hard materials. If stronger armour were wanted, they wore one thicker layer rather than two thinner ones that would take twice as long to put on.

Actually, those who insist on calling it "maille" should pronounce it like \mɑj\, not "mail". The word "maille" designates an element of a treillis, net, lattice or knitted fabric.

It stops you from dying:D

@seoden It protects you against mail that has heated in the sun, which could scorch the skin.

I used to make chain mail. Mine were just rings plied together. I see examples of them being riveted together. It seems the way to go but, my god, how much time!

Pincushion Crusader is gonna be my new 2003 Xbox gamer tag.

@Franklolful See the mail section of my website.

Some armour had plates with holes around the edge for attaching to mail. the mail would be in between the plates, not behind /under them. With gothic field plate, the knight would have mail patches sewn to his padded leather suit worn under the armour, where the gaps in the plate were.

As a martial artist living in New England, who actually loves to fight in the dead of winter, I can assure you that wearing chainmaille in the winter is not a problem. Because of all that padding, it actually very effectively keeps you warm, despite the fact that you are wearing a hauberk. Also, a surcoat is invaluable during the winter - it helps to keep you warm and makes you look spiffy too! Also, an interesting side effect of a good suit of chainmaille is, its known to attract the lasses!

@seoden How did thick layers of wool keep them cool? By wicking away moisture? By keeping out the heat? That would work if they stayed still, but once they started running around I think the insulation would act against them.

"I think ive said enough for one video" well times change :D

The thing I love about these videos is that the only way you can tell what era it’s from is by the camera quality. A video from 5 years ago looks almost the same as a new video. It’s quality

My website has the details. The URL is in the description for this video.

JnnyUtah35 said ""Go to my website, you'll find advice on how to make chain mail armpits" - I don't know why I had to repeat that... I think that's just a sentence I never would have thought possible in the history of the English language" And I wanted to like that post, but I can't because google+ SUCKS ARSE.

Depends on the context. In wargame rules, it could just refer to the amount worn, so "heavy" might mean covering the legs and with full length sleeves. Mail does vary in wire thickness quite a lot, and there are denser patterns of mail, such as six-in-one rather than the usual four-in-one. "Double mail" is sometimes used to describe mail with wire so thick that it overlaps a lot more. Such mails were rare and often very late - double mail was a response to firearms that was not successful.

Possibly the reference is to the total thickness of mail plus the padding worn with it.

Seeing this makes the point of how ancient craftsmen were a lot more knowledgeable then we give them the credit for. These were people who put a lot of thought into their work regarding it's usefulness in combat including it's functionability and comfort to the wearer. We often don't think about it in our modern times that they would have made things functionable.

A Brit who says, "different from"! You *are* a rare bird. I truly enjoy your eclecticism.

Mainly dinner parties, gymkhanas, knitting circles, that sort of thing.

Good. The world needs armour at a time like this.

No they did not have holes under the arms. For some reason, people making mail get scared by the complexity of the armpits. I didn't find it tricky when I tried. I have a page on my website about the armpits on mail shirts.

@TOMHYLE88 Yes, thick padding is stiffer than chainmail. The stab vests are super-dense cloth.

I love that even the old videos teach me so much!

I read archaeology at uni. While there, I was also part of a re-enactment group, but the academic course was not in re-enactment.

@TheTheValer You mean, the address that is at the end of all the videos and in all the video descriptions?

I have seen reconstructions of late hauberks done this way, but I don't know what the evidence for this is. It is always difficult/dangerous to say "They never did it this way" because unless one knows EVERYTHING, one may have missed an example. Having buckles up the back means that you need someone to do it up for you, so it is easier and harder.

I've been watching you're videos for a couple of hours now. You're hilarious. "It stops you from dying." I love you :P

The heat sink effect is not so noticeable if the mail is in direct sun. My mail is tailored with many expansions and contractions (see my website). The rings are 6mm internal diameter and about 9mm external, so that makes the wire about 1.5mm thick.

Possible, but it isn't the ideal, nor what they did. Metal armour was layered with padding, not with other metal armour. Mail was used to cover gaps like the armpits on suits of plate, but it was patches of mail on a padded leather suit. If they wanted more protection from p[late, they'd just make the plate stronger. Putting mail under plate would be noisy and cumbersome.

@Bankstercide Welding was done by heating things up in a forge. How could they do this with mail? Today we have spot-welding tools using electricity and high-pressure flammable gas.

It's symmetrical, it's just that it's noncommutative symmetry,.

@frost2021 Generally no. There is a misconception that this happened because people see mail in the armpits and such like gaps in the plate. Actually, though, those bits of mail were patches attached to a padded suit worn under the plate. Some small plates for things like knees and shoulders were added over mail for a while as knights gradually made the transition from ail to plate. Mail under plate is very inefficient. Better just to have thicker plate.

There's something nice and awfully nostalgic about videos like these

it is super awesome how passionate you are about this stuff

You got mail

@CantStopTheMadness1 Riveted mail is a LOT more expensive, though. Aluminium mail is made for lightness (for actors etc.), so avoid that. If the ends of the wire rings come to a chisel-like point, because they've been clipped with wire cutters, avoid. Fancy modern coatings on the wire - avoid. If you cannot lift the entire shirt by one ring without that ring's bending - avoid. Rings that are large are best avoided (say, above 12mm internal diam).

I came to this channel looking for Medieval content, but I found an incredible performer! Great job Beige!

The wording in your videos is amazing, can't help but crack up at some of your responses to things.

I'd guess that plate is better at transferring force from one part to another, and better at getting blows to skid off.

Thanks, your site has most of what I'm looking for to start on my mail making journey

You would never wear it next to your skin in hot sunny weather. Yes - the crusaders wore tabbards over the mail to keep the sun off.

This guy is so wholesome. Is legitimately into this kind of stuff

The tomb, I believe, though commonly referred to as his, is merely assumed to be his from the fact that its date is about right and it is very rich. Yes - Phil the Second, Alex's dad.

I just found your channel and I just wanted to mention you are incredibly hilarious! Very good information about medieval stuffs and I cant wait to watch more of your videos.

Ancient & medieval armour making -> Mail -> Garment patterns -> Armpits

Plate armour, when made out of better steel, was thinner. They tried hard to save weight.

Ah, how refreshing to see a video from you! It's been a while. Chainmail is wonderful stuff, isn't it? I hear they still use modern versions of it today.

@Unguidedone Yes, mithril and adamantium also come recommended.

theres this movie i think the last crusader? and he gets Beaten by many swordmen while on the ground. but his armor and padding keeps him nearly unharmed

A man on the Armour Archive reported that, when he was at SCA Gulf Wars in the USA, he got a bit shivery when a cross breeze hit him. He was wearing a byrnie with a horsehair padded linen gambeson underneath. It was 90'F & 85% humidity. He was rather please at the effect. My personal favorite bit of armour is my 3 layer linen gambeson. It's so awesome for wearing while in armour in the heat of a Nevada summer.

10+ years of my man on KZfaq. My only wish is that I found him earlier, because the content has been ace since the start.

Almost a million subs ! Great work Lloyd !

Dude I once met once carried chainmail under his regular clothing when he went to a mock-protest to train riotpolice. Boy were the riotpolice surprised that their batons did nothing against him. (Didn't work against tackles).

Your website is absolutely brilliant! Thanks to you I now have got the hang of contractions in mail. Thats a most impressive byrnie you made. It fits very well!

I believe I can add slightly to the heat sink point. I have worn chain mail while working at a forge (all windows and doors open in the dead of winter because it gets so stinking hot in there) and just walking around in snow. Mail has a very extensive surface area which loses heat very rapidly. Because of this, yes, exposed mail in the winter can suck all the body heat out of you and kill you, and even a small exposed edge can feel as cold as suddenly grabbing an iron bar that was left out in the snow. However, as long as it is well covered, mail doesn't have this problem. Wearing a winter coat with mail underneath really isn't any different from wearing a winter coat without armor, except of course now you're more resistant to damage. You just need to prevent the cold air from reaching the mail, particularly wind. The same is true of heat: strong heat sources (even the sun in warmer climates) can be devastating on exposed mail, which can get as hot as sand at the beach that burns your toes. But if the mail is covered, the heat doesn't get through, and the mail doesn't heat up until you do. To top this off, even the slightest breeze cools the mail incredibly fast (remember, you were trying to prevent wind in the mail in winter), which allows a unique feature. Simply grabbing the end of your coat and fanning it cools a huge part of your mail, achieving in seconds what an air conditioner might take minutes to replicate. I found when I was working the forge, I hugely preferred to wear my winter coat all through the session, with mail underneath, over wearing a T-shirt. Exposed skin felt like it was baking when I approached the forge, which the insulated coat prevented, and when I took a breather to cool off while the metal heated up, the mail made these breaks more effective in less time. This is a huge weather advantage over plate which basically amplifies both heat and cold conditions and can't be covered by normal clothing that is maybe a size or two larger than normal.

@lordmat666 I reckon mine too 250 hours (small rings). When I finished I didn't know what to do with my hands when the telly was on.

You are now easily my favorite subscription on KZfaq, sir. :) Brilliant information.

Mails is the new black.

I do have riveted mail, but the shirt I wear in this video is not.

One really significant advantage that should be mentioned is that once you have the wire, chainmail can easily be be made and repaired by unskilled workers. So even though it's rather time-consuming to make, that can more than be made up for by having everyone in the village on the job assembling sections of mail while a couple of blacksmiths work on cranking out the wire. Still another big advantage is that since mail has some give, you don't have to custom fit it to each individual like you do with plate armor. So, bottom line is that you can equip every last soldier with the stuff as long as you have the ability to smelt ore.

@Thunderblade117 I suspect you mean "butted" which just means bending the ends until they meet, so riveted is stronger.

dude...you're awesome

you're awseome! I wish my history teacher had been like you! And I love your humor and insights on all those chainmail misconceptions everyone has :)

4 in 1 was enormously more common, and most of the 6 in 1 stuff I've seen has been fancy for the sake of it. It is less flexible, harder to make, and heavier. You can make mail more protective simply by making the wire thicker.

Early plate armor was worn over maille. The Churburg armor is probably the best example of this. Eventually, maille was reduced to just being sewn into the joints of padding (the armpit and elbow) to protect places that plate armor couldn't.

@zachsbanks "European pattern" standard 4 in 1. See my website for all the details of expansions and contractions etc.

I've found that if you don't go with the two L's and the E, people often confuse it with chain letters. Its also useful for search indexing. Try googleing for mail vs maille, and see what you come up with. I really don't have any preference as to which is more 'proper', but having gone by both chainmailkid and chainmaillekid for more than 10 years, I can distinctively say maille communicates much more clearly.

Something I noticed whilst using your site's guide to making chainmail: You suggest using a pair of sidecutters or a hacksaw, but I have found a way to quickly amass a large amount of rings. Take a 1.5 cm or 1 cm diameter wooden rod and wrap the wire around it as many times as you can, exactly like a spring. Then, grip the dowel-with-wire in a vice and take an angle grinder down the length of it. Once you have taking the grinder to the end, simply run your hand down the rod (after it has cooled down of course) to harvest the rings.

@MrTrykster The weight distribution would be better with a byrnie (T-shirt), and the shoulders would be protected, including from downward blows skidding off the helmet. A mail tank top would still be better than nothing, though.

I think we can all agree that chainmail is some pretty good stuff.

Yes, so the arms on most hauberks hang open and heavy, and do not hug the arms the way the torso is hugged.

@IcEye89 I don't store mine on display. I just keep it in a bag. Yes, hair can get caught, but I just put up with it.

I guess the finer chain-mail would be good for removing body hair. Possibly more painful than arrows.

Like mine? A lot, but there are companies (like Get Dressed For Battle) that keep a whole village in India employed making lower quality mail at amazingly low prices.

As a curtain hanging down from the back of your helmet, protecting your neck and lower back of head.

Recommended 11 years later, nice

i have a jar of staples. its almost like metal slime. it's pretty cool.

oh, and it stops you dieing. brilliance.

"It stops you from dying" I want some chainmaille : )

Some revisionist points about this for all yall. Keep in mind that this is butted, round right chainmail. The chainmail worn by knights and vikings and warriors and such was largely flat-ringed, riveted mail. In scotland and ireland it appears that the rings were round,but they were still riveted and as such the rings have restricted movement. While I don't agree that vikings fought with straight arms, I own such a long-armed riveted mail hauberk, and the stuff is actually quite rigid and it catches easily on itself, it does restrict movement to a degree. Taking high-armed sword swings becomes quite difficult with the weight of the armor and its rigidity. Museum pieces are also not an accurate representation of weight, their rings have worn down considerably (the armor is compromised and unwearable), the mail itself is of abnormally high quality, and it is all of a rather recent make, not of the quality of early medieval chainmail; which generally explains why it has lasted so long.

I wore full length 12 weave chain mail at a role playing event (basically 6 weave but double ringed, proper re-enactment armour), everyone avoided it and warned me off but it was actually very comfortable. Definitely making one when I have the rings for it.