Minifig Sized Authentic Chainmail

[Seikfreid]

I created this almost two years ago, but I just realized I never posted a thread on it. This is legitimate metal 4-in-1 chainmail, made using the thinnest copper wire I could find and stripping off the insulation. Then I wound it around a larger insulated wire and cut the rings from the coil it produced using very small, delicate wire cutters and pliers.

If you know anything about making mail, you know that you close 4 rings and hook them onto one open ring, which you then close. This is called a fiver. You then attach fivers together using open rings. The process takes time using full-size rings, but I found that trying to attach chains of fivers together was very, very time-consuming.

Anyways, with a little trial and error, I managed to make a mail shirt and barding. It took me about five days to complete, with several focused hours each day. I know it doesn't look that tough, but those rings are the smallest I could make them so that I could physically fit fivers together. So here it is:

[Frank_Lloyd_Knight]

Awesome! It looks like it must have taken forever. I think it looks especially effective on the horse.

[Kosh]

Awesome job, very nice.
I've looked at a couple sites in the past so believe that I have an idea of work that goes into chainmail, once again nice job.

[OverLoad]

Very nice. It looks really good on the horse as barding. It's amazing, but I think it looks a little odd on a mini-figure.

I'll have to try to make horse barding with copper wires and of course, giving credit where credit is due.

[Fingolfin]

Great job. i think this is the first time ive heard of metal being used with lego. very original.
what guage wire did you use? i know you can buy 24 guage galvinized steel wire, which seems a bit smaller and might be easier to hook together. i ll have to try it, but of course credit goes to you

[Seikfreid]

Thanks all, I also think it looks much better on the horse. What I found was that if you just place it over another barding, it holds its shape much better than without it. For anyone that's interested, I'll post an overhead shot of the barding off the horse in the next few days so you can see the pattern for it.

what guage wire did you use? i know you can buy 24 guage galvinized steel wire, which seems a bit smaller and might be easier to hook together.

I'm not entirely sure, it was just some scrap wire I found lying around, but I was able to use a 24 gauge wire stripper on it, so I think that may mean it's a little smaller than 24 gauge wire. Wire always tends to look larger when it is wound into small rings, though.

[Rogue Shadow]

That is an amazing work of art! It really looks like it should come in Lego sets as horse armor. Very well done!

[Seikfreid]

Thanks.

Here's the overhead shot of the horse armor/barding.

[Lord Mikal]

You. Are. In. Sane. This is an amazingly tedious proposition! I agree that it looks better on the horse than it does on the minifig, maybe some day when I have 75 hours to spare I'll make myself a set. Thank you so much for posting this, we now know that it's possible!

[Seikfreid]

You. Are. In. Sane. This is an amazingly tedious proposition! I agree that it looks better on the horse than it does on the minifig, maybe some day when I have 75 hours to spare I'll make myself a set. Thank you so much for posting this, we now know that it's possible!

Thank you so much!

[SevFalcon]

That is a thing of beauty. I commend you for the effort and just the time alone you put into this. Great work!

[legokilt]

That is great. I know how hard it is to make human sized armor, but I can't imagine the patience you had to do this.

[eilonwy77]

Not only does it look awesome, it's really beautiful, too. I'm very impressed.

[Tower of Iron Will]

Not only does it look awesome, it's really beautiful, too. I'm very impressed.

I agree. I also think that the barding on the horse looks better than the minifig. Perhaps if the minifig-sized chain was painted in black or gold maybe that would improve the effect. Anyhow this has to be one of the best customs I've seen all year.
-Tower

[theboywarrior]

When I saw this, I had to comment! this is beautiful stuff, I wish I had the patience and the material to do that, my custom elf minifig would look awesome in it great job!