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4 - I N - 1
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More specifically, european 4-in-1. This weave is what most people think of when they think
"chainmail." The weave used for armor in olden days, and purses in the Victorian era.
I like a pretty tight ring size for my 4-in-1 pieces. You may prefer slightly looser sizes, but these
are a good place to start. The ring counts listed here assume that you're making a band five
rows wide (as shown).
| size |
rings/inch |
inches/ozt |
| 6:21 |
55 |
13.8 |
| 7:20 |
45 |
11.3 |
| 8:19 |
38 |
9.4 |
| 9:18 |
33 |
7.5 |
| 10:17 |
31 |
5.5 |
| 11:16 |
28 |
4.25 |
| 13:15 |
23 |
3.7 |
| 14:14 |
21 |
2.9 |
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6 - I N - 1
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A sleek weave that's nice and dense, very good for bracelets.
| size |
rings/inch |
inches/ozt |
| 8:21 |
67 |
8.9 |
| 9:20 |
58 |
7 |
| 11:19 |
45 |
5.9 |
| 12:18 |
42 |
4.7 |
| 14:17 |
35 |
3.7 |
| 16:16 |
30 |
3 |
| 18:15 |
27 |
2.3 |
| 20:14 |
25 |
1.8 |
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B I R D C A G E
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Also known as byzantine, this is one of the first jewelry weaves that most maillers learn.
My favorite ring sizes for birdcage are quite tight - large wire gauge when compared to the
mandrel size. Ring sizes that do well for birdcage will also make a nicely snug european 4-in-1.
From left to right: 6:21, 8:19, 9:18, 10:17, 11:16 and 14:14.
Not pictured: 7:20 and 13:15 also work very nicely.
All the sizes pictured make a lovely, tight birdcage weave. However, 6:21 and 11:16 are the two that I
end up using all the time. 6:21 is dainty enough for the smallest wrist, yet is plenty strong for
everyday wear. 11:16 is seriously hefty, and has a perfect weave density.
| size |
rings/inch |
inches/ozt |
| 6:21 |
38 |
20 |
| 7:20 |
30 |
16.9 |
| 8:19 |
28 |
12.75 |
| 9:18 |
24 |
10.3 |
| 10:17 |
21 |
8.2 |
| 11:16 |
20 |
5.95 |
| 13:15 |
18 |
4.7 |
| 14:14 |
16 |
3.8 |
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B O X
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Closely related to birdcage, this weave is especially suited to necklaces.
| size |
rings/inch |
inches/ozt |
| 8:21 |
36 |
16.5 |
| 9:20 |
32 |
12.7 |
| 11:19 |
26 |
10.2 |
| 12:18 |
23 |
8.6 |
| 14:17 |
20 |
6.5 |
| 16:16 |
17 |
5.3 |
| 18:15 |
15 |
4.2 |
| 20:14 |
14 |
3.3 |
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C E L T I C V I S I O N S
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I'll figure out some more good ring combinations eventually, but for now I can say that 19:14 and 13:16
work very nicely!
And the ring counts for that combination work out to...
10 of size 13:16 in an inch
6 of size 19:14 in an inch
which means that one ounce of each size will give you...
size 13:16 - enough for 10+ inches
size 19:14 - enough for 8 inches
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D R A G O N S C A L E
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Definitely a fun weave! It takes two sizes of rings and is what I consider to be an "advanced" weave.
If you're not familiar with dragonscale, I recommend
Frank Hiemstra's tutorial or my
second DVD.
| sizes |
|
rings/inch |
| 8:20 & 12:20 |
|
37 of each size |
| 9:19 & 13:19 |
|
35 of each size |
| 10:18 & 15:18 |
|
30 of each size |
| 11:17 & 17:17 |
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28 of each size |
| 12:16 & 19:16 |
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26 of each size |
| 14:15 & 21:15 |
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22 of each size |
| 16:14 & 24:14 |
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20 of each size |
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F U L L P E R S I A N
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One of the very best round weaves. My favorite full persian size in the whole world is 12:19. It's just perfect. 18:16 is my favorite
for large scale persian. On the right you can see a length of chain made with all the recommended
sizes.
| size |
rings/inch |
| 10:21 |
28 |
| 11:20 |
26 |
| 12:19 |
24 |
| 14:18 |
20 |
| 15:17 |
19 |
| 18:16 |
16 |
| 20:15 |
14 |
| 22:14 |
13 |
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H A L F P E R S I A N
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Favorite sizes ever: 11:19, 15:16, and 19:14.
| size |
rings/inch |
| 11:19 |
18 |
| 15:16 |
13 |
| 19:14 |
11 |
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J A P A N E S E
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This weave is one of my personal favorites because it's so structural. You can do wonderful things with
angles and curves. I almost always make a fully doubled japanese 6-in-1, also called japanese 12-in-2.
| sizes |
small rings
per inch |
large rings
per inch |
| 6:21 & 10:19 |
56 |
25 |
| 7:20 & 11:18 |
50 |
21 |
| 8:19 & 12:17 |
44 |
19 |
| 9:18 & 14:16 |
40 |
17 |
| 10:17 & 15:15 |
42 |
16 |
| 11:16 & 17:14 |
33 |
14 |
It is worth noting that there are actually two ring combinations that will work well
for a 16/18ga japanese. The 9:18 & 14:16 combination (which I usually recommend)
is a little bit cleaner looking, but a tad on the loose side. The other combination
uses 9:18 & 13:16 rings - just a smidge tighter. The small rings get a little bit
squashed (which is why I don't usually recommend it) but the overall weave is stiffer.
So if you need a 16/18ga japanese piece to hold its shape and make very crisp angles,
you'll be better off with the 13:16 rings.
 |
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| 9:18 & 14:16 |
9:18 & 13:16 |
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J E N S P I N D
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An extremely cool spiral chain. The rings are so tight that it locks the spiral in place. Very
important to get the right ring size for this weave! Too loose and it doesn't lock, too tight and
it's impossible to make.
Sizes 6:20, 10:16, and 12:14 are fantastic. Sizes 8:18 and 9:17 work well
enough once the whole chain is made, but newly added rings have enough room that they try to hop
over to the wrong place. Sizes 7:19 and 11:15 are in between - not quite as snug as the "fantastic"
sizes, but not as frustrating as the others.
I will be experimenting with millimeter mandrels to find "fantastic" ring sizes for all wire
gauges.
Update! Instead of 8:18, use 3M18. It's a bit tighter and makes a REALLY nice 18ga jens pind.
| size |
rings/inch |
| 6:20 |
22 |
| 7:19 |
|
| 8:18 |
use 3M18 instead! |
| 9:17 |
15 |
| 10:16 |
13 |
| 11:15 |
|
| 12:14 |
11 |
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P A R A L L E L
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Also known as helm's chain or helm weave. It's closely related to dragonscale - if you make the first row
of dragonscale very long (wide) and you double the small rings, then you end up with parallel.
Please note that I originally recommended 13:15 and 20:15 for a 15ga parallel chain. I've changed that recommendation to 13:15 and 21:15
because the other combination was just a bit too snug.
| sizes |
small rings
per inch |
large rings
per inch |
| 9:18 & 15:18 |
5.5 |
8.5 |
| 11:16 & 18:16 |
4.75 |
6.75 |
| 13:15 & 21:15 |
4.5 |
6 |
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S N A K E
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Also known as roundmaille, hexagon, and star. Size 7:21 works beautifully, though it's not in the sample photo.
| size |
rings/inch |
| 7:21 |
57 |
| 8:20 |
|
| 9:19 |
45 |
| 10:18 |
|
| 11:17 |
36 |
| 13:16 |
30 |
| 14:15 |
27 |
| 16:14 |
24 |
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T R Y Z A N T I N E
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I was never happy with this weave, until I went a little crazy and found a combination of
three sizes to use. I now love the weave. I've only found sizes for 18ga, but
I'll experiment to find other good combinations as I have the time. Below on the left is a "map"
to show you which size goes where.
Ring counts are a bit interesting for this one. Here are a couple ways to look at it:
1) 64 rings will give you four units of the weave. Four units of the weave is three inches long.
So with 32 rings of size 12:18, and 16 rings each of sizes 13:18 and 14:18 you can make 3 inches of
the weave as pictured.
2) I normally try to round to the nearest ring for my rings/inch counts, but that isn't appropriate here.
So the ugly fractional ring counts are...
| size |
rings
per inch |
| 12:18 |
10.66 |
| 13:18 |
5.33 |
| 14:18 |
5.33 |
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