where to get chain mail? or how to make it?

[Roccotari Eldandil]

I'm planning to dress up as Éowyn(aka Dernhelm) for Halloween/RotK premiere and I'm looking for a chain mail top. Anybody know where you can get one (cheap)? Or, do you have any suggestions on how to make one for about $20 (american)? I know that in the movie they had 1000's of plastic rings strung together; I was planning on using metal ones so I wouldn't have to glue them shut. But I'm more than willing to listen to any ideas you might have.<BR>By the way, while we're on costuming, what type of shirts/pants/boots do the Rohirrim horsemen wear?

[Gorwingel]

I think this topic belongs more in Mirth or the Newcomers catagory, but anyway I will give you all the advice I can give.<P>I am actually planning to dress as Eowyn too, but I am planning to make the white dress. I have a muslin prototype, but I have yet to get white wool or many of the other things that I need to make it.<P>This website is the best website I know about on the web for LOTR costume related things (it is where I get most of my information)...<BR><A HREF="http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/" TARGET=_blank>LOTR Costume Page</A><BR>I know that it has a page about chain maile with links to manufactures and things like that. Hope it helps and Good Luck!

[Annalaliath]

My boy freind makes the stuff. But I think if you did a serch on how to make the mail and such you could make something. Try <A HREF="http://www.dogpile.com" TARGET=_blank>dogpile</A>to serch for it they are a good serch engine. but finding sheap chian mail is hard. You see for a shirt you are talking about a lot of man hours. But good luck. Greg has been working on his shirt for about three semesters now.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

One friend of mine made a shirt of metal rings but when it was ready it was so heavy (10 kilos) that he couldn't use it very well.<BR>But good luck and all the best with the chain mail.

[Annalaliath]

<A HREF="http://www.chainmailconnection.com/construction.html" TARGET=_blank>here is a link to a chin mail site.</A><P><A HREF="http://www.pegasusvalley.com/" TARGET=_blank>and just a little Amtgard page just for fun.( off topic I know.)</A><P><A HREF="http://realbeer.com/jjpalmer/HowtoChain.html" TARGET=_blank>anothe page ofn Mail</A><P><A HREF="http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~deis/ChainMail.pdf" TARGET=_blank>here is another one</A><P><BR><A HREF="http://www.frii.com/~katana/makemail.html" TARGET=_blank>and another one</A><P><BR><A HREF="http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/search/web/Chain%252Bmail%252BHow%252Bto%252Bmake" TARGET=_blank>and my dogpile results.......</A><P>These are some links use them well.<P>[ September 06, 2003: Message edited by: Annalaliath ]<p>[ September 06, 2003: Message edited by: Annalaliath ]

[Roccotari Eldandil]

thanks so much everybody! I got some great ideas and my dad and I are going to look for rings soon! THANK YOU!!!

[Annalaliath]

You can make the rings. just look at the sites I put down.

[Knight of Gondor]

What, everyone want to become a Lord of chain mail rings? <P>I'd enjoy finding some good mail to wear for a costume, but Mithril just isn't to be had in Earth these days! They sell some mail at armsofvalour.com, but the links look too small, and the price is too big.<P>I'd rather go for the Ranger look anyway, and they didn't wear mail!

[Brinniel]

Also, depending on where you live, you may have some luck on finding chain mail locally.<P>I live in a small city, yet I have seen chain mail for rent at my local costume shop and also sold at a medieval shop (medieval shops are the best places to go to find chain mail if you live near one). <P>Of course, making your own chain mail would be cheapest, if you have the time to make it.

[One Axe to Rule them All]

Ooooh chainmail.....<P>This will be fun...<P>You people have given me something to do in my spare time, thank you!<P>Oh wait, what spare time?

[Pookabunny]

Dude I'm doin' the same thing for the ROTK premier!! I'm making two sleeves of chainmail and I've already got one of the sleeves done. I'm still workin' on the second one.<P>I'm making chainmail from soda-can tabs. I used the metal from the cans themselves when I made my Ringwraith costume.<P>And y'all, thanks for those links! They'll come in handy.<P>Yes, I am a woman. Tomboy to be precise

[Knight of Gondor]

An inovative tomboy, that's for sure! Pop cans? Wow! I ought to try that out. Here's the rub...I don't think soft drinks. So I might be hard-pressed to find rings. But which method to you use to weave the links?

[Roccotari Eldandil]

Went shopping yesterday (after my 2nd post). The shirt @ the local costume shop was too expensive and had too much space between the rings. So, after much searching, I bought galvanized, 16-gauge wire and a 3/8" dowel so I could make my own. Much cheaper than buying pre-made rings. Only I don't know if I can make a whole vest/shirt by Halloween. My teachers have decided that I should have four hours of homework each night. Grr! Maybe I'll bring the work in progress to study hall...get some funny looks but at least I can work on it!<BR>Knight of Gondor-he he he. Lord of chain mail rings. I like that.<P>Anyone have ideas for shirts, pants, or boots? <BR>Again, thanks for all the links! (no pun intended...)<p>[ September 07, 2003: Message edited by: Roccotari Eldandil ]

[Pookabunny]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>An inovative tomboy, that's for sure! Pop cans? Wow! I ought to try that out. Here's the rub...I don't think soft drinks. So I might be hard-pressed to find rings. But which method to you use to weave the links?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I hear ya there, I don't drink a lotta canned beverages either. I've been pimpin' my friends and co-workers for the tabs. Every time I go visit people now, they got tabs for me <P>I clip the tops on the top right rung, then bend them, slide the link (the second tab) in, and snap it shut. I tried soldering them together, but my method had to keep changing because of the tabs' irregular size. But man it looks fly. I'll put a link in my siggy as soon as the costume is done and I take piccies. <P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Anyone have ideas for shirts, pants, or boots? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>What are ya tryin' to do in terms of cloth/style? I saw a ****SPOILER**** <A HREF="http://img-nex.theonering.net/images/scrapbook/orig/7912_orig" TARGET=_blank>Eowyn/Dernhelm</A> ****SPOILER*** ::edit:: (if that link doesn't work, <A HREF="http://www.livejournal.com/community/lordoftherings/1454985.html" TARGET=_blank>try this one</A>)sneak peek pic and it was what I had in mind for the costume. However, the costume has leather and I don't wanna go out and buy leather, so what I'm gonna do is take material and layer it against thin padding, then sew it together and spraypaint it so it gets tough. The padding underneath will enable me to get all intricate prints into the fabric and the spraypainting will get it all stiff so it looks like leather.<P>I can't wait to see the end product!!!<P>Awe yea, if anyone wants to check out my first LOTR costume, <A HREF="http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=viewall&albumID=89541675" TARGET=_blank>Here's a link to my Ringwraith Costume</A>. That's the one in which I used the soda cans to make the armor (gauntlets and boots). RAH! Costumes ROCK.<P>[ September 07, 2003: Message edited by: Pookabunny ]<p>[ September 08, 2003: Message edited by: Pookabunny ]

[Annalaliath]

For shirts boos and pants.<P><A HREF="http://amtgard.com:8080/links.html" TARGET=_blank>amtgard links</A><P><A HREF="http://www21.brinkster.com/annascrafts/" TARGET=_blank>another link</A><P><A HREF="http://www.renfaire.com/Costume/" TARGET=_blank>just some Ren fair stuff</A><P><A HREF="http://www.renfaire.com/Costume/patterns.html" TARGET=_blank>and more</A><P><A HREF="http://www.renfaire.com/Costume/boots.html" TARGET=_blank>And even more</A><P><A HREF="http://www.renaissancemagazine.com/links.html" TARGET=_blank>and yet another one</A><P><A HREF="http://www.threadsoftime.com/" TARGET=_blank>links links every where...</A><P><BR>I will leave you to it. I just provided you with as many links as I could stand for one night. I know some of them are far feched and I hope that other are okay. Some more are comming soon.<P>Namarie until our next meeting,<P>Annalaliath

[elfearz1]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>One friend of mine made a shirt of metal rings...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>My friend made a "shirt of metal rings" using safety pins. It was easy and light. It looked really good too.

[Roccotari Eldandil]

Thanks for the links! <BR>I think I might have to end up going as "Random Rohirric Soldier." Éowyn's costume looked a bit complicated. Or I could just feign innocence and say that, since I "haven't seen any spoilers", I didn't know what to dress like. Or I could just be my <I>own</I> version of Éowyn. Yeah, that'll work. <P>I was planning on making: <BR>long sleeve white shirt (to go under mail)<BR>chain-mail vest (sleeves if I have time) <BR>stiffened leather "sleeves"(like on Legolas in a couple of posters)<BR>a leather or cloth overvest <BR>vambraces <BR>pants (probably dark brown fabric that looks vaguely old-timeish)<BR>my black horseback riding boots(they come up to mid-shin and I was going to wrap up to my knee with black leather, or wear plate armor around my shins) <BR>sword (wood so I can have it in the theater)<BR>spear<P>by the way, my chain mail is going excellent. I've almost finished a 9"x10" section and it looks GORGEOUS!!! Woohoo!<P>Thank you again so much!!!

[Annalaliath]

have fun I plan on wearing my Annalaliath outfit... again. Maybe i can figure something out by then. <P>Good luck!

[Roccotari Eldandil]

dredging this up from pages back...<BR>I've got a shoulder&side piece now, another shoulder piece and I'm working on the 2nd side. And chainmaille fever is spreading--I've been bringing it to school to work on it (every spare minute counts!) , and people really like it. I've given out a few web addresses.<BR>This is going to be so awesome. I might even get the front finished for Halloween. (except for this thing is turning out to be freaking HEAVY!!! Running around at 5000 ft in 25 pounds of maille should be "interesting.")<P>P.S. bladeturner.com and chainmailman.com are wonderful maille/armor sites!<P>again, I repeat my plea--what are the costumes like in terms of shirts/pants/boots? (I don't have the movie!)

[Knight of Gondor]

I am TRYING to find that good picture of Dernhelm that was on TheOneRing.net's scrapbook...oh well, you'll have to look for yourself! But there are newer ones there.

[ArathorofBarahir]

There is a website that sells costumes, swors and armor, its called ArmsofValor, and the website is <A HREF="http://www.armsofvalor.com," TARGET=_blank>www.armsofvalor.com,</A> however it isn't cheap. A butted chain mail shirt costs 250 dollars.