The mail-maker's technique

Extract

Mail has been used since very early times and it is therefore surprising that so little is known about the methods and tools used for its construction. As it appeared unlikely that original tools or further information would come to light, recent research has been carried out on new lines. It was hoped that the methods found to be the most practical would produce mail similar in appearance to the medieval riveted mail. These methods would have to be accessible to armourers of the past and as far as possible be methods still in use in the present day, for basic techniques seldom die out. Many of these techniques are so fundamental that it is doubtful if they have changed much in the last 2,000 years. Because so much mail was produced the method would have to be a fast one allowing for division of labour within the workshop. The most skilled task, which is the final linking, would have to be done by the master craftsman, who could be kept supplied with the necessary rings and rivets. The early stages in the production of mail—the simple, laborious tasks—would be left to apprentices and assistants. Such a system is often found in a small workshop.