Learning the basics of how to make your own chainmail is one of those skills that can have far-reaching applications in your crafts. This week's flashback comes from way back in 2006, from the pages of our very first issue of CRAFT magazine. Annalee Newitz provides you with the know-how you need to get started with chainmail. And for you collectors out there, you can still pick up an issue of this classic over in the Maker Shed.

Battle Chic
Craft a wardrobe of medieval armor with DIY chainmail.
By Annalee Newitz

Henrik Olsgaard, aka Henrik of Havn, has been proclaimed King of the West six times. Obviously the guy is deft with a sword — you don't get to be King in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) without winning several bouts in the annual Crown Tournament. But his triumph is also testimony to his skill at making chainmail. Henrik has been fashioning chainmail of every description for the past four decades — from beautiful, sterling silver belts to a 50-pound battle hauberk (a knee-length shirt).

And now, I'm going to teach you what he taught me: how to make your own chainmail. With just a few basic patterns, you'll have all the knowledge you need to fashion a helmet, shirt, belt, coin purse, and even a full hauberk.

This week I'll show you some more metalworking techniques including files, rotary abrasives, and how to make a ball-head rivet with a butane torch. You can get all kinds of jewelry supplies online (Rio Grande) is a good resource, or ask around for local shops. If you're interested in learning more about metalsmithing, ask at your local university or community college to see if they have classes; it's a very hands-on process and it helps to have in-person help! The tools I used in the video:

• slotted mandrel for emery paper
• wet/dry sandpaper
• detail abrasive brush (Dremel gave me some to try)
• abrasive wheels
• micro/needle files
• butane torch
• cross-locking tweezers

Don't forget to watch my previous metalworking video for more techniques!

Yesterday while I was at the Whiskerino, I took some time to shop around the Petaluma Farmer's Market. There were some great craft vendors alongside the fresh produce and foods. I scored two wonderful pieces, a keychain and a ring that embody crafty recycling and the beauty of vintage collectables.

Both pieces are wrought from the handle of silver spoon. The keychain pattern is called "Orange Blossom" and was made in 1910. The artist, Norman, even had the original spoon with him. Norman was a true throwback, no URL, not even a business card. While he truly knew each detail on the silver spoons he worked with, all he could tell me about his business was that each piece was made right in town and that he occasionally made appearances at the farmers market. I loved Norman's old-school spoons, and his old-school attitude. Farmer's markets, FTW.

This week on the CRAFT Video learn some basics of fine metalworking. With a few simple tools, you can create neat shapes from copper (or silver or brass) sheet and add some fun texture. I made this copper and silver "triple bypass" get-well card for MAKE Senior Editor Gareth Branwyn, who's recovering from surgery.

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.

Materials and tools:

• jeweler's saw frame with extra blades
• copper sheet
• jeweler's files
• wet-dry sandpaper, 400 grit (hardware store)
• design on standard printer paper
• rubber cement
• copper etchant (ferric chloride or sodium persulfate)
• various sized permanent markers
• acetone or denatured alcohol (hardware store)
• conti crayon and/or colored pencils
• silver wire
• Dremel or other handheld rotary tool
• drill bit
• ball-peen hammer
• scrap wood
• steel surface for hammering
• pliers and wire cutters

Most of these jewelry supplies can be ordered from Rio Grande. Check online to find a local jewelry supply shop, since they're usually really knowledgeable and helpful. If you live around Phoenix, AZ, try Lonnie's.

For more cool metalwork, check out our metalwork archive.

Sean @ MAKE points us to this entire chess set made entirely from chainmail. David Austin writes:

One of the first important decisions I made was what wire size to use. I decided that in order to fully articulate the style of traditional chess pieces I was going to have to use thin wire and small rings. So I decided to use .035" wire. This is about the smallest wire size I felt comfortable using for extended periods of time at the time in which I started this project. For metals, I already knew that I would use stainless steel and bronze. These are the two metals I used for the squares on the chess board. Also, both metals have roughly the same amount of springback, which I knew would be vital in ensuring sculptural consistency.

Christine of adaptivereUse shows how to deconstruct tins that can then be used for a variety of craft purposes. I'm always drawn to the heaps of decorative tins I see in thrift stores, but have been a bit daunted by the idea of grappling the tools and techniques to dismantle them for use. Christine's tutorial demystifies the process!

Instructables user cr8ive1 writes:

This is how I make steel doming punches to shape soft metals (gold, silver, copper, brass) for jewellery making. Doming (or dapping punches as they are often referred to by jewellery makers) punches are expensive for what they are- basically highly polished pieces of curved steel. I have a few commercially made punches and a brass dapping block but I needed larger ones for a project. I couldn't justify the expense knowing they would only see occasional use, so I made my own. For this project I've used an old carriage bolt (domed bolt). As I don't have a lathe to remove large amounts of material a piece of preshaped steel was important to reduce the need for labourious hand work (this project is about saving money not losing time).

Hey jewelry makers, how do you improvise your own tools? Post in the comments.

From the site:

This chandelier has all the charm of medieval ironwork—but it comes from the recycling bin. Used baby-food jars, a few yards of twisted wire, a couple repurposed barrel hoops and a length of rusty chain are all it takes to spark images of exotic locales. Powered by votive candles, the chandelier crackles with energy without drawing a single watt.

These game controller cufflinks in sterling silver will set you back a pretty penny, but they sure are fetching! Via Sprite Stitch.

Gareth @ MAKE writes:

In this tutorial, bladesmith Ben Potter shows how he inlays a Celto-Norse design in non-ferrous metals into a steel blade. You can see one of the tutorials of him making one of his incredible blades and hilt here.

I just finished this piece for my metalworking class, it's a necklace with the ultra-nerdy ASCII method of typing a heart (perfect for online chatting), hollow formed in sterling silver. The <3 necklace is the only kind of bling I'm able to pull off.

To go along with my Vicodin earrings, I made this Vicodin ring from sterling silver. I sanded one side of the pill flat (while wearing a dusk mask, of course!), and bezel set it.

Gareth @ MAKE found this neat little how-to on Instructables for making this vicious little wire scorpion. Rawr!

A fellow graduate student at Arizona State, Victoria Altepeter, is having her MFA show right now in Tempe, AZ. She makes amazing celestially-influenced works in metals, and her show just blew my mind. It's up all week in the Harry Wood Gallery, but if you're not local you can enjoy it through my Flickr set and shop for her work in her Etsy shop.

Dynamical Balance
Works by Victoria Altepeter
Harry Wood Gallery, Arizona State University [map]
March 23 - March 27
Opening reception Monday, March 23rd 7-9pm

I'm taking an introductory metalworking class, and for our first sample project I made this copper Band-Aid. I formed the strip on a hydraulic press (read: car jack in a steel frame) sandwiched between layers of acrylic (bottom) and flexible urethane (top). The pad is textured by running it through a roller against some window screen, then I applied a water-based white patina. The overall texture of the strip is hammered and buffed. It's about seven inches long. I'm excited to learn more about metalworking!

Wire wrapstress and lapidary goddess Dev Khan is busy at work making her signature stunning wire-wrap jewelry. Dev wrote a DIY on her technique back in CRAFT Volume 03, and we check in with her to see what she's up to these days. Dev cuts, grinds, and polishes her own stones in her in-house workshop. She's posted pictures of her workspace on her website, and they give a great window into the world of lapidary arts.

Here are an assortment of stones waiting to be polished:

Dev works the slabs on her Diamond Pacific Genie lapidary machine:

Here are ten slabs Dev got from Leigh Becker of Eidos polished into 36 stones:

The polished stones then move on to Dev's main workbench with tools, lights, gemstone beads, cut stones, and crystals laid out like a palette.

And finally, the finished pieces move to this location for photographing.

Her pieces are truly breathtaking and it's amazing to watch this soulful artisan at work! Learn how to make your own wire-wrap jewelry in CRAFT Volume 03. Here's a sneak peek in our Digital Edition.

Spotted in the CRAFT Flickr pool: user myfriendroze made these sterling silver earrings by casting a mold from tiny bubble wrap. They remind me of octopus tentacle suckers.

Collin @ MAKE points us to Sakura Koshimizu's waveform jewelry which uses audio to create patterns:

Waveform Series is the laser-cut shapes of the waveform of the sound in sound editing software environment. I used some human sound such as yawn, atchoum, giggle, wow, and the sound of church bell.

I am in awe of the work by Lynette Andreasen, a graduate metal arts student at Arizona State University. Embroidery is my favorite craft, and seeing it worked into metal like this leaves me breathless. She shares more of her work on her blog and through Flickr, and one of my other favorite pieces is this platter which includes a piece of her father's old work gloves.

You know steampunk has gone mainstream when it seeps into academic institutions... I recently was given a steampunk assignment in one of my sculpture/metalworking classes, so I modded a vintage Kenmore sewing machine with some spare parts from Phoenix's favorite junk shop, Apache Reclamation. The propellers on the drive wheel and thread spool spin when the machine is running.

This piece as well as many, many others will be on display at First Studio in downtown Phoenix this friday, December 5 as part of a steampunk show put on by Arizona State University.

ASU's evening of Steampunk
Friday, December 5, 6-10pm (part of the First Friday art walk)
First Studio
631 N. 1st Ave. Phoenix

Juggling Frogs has a bunch of great DIY projects, really frugal and creative. Here she makes cookie cutters from clip-art and a foil pan. via Meggiecat

Casper's brother made him this totally sweet bronze sculpture using Styrofoam and a LEGO minifig. Via Brothers Brick

At Maker Faire Austin I got the chance to watch the folks from Austin Metal Authority demonstrate some hot metalworking techniques as well as see all the neat sculptural and functional works they make. There are more photos in my Maker Faire Austin 2008 Flickr set.

Check out this very detailed instructable by user MaggieJs on setting a stone in a ring with a bezel.

This ring is cast from a real octopus tentacle in sterling silver and is available on Etsy. Amazing! Via BoingBoing.

Paul Julius Martus designed this "hand" wrench and cast it out of bronze. It reminds me of a monkey's paw. Via Core77.

PT @ MAKE points us to Wim Delvoye's intricate art made from Corten steel, the same material used in Richard Serra's monolithic sculptures. The site doesn't say, but I'm willing to bet some kind of laser or plasma cutter was involved.

Sean Michael Ragan makes these great Autobot switchplate covers from aluminum scraps, melted down and re-cast.

Bossa Nova Baby has been whipping up some great new pieces of wall art from found woodgrain-patterned metal and tin. I think my fave has to be the nutty squirrel! Tin Art by Bossa Nova Baby

Looking for a way to combine your metal casting skills with your favorite childhood memories? This Bronze Boba Fett PEZ dispenser looks like it'll do the trick. Via Geekologie.