Author's Note
I wanted to contribute my tutorials to Chainmaillers.com to help ensure that the entire chainmaille community has access to them. The tutorials are presented here with the same images and text from my old site CGMaille. I hope they continue to help inspire you to learn and create many amazing pieces!
-Phong
Weave Background
Dragonscale is arguably one of the coolest looking chainmaille weaves. It's so sleek and intricate that you hate to break up the pattern to put in a clasp. If only there were some way to join the two ends of dragonscale so you could have continuous cool. As it so happens, there is. By filling in from the side, you can avoid having to try to fit your pliers into a ridiculously tiny space to close a ring. I can personally vouch for this method, having used it to repair a ring in the middle of a patch of 24awg 5/64" and 22awg 1/8" Dragonscale. It worked, but 'twasn't easy or quick, so be prepared for the possibility of aggravation.
Aspect Ratio & Ring Sizes
Dragonscale requires two ring sizes. There are two requirements for choosing ring sizes: The first is that the outer diameter of the small ring must be smaller than the inner diameter of the large ring; the second is the inner diameter of the small ring must be at least 3 times the wire thickness of the large ring. This is so everything can fit with wiggle room. Sizes that I like to work with are 16swg 5/16" & 18swg 3/16", 20awg 3/16" & 20awg 1/8", and 22awg 1/8" & 24awg 5/64".
Metric sizes - approximately 1.6mm wire/8mm ID & 1.2mm wire/4.8mm ID; 1.2mm wire/5.5mm ID & 0.8mm wire/4mm ID; 0.8mm wire/4.8 & 3mm IDs; 0.64mm wire/3mm ID & 0.5mm wire/2mm ID.
Tutorial Color Scheme
Silver rings are old large rings, gold rings are old small rings and bronze-ish rings are being added in the current step (for both large and small rings).
Step 1:Make a patch of Dragonscale that's as long as the finished circumference should be. It should be pointed at both ends, with small rings included at both ends.
Step 2: Bring the ends around so they're facing each other. At this point, make sure that all the small rings are sticking out and where they should be.
Step 3: Attach a small ring to the two end large rings. It should go between the two end small rings.
Step 4: Connect a large ring to the two small rings that were the end rings in the original patch. This ring should go around the ring you added in the previous step.
Step 5: Connect a small ring to the large ring you added in the previous step and the large ring just above it. The ring should go between the two small rings next to it.
Step 6: Now connect a small ring to the large ring you added in step 4 and the large ring just below it. The ring should go between the two small rings next to it.
Step 7: Add a large ring to the appropriate small rings. (Any more technical description would be long and drawn out, and probably confuse you more than it's worth)
Step 8: Add a large ring just above the large ring you just added.
Step 9: Continue adding small and large rings until you finish that side.
Step 10: Do the whole shebang again for the other side.
Strictly speaking, you don't need to work from the middle. You can make the points at one side and work your way all the way across; this approach allows you to avoid having a lot of extra rings flapping around in your way.
I wanted to contribute my tutorials to Chainmaillers.com to help ensure that the entire chainmaille community has access to them. The tutorials are presented here with the same images and text from my old site CGMaille. I hope they continue to help inspire you to learn and create many amazing pieces!
-Phong
Weave Background
Dragonscale is arguably one of the coolest looking chainmaille weaves. It's so sleek and intricate that you hate to break up the pattern to put in a clasp. If only there were some way to join the two ends of dragonscale so you could have continuous cool. As it so happens, there is. By filling in from the side, you can avoid having to try to fit your pliers into a ridiculously tiny space to close a ring. I can personally vouch for this method, having used it to repair a ring in the middle of a patch of 24awg 5/64" and 22awg 1/8" Dragonscale. It worked, but 'twasn't easy or quick, so be prepared for the possibility of aggravation.
Aspect Ratio & Ring Sizes
Dragonscale requires two ring sizes. There are two requirements for choosing ring sizes: The first is that the outer diameter of the small ring must be smaller than the inner diameter of the large ring; the second is the inner diameter of the small ring must be at least 3 times the wire thickness of the large ring. This is so everything can fit with wiggle room. Sizes that I like to work with are 16swg 5/16" & 18swg 3/16", 20awg 3/16" & 20awg 1/8", and 22awg 1/8" & 24awg 5/64".
Metric sizes - approximately 1.6mm wire/8mm ID & 1.2mm wire/4.8mm ID; 1.2mm wire/5.5mm ID & 0.8mm wire/4mm ID; 0.8mm wire/4.8 & 3mm IDs; 0.64mm wire/3mm ID & 0.5mm wire/2mm ID.
Tutorial Color Scheme
Silver rings are old large rings, gold rings are old small rings and bronze-ish rings are being added in the current step (for both large and small rings).
Step 1:Make a patch of Dragonscale that's as long as the finished circumference should be. It should be pointed at both ends, with small rings included at both ends.
Step 2: Bring the ends around so they're facing each other. At this point, make sure that all the small rings are sticking out and where they should be.
Step 3: Attach a small ring to the two end large rings. It should go between the two end small rings.
Step 4: Connect a large ring to the two small rings that were the end rings in the original patch. This ring should go around the ring you added in the previous step.
Step 5: Connect a small ring to the large ring you added in the previous step and the large ring just above it. The ring should go between the two small rings next to it.
Step 6: Now connect a small ring to the large ring you added in step 4 and the large ring just below it. The ring should go between the two small rings next to it.
Step 7: Add a large ring to the appropriate small rings. (Any more technical description would be long and drawn out, and probably confuse you more than it's worth)
Step 8: Add a large ring just above the large ring you just added.
Step 9: Continue adding small and large rings until you finish that side.
Step 10: Do the whole shebang again for the other side.
Strictly speaking, you don't need to work from the middle. You can make the points at one side and work your way all the way across; this approach allows you to avoid having a lot of extra rings flapping around in your way.
