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
When using tight AR's, Captive Inverted Round can be used for sculptural or structural uses. If you want to make seamless 90° bends in the weave you can make handles for beverage cozies, for example. You can use this tutorial with single chains of Captive Inverted Round, or with Staggered Captive Inverted Round Sheet.
Aspect Ratio & Ring Sizes
You need rings that will make Captive Inverted Round, first of all. The beverage cozy handle used 18swg 7/32" Titanium (AR of 5.1) with Staggered Captive Inverted Round Sheet and 1 captive ring per cage. This made a rigid bend. Using looser rings will let you use more captive rings, or have a looser bend.
Metric sizes - approximately 1.2mm wire with a 6mm inner diameter.
Tutorial Color Scheme
Inverted Round rings are steel and captive rings are bronze.
Step 0: Make a couple CIR chains. They should have captive rings all the way to the end cage. You may want to use dummy rings to hold the ends of the chains together while you work. Position the chains so the outer end cage rings are vertical with respect to the bend.
Step 1: Connect the 4 inner end cage rings (two from each chain). This will form the inside of the bend.
Step 2: Connect the outer end cage ring and one of the inner end cage rings for both chains. This can be done with one of the dummy rings holding the other captive rings in. Otherwise you'll have to remove any other dummy rings to have room to work.
Step 3: Connect the remaining 2 edge cage rings for both chains. Again, this can be done beforehand with dummy rings, but that might lessen work room for putting in the inner bend ring.
Step 4: Fold back the rings you just added and place the captive rings inside. Depending on the AR, you might be able to fit the same number of captives as the rest of the chain, or fewer. Jamming more captive rings in will lead to a tighter weave (and may lead to rings opening).
Step 5: Fold the cage rings back down.
Step 5: Put a ring through the 4 outer cage rings. If you find that you can't fit any more captive rings in, but the bend is still looser than you'd prefer, you can use a slightly smaller ring here to tighten up some of the room.
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
When using tight AR's, Captive Inverted Round can be used for sculptural or structural uses. If you want to make seamless 90° bends in the weave you can make handles for beverage cozies, for example. You can use this tutorial with single chains of Captive Inverted Round, or with Staggered Captive Inverted Round Sheet.
Aspect Ratio & Ring Sizes
You need rings that will make Captive Inverted Round, first of all. The beverage cozy handle used 18swg 7/32" Titanium (AR of 5.1) with Staggered Captive Inverted Round Sheet and 1 captive ring per cage. This made a rigid bend. Using looser rings will let you use more captive rings, or have a looser bend.
Metric sizes - approximately 1.2mm wire with a 6mm inner diameter.
Tutorial Color Scheme
Inverted Round rings are steel and captive rings are bronze.
Step 0: Make a couple CIR chains. They should have captive rings all the way to the end cage. You may want to use dummy rings to hold the ends of the chains together while you work. Position the chains so the outer end cage rings are vertical with respect to the bend.
Step 1: Connect the 4 inner end cage rings (two from each chain). This will form the inside of the bend.
Step 2: Connect the outer end cage ring and one of the inner end cage rings for both chains. This can be done with one of the dummy rings holding the other captive rings in. Otherwise you'll have to remove any other dummy rings to have room to work.
Step 3: Connect the remaining 2 edge cage rings for both chains. Again, this can be done beforehand with dummy rings, but that might lessen work room for putting in the inner bend ring.
Step 4: Fold back the rings you just added and place the captive rings inside. Depending on the AR, you might be able to fit the same number of captives as the rest of the chain, or fewer. Jamming more captive rings in will lead to a tighter weave (and may lead to rings opening).
Step 5: Fold the cage rings back down.
Step 5: Put a ring through the 4 outer cage rings. If you find that you can't fit any more captive rings in, but the bend is still looser than you'd prefer, you can use a slightly smaller ring here to tighten up some of the room.
