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
Expansions and contractions are useful when you want to tailor maille for garments, or any time you want to change the width of the maille patch without putting in a seam. There are two types of expansions/contractions: column and row. Column contractions will make the patch thinner as you go up and down (presuming the maille is hanging the 'right way') and row contractions will make the patch thinner as you go from side to side (again, presuming the maile is hanging the 'right way'). Column contractions are much more common and much easier to do. This tutorial is for a column contraction.
Aspect Ratio & Ring Sizes
European 4-1 can be made with AR's down to 3. However, in order for there to be enough room to make a contraction, the AR should be 3.8 - 4 or above. 18swg 3/16" and 16swg 1/4" rings work well.
Metric sizes - approximately 0.5mm wire with 2mm inner diameter; 0.6mm wire with 3mm inner diameter; 0.8mm wire with 3.5mm inner diameter; 1mm wire with 4mm inner diameter, 1.5mm wire with 6.5mm inner diameter, and so on.
Tutorial Color Scheme
New rings are gold and old rings are steel.
Step 1: Make a patch of E4-1.
Step 2: At the point where you want the contraction, pass an open ring through 3 rings, instead of the usual 2.
Step 3: Fill in the rest of the row as usual.
Step 4: Fill in the rest of the patch as usual.
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
Expansions and contractions are useful when you want to tailor maille for garments, or any time you want to change the width of the maille patch without putting in a seam. There are two types of expansions/contractions: column and row. Column contractions will make the patch thinner as you go up and down (presuming the maille is hanging the 'right way') and row contractions will make the patch thinner as you go from side to side (again, presuming the maile is hanging the 'right way'). Column contractions are much more common and much easier to do. This tutorial is for a column contraction.
Aspect Ratio & Ring Sizes
European 4-1 can be made with AR's down to 3. However, in order for there to be enough room to make a contraction, the AR should be 3.8 - 4 or above. 18swg 3/16" and 16swg 1/4" rings work well.
Metric sizes - approximately 0.5mm wire with 2mm inner diameter; 0.6mm wire with 3mm inner diameter; 0.8mm wire with 3.5mm inner diameter; 1mm wire with 4mm inner diameter, 1.5mm wire with 6.5mm inner diameter, and so on.
Tutorial Color Scheme
New rings are gold and old rings are steel.
Step 1: Make a patch of E4-1.
Step 2: At the point where you want the contraction, pass an open ring through 3 rings, instead of the usual 2.
Step 3: Fill in the rest of the row as usual.
Step 4: Fill in the rest of the patch as usual.
