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
Gracelock is a weave by Grace Cuplin. It can be viewed as an Interwoven Gridlock or as an Inverted Round Sheet. This tutorial uses the latter approach, and connects Inverted Round chains into a sheet.
Aspect Ratio & Ring Sizes
Gracelock takes an AR of 5 and up. High 4.x might work, but it will be difficult to connect the IR chains. 22awg 1/8", 20awg 3/16", 18swg 1/4" and 16swg 5/16" work.
Metric sizes - approximately 0.6mm wire/3mm ID; 0.8mm wire/4.8mm ID; 1.2mm wire/6.4mm ID; and 1.6mm wire/8mm ID.
Tutorial Color Scheme
All rings are steel.
Step 1:Make an Inverted Round chain as long as you want the final Gracelock piece to be tall. Lay it out so that the bottom is flat against the table, and the top is parallel to the table. The two sides should make an X pattern.
Step 2: Make another Inverted Round chain the same length as the first, and lay it out next to the first. Make sure that they match each other - in this example both 'tops' have 3 rings and both 'bottoms' have 4 rings.
At this point the sides of the two chains make a <> pattern; the < from the X on the left chain, the > from the X on the right chain. You'll be connecting the two chains via these <> points.
Step 3: Pass a ring through the top of the first available <>.
Step 4: Pass a ring through the first and second <>'s. This may be difficult if you're using a ring size at the lower end of the allowable AR range.
Step 5: Pass a ring through the second and third <>'s.
Step 6: Repeat this until you reach the end of the chains.
Step 7: Flip the patch over.
Step 8: Pass a ring through the first and second <>'s. We didn't pass a ring through just the first <> because it would end up hanging off the end of the patch.
Step 9: Pass a ring through the second and third <>'s.
Step 10: Repeat this until you reach the end of the chains.
Step 11: Continue making Inverted Round chains and connecting them until the patch is the desired length.
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
Gracelock is a weave by Grace Cuplin. It can be viewed as an Interwoven Gridlock or as an Inverted Round Sheet. This tutorial uses the latter approach, and connects Inverted Round chains into a sheet.
Aspect Ratio & Ring Sizes
Gracelock takes an AR of 5 and up. High 4.x might work, but it will be difficult to connect the IR chains. 22awg 1/8", 20awg 3/16", 18swg 1/4" and 16swg 5/16" work.
Metric sizes - approximately 0.6mm wire/3mm ID; 0.8mm wire/4.8mm ID; 1.2mm wire/6.4mm ID; and 1.6mm wire/8mm ID.
Tutorial Color Scheme
All rings are steel.
Step 1:Make an Inverted Round chain as long as you want the final Gracelock piece to be tall. Lay it out so that the bottom is flat against the table, and the top is parallel to the table. The two sides should make an X pattern.
Step 2: Make another Inverted Round chain the same length as the first, and lay it out next to the first. Make sure that they match each other - in this example both 'tops' have 3 rings and both 'bottoms' have 4 rings.
At this point the sides of the two chains make a <> pattern; the < from the X on the left chain, the > from the X on the right chain. You'll be connecting the two chains via these <> points.
Step 3: Pass a ring through the top of the first available <>.
Step 4: Pass a ring through the first and second <>'s. This may be difficult if you're using a ring size at the lower end of the allowable AR range.
Step 5: Pass a ring through the second and third <>'s.
Step 6: Repeat this until you reach the end of the chains.
Step 7: Flip the patch over.
Step 8: Pass a ring through the first and second <>'s. We didn't pass a ring through just the first <> because it would end up hanging off the end of the patch.
Step 9: Pass a ring through the second and third <>'s.
Step 10: Repeat this until you reach the end of the chains.
Step 11: Continue making Inverted Round chains and connecting them until the patch is the desired length.
