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
Helm Chain (also known as Parallel Chain) is a very straightforward weave that's quite attractive for its simplicity. It's basic construction is the same as the first steps of Dragonscale, but the properties of Helm Chain are such that it behaves in a unique manner.
Aspect Ratio & Ring Sizes
Helm Chain requires two ring sizes, just like Dragonscale. 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 as it should. Sizes that I like to work with are 16swg 5/16" & 18swg 3/16", 18swg 7/32" & 20awg 5/32", 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
Small rings are bronze and large rings are steel.
Step 1:Make a chain of 1 large - 2 small - 1 large rings as long as you want the final piece.
Step 2: Place large rings over top of the small rings.
Step 3: Connect large rings to the 2 small rings, trapping the loose large rings.
Note: Practically speaking, you'll be adding one loose ring, trapping it, adding another loose ring, trapping it, and so on. If you try to pick up the chain to trap a ring with a bunch of other loose rings on it, you'll end up picking those other loose rings off the floor. But that's not the way I made up the pictures, so there you go.
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
Helm Chain (also known as Parallel Chain) is a very straightforward weave that's quite attractive for its simplicity. It's basic construction is the same as the first steps of Dragonscale, but the properties of Helm Chain are such that it behaves in a unique manner.
Aspect Ratio & Ring Sizes
Helm Chain requires two ring sizes, just like Dragonscale. 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 as it should. Sizes that I like to work with are 16swg 5/16" & 18swg 3/16", 18swg 7/32" & 20awg 5/32", 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
Small rings are bronze and large rings are steel.
Step 1:Make a chain of 1 large - 2 small - 1 large rings as long as you want the final piece.
Step 2: Place large rings over top of the small rings.
Step 3: Connect large rings to the 2 small rings, trapping the loose large rings.
Note: Practically speaking, you'll be adding one loose ring, trapping it, adding another loose ring, trapping it, and so on. If you try to pick up the chain to trap a ring with a bunch of other loose rings on it, you'll end up picking those other loose rings off the floor. But that's not the way I made up the pictures, so there you go.
