[Bernice Daniels]

To make any chainmail you must first learn how to properly open and close rings.


How to Open Rings
Correct - open sideways just enough to fit 1
ring through the gap. Grab sides of ring with
pliers and open toward and away from you.
The first ring below is opened correctly.


Incorrect - rings are opened too wide. Opening
a ring too much can distort the ring shape and
can make it way more work to weave. The 2 rings on the right above are opened incorrectly.


How to Close Rings

Correct - gap is completely closed and flush. Grab sides of ring
with pliers and use a motion toward and away from you to close
the ring. You will need to over-bend the ring (slightly) to
compensate for springback of the wire. You will also need to
apply some pressure toward the center of the ring on saw cut
rings to close the gap. The first ring in the pic below is correctly closed.




Incorrect - a gap was left in the ring. This gap looks poor, can snag or scratch and the
ring can work itself loose. The 3 rings on the right in the above pic are all closed incorrectly.