Hey, I am new to this forum, but not new to chainmailling. I was lucky enough to learn in a group. We started a weekly group maybe 6 years ago and taught ourselves everything. It only lasted a few years but I'm still going Anyways, I'd be happy to help with any questions you have that are chainmaille-jewelry related. You can message me here, I think.
Also the way I learned was European 4-in-1 & 6-in-1 chain and sheet, Byzantine, Spiral, the common Persians, Helm....and I can't remember the order of the rest but those were my starting points and the ones I use most often.
As far as scratch mark goes, deff don't use pliers with teeth as they are pretty unnecessary for jewelry. Time helps a lot because you gain finesse and if all else fails a plastic dip can help for the tools. Something like this: http://www.riogrande.com/Product/Tool-Magic-Coating-for-Tool-Tips/116583?pos=1