Gallery - Ironskin

Mail Cape - Museum Piece and Period Print Here is

Mail Cape - Museum Piece and Period Print

Here is the mail cape from the Art Institute of Chicago. It must likely have been made in Germany between the years 1520 and 1570. The horseman is from 1578. He was carved into wood and then printed onto paper.

The cape is expanding downwards with built-in wedge shapes. They start at shoulder height at the side, and at mid-chest in the front. The neck has a more dense weave. Yet these rings are still linked in 4in1-pattern as the rest of the piece. They are just smaller and relatively speaking stronger in their crosssection. All rings are riveted - as far as we can judge by the picture.

There is a thin hem of brass rings at the top and a broad one at the bottom. It seems as if two lines of this hem have been cut out. It could also be there was a wedge of mail inserted to the front that had fewer lines of brass rings, to begin with.

Pictures: Top right: From the book "Kunst- und Lehrbüchlein" by J. Amman, 1578, now held by the library "Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel", Museum Nr. 23.2.1 Geom. (140). All other pictures: Art Institute of Chicago: Reference Nr 1982.3029.

Mail Vest with V-shaped bottom It looks as if thi

Mail Vest with V-shaped bottom

It looks as if this vest was once cut open along a vertical line through the front. You can still observe that the rings along this line have less rust.

The weave of rings is very dense with a mix of rounded riveted rings and flat bulky solid rings. At the mentioned vertical line there is a transition: rows of solid rings change into riveted rings and vice versa. This is actually a needed element to construct the armpit. Typically I would place this transition line at the top of the shoulders or below the armpits.

This piece is said to be European late 16th-century. We have seen such super flat rings on some Russian mail shirts in earlier posts here. And a cut-open front was used a lot in Ottoman mail armor. This example seems a bit unfamiliar to me. It might have had sleeves at some point. I haven't come across many sleeveless vests so far.

Picture by Worldantiques-Antiques shared via Pinterest. You find more images and info about this in posts from @mustonenpeter from 13th of February 2020 and from 21st of May 2018.

Finger-free mail gloves in 12th-century art These

Finger-free mail gloves in 12th-century art

These gloves are inspired by the Winchester Bible from England and the Biblia sacra from Germany (both dated 1150 to 1175). I made gloves that covered the fingers up to the middle because I found it practical and aestetic.

Yet looking closely at the medieval manuscripts, one might also interpret these as a type of hand proctection that leaves the full length of the finger free. In that case I imagine that there are threads running along finger gaps to keep the garment in place.

However I doubt that the inside of the palm would actually be clad in mail as depicted. Same for the orientation of the mail pattern: It is painted withn rows around the arm, yet it would very likely be rows along the arm instead as we know it from later period examples.

Sources: Top: Photo and work by Ironskin. Bottom Left and Right: Winchester Bible as presented on winchester-cathedral_org_uk. Photo by Dr John Crook. Middle: MS-A-2 Biblia sacra, Folio 151v as presented on digital_ub_uni-duesseldorf_de. A huge Thank You goes to @rule_303 who helped me find these sources. And special thanks to @felixkalkowski for patiently modeling.

Throwback to 2018 with a ring from that time When

Throwback to 2018 with a ring from that time

When I made my first post here, almost three years ago, I had no idea whether anyone would be interested in making chainmail on this platform. My friend @haffner.christian (holding the hammer in the picture) was pretty much the only one to share this passion with. Soon I connected with @ash243m70s, @gandalfwoodyend, @tarvels_trinkets, @fr_aleksver, @immortaldesignsnz, and many more.

For the future, I also aim to put a focus on other mail makers and enthusiasts. So we can grow into a more and more connected community. How was your journey here on Instagram and do you remember when you encountered me?

PS: This is the step of flattening. In my bios/story highlights you find more about making rings.

Mail sleeves sewn onto linen, likely 16th century

Mail sleeves sewn onto linen, likely 16th century

Mail sleeves are there to cover the gaps in plate armor. Hence the linen chest part. This is not the only option to keep the mail parts in place, yet it is a very convenient one.

Remarkable is that there is a 90°-direction change in the mail closest to the neck: Perhaps an indication that the sleeved were once cut out of a full mail shirt. Thus the rings could easily be way older. I'm no longer wondering why mail garments of earlier periods are so few.

This item was exhibited in the Castle Museum Linz, Austria. Picture by Robert R. MacPherson originally posted on armourarchive_org.

Bishops Mantle with iron and brass rings: A beaut

Bishops Mantle with iron and brass rings:

A beautiful bishops mantle that I guess must be from about 1600. We know similar examples from the Met, the Wallce Collection and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. All of them show an especially dense weave in the collar area. Sometimes there are decorative lines of brass rings. Interestingly the brass rings here have iron rivets. The reason could be for strength or for ease of manufacturing if the brass gets too brittle.

The armor is stored in the Landeszeughaus Graz in Austria. The picture is from museum-joanneum_at.

Scales/Lames in times of plate? A cuirass is usua

Scales/Lames in times of plate?

A cuirass is usually an armor part that covers the torso with a solid front and backplate. This piece however is made by a lamellar construction. That is perhaps to make it look more archaic or impressive.

Even though it does look like scales, I think these are better referred to as lames, because they are directly riveted together and don't rely on a cloth or leather backing to connect everything.

Picture and info by Peashooter85 on Tumblr. The origin and provenience of this armor is unclear. I read that it would be 15th-century, yet commenters also pointed towards 17th and 19th century. Thank you guys for the valuable discussion! 👍

For some of you, this is just a fun side project.

For some of you, this is just a fun side project. For others it is an opportunity to learn about mail tailoring:

This egg has a vertical seam right in the center of the image. It is not just an ordinary expansion of the mail pattern - no, all rings hold 4 other rings. You find this at historic mail-collars and bishop-mantles. Do you have suggestions on how we can name this seam? Please let me know in the comments. We can vote for the best name by liking the comment.

Actually, I have a (temporary) name for this, but I'm not telling it in order to not spoil your creativity. You find more about this and other seams in the "Connecting-Seams"-chapter on my website ironskin_com.

Thank you guys for being around all year and contributing with your many thoughts and suggestions! This would be empty without you. Happy Holidays!

Special credits to @puddlejumper_22 who already had the idea of covering eggs in chainmail last year. Picture: Ironskin.

6mm Mail Collar explained: When you connect mail

6mm Mail Collar explained:

When you connect mail parts, you typically use certain specific angles. 45° is a very practical angle for a smooth seam. You need 8 of those 45° seams to create a full 360°-circle. Yet 6 can already be enough for a collar because what you need is rather a cone than a circle.

In any way, the line in the front counts double because two 45°-edges meet. The shoulders have triangular pieces inserted that bring 4 more seams in total. And the last two seams are located near the gap.

This is my recent most recent work. It is amongst others inspired by a 15th- century mail collar from Nuremberg (Item IE29 in the collection of Veste Coburg). The new owner will add a textile liner around the neck to stiffen the standing part and to make it more comfortable.

Would you feel satisfied with the length or rather have it shorter/longer?

Hauberk with half gloves and laced coif A few mor

Hauberk with half gloves and laced coif

A few more shots from my recent project with my friend @felix_kalkowski kindly modeling the pictures. The thing weighs about 14.5 kg / 32 pounds.

The torso is tapering like an hourglass. It is difficult to observe because the mail stretches. Yet this helps to save weight and to keep the mail rest on the hips.

This hauberk has an adventurous journey ahead on the way to meet its new owner in the UK. Due to the virus- and Brexit-craziness it already traveled halfway only to return to me.

A 15th-century mail collar from Germany... ... an

A 15th-century mail collar from Germany...

... and a perfect opportunity for a shootout to @philparkesmaille. He is reconstructing comparable mail pieces very accurately and passionately and he is just about to start a new project.

The upstanding collar is remarkably dense. It looks like a 6in1 weave to me. There is also a top row of tiny brass rings. It is a common trick to have smaller rings at the edges. they help to keep the mail tight. Without them, the brim tends to be more loose than intended.

Picture as posted by @arm_the_armour on tumblr_com. (Also well worth following them.) Originally from konradsherlock_com.

Late 16th-century Hussar armor This very agile ar

Late 16th-century Hussar armor

This very agile armor is from 1580/90. It was worn by light cavalry units called hussars. Hussars earned a huge reputation in Poland, although similar troops were in use all over central and eastern Europe from the 15th- to the 18th-century. This example seems to be from the Austrian Imperial Army.

The mail is made of tiny rings with beautifully tapering sleeves. The sleeves appear extra long. That is because the mail is stretching more without a real arm inside.

Foto: UMJ/N.Lackner as shown on museum-joanneum_at. The Armor is exhibited in Landeszeughaus, Graz, Austria.

Bishop-Mantles - one can never see enough of them.

Bishop-Mantles - one can never see enough of them...

This beauty had three stripes before it was cool. The rings are of a smooth round shape with pin rivets. The bands of latten rings consist of two rows each.

The shoulder area is made with smaller rings forming a more dense mail. And there is a sort of buckle in the front that can be closed by sliding one side into the other. That buckle is riveted onto the mail.

The garment is of German origin from the 16th- century. It was typically infantry armor. Yet this one looks quite prestigious to me.

This is item A.1963.25 from the online collection of the @Glasgowmuseums, Scotland. I'm waiting for permission to show you more close-up pictures of this one. Fingers crossed and stay tuned!

Burial Find from Crimea island, ikely 12th-century

Burial Find from Crimea island, ikely 12th-century

Hard to say where the helmet ends and where the mail starts. It could be an aventail - that means part of the helmet - or a seperate mail garment. Part of it looks like a sleeve even.

This was shared by Tóth Zoltán Henrik on FB, Alrik on kitabhona_org and tmutarakan_club on VK. However I couldn't backtrace the museum or publication where it is from. Who knows the source?

Update: Thanks to @comora.lh we know that it's from Ukraine National History Museum (2017 Exhibition). I love when you guys help to keep the info correct! Good job mail enthusiasts! 👍

Full hauberk with side ventail ... wait a minute..

Full hauberk with side ventail ... wait a minute...

This is one of the models for a new mod of the popular medieval/fantasy- game Mount and Blade Bannerlord. That mod is called "In the Name of Jerusalem II" and it's created by a bunch of game designers by the name "Team Century". They undertake the noble effort to bring more historical accuracy into the game, supported by the reenactment community.

Now I'm pretty hyped about this and I love the textures and models. There are a few things I would do differently, but I don't want to spoil the great job lamenting about the details. This is the time to check what you have learned about mail: Do you see what I might want to improve?

Picture by Ellis Chou, originally shared in the Facebook Group "XI & XII Century European Armor". Link to the mod:
www_moddb_com/mods/in-the-name-of-jerusalem-ii

Haubergeon in 6mm Baggy sleeves - the ultimate ni

Haubergeon in 6mm

Baggy sleeves - the ultimate nightmare of anyone loving chainmail. Don't you think? This haubergeon is intentionally build that way. It is following an Italian fashion from the Late Middle Ages / Renaissance.

There was still a lot of tailoring happening around the shoulders, hips and collar. With these adjustments the weight could be reduced to 8.3kg with improved mobility.

Work and pictures by Ironskin. Oil Painting of St. George (likely by Artist Sodoma, 16th century) as presented on dorotheum_com. Thank you at @seborstianb for modelling.

Chainmail from Longford, Ireland: Ironskin-followe

Chainmail from Longford, Ireland: Ironskin-followers are sceptical. Is it authentic?

Recently a hauberk appeared that - if it is not too good to be true - could be from the time of Normal arrival 1172 to 1199. The armor was said to be dug up from a drain in an area close by Granard Motte. What do we know about it?

The rings are heavily corroded but the corrosion has happened suspiciously evenly across the piece. There are no lumps.

Many rings have gaps in them. They even appear to be butted. Nevertheless, it is in miraculously good condition for 800 years in the ground. Surprisingly there are no holes despite the gaps in the rings

The size of the armor would rather fit a child than a full grown person, even considering different body-sizes in history.

Apparently the farmer who found it, had kept it for two years prior with the exact location in the ground now being unknown. I find it surprising that it took him so long to realise that this is an armor.

What do you think? Thank you to the many people who already contributed to this in chat. I'm proud how we're unbiased but critical as a community here! 💪

Pictures belong to Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's National Public Service Media. You find the full article and video here:

https://www.rte.ie/news/2021/0820/1241969-artefact-longford-museum/?fbclid=IwAR0toR2XsopUsDjLkOpaGOKEoXIe_GwzUlLjVOr5R1bp6SDDrsgrUiH2M_Y

Laced coif with square bib: It's your turn! They

Laced coif with square bib: It's your turn!

They are a beautiful thing, aren't they? @theholy_knight recently made one. I made one. And I think you can make one, too!

It's not too difficult with prepared materials and detailed instructions. I'm currently putting together a kit that helps you to learn to make it. My dream is to see more reenactors with tight-fitting coifs that also allow you to get your head through.

You'll soon find this kit on ironskin.com. You can comment "interested" to get a message from me when it's ready.

Thank you to those who asked me to prepare this, especially @walofdeath. Pic and work by Ironskin. Next time I'll smile more. ;)

Mail-shirt with buckles, 3rd century AD This mail

Mail-shirt with buckles, 3rd century AD

This mail-shirt is intriguing because it is from Roman times, but from outside the realm of the empire. It was found in a swamp called Thorsberg Moor in northern Germany. Local Germanic tribes had allegedly deposited war booty and other treasures there as a sacrifice to their gods.

The rings are riveted and solid. And the solid rings look perfectly roundish. They could have ben fire welded from wire.

Pictures by Toni Kästner alias @bainagraftu taken in the Gottorf museum. Thank you for showing this to us!

Laced Mail Coif - face to face: This is the work

Laced Mail Coif - face to face:

This is the work of @haffner.christian from the German reenactment group @die_reisecen. Over the period of three years, he has crafted these 8500 riveted rings by hand and took his time to connect them to an excellently tailored coif.

The relief in the back is from the cathedral of Pamplona, Spain. It can be dated from 1350 to 1360. However, this type of coif is more present during the 13th-century.

If you want to build a laced coif like this yourself, you find a kit with materials and instruction on the ironskin-website. Link in bio.

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