Genuine chainmaille from pop tabs

Constructing a genuine European 4 in 1 chainmaille weave using only pop tabs.

Turns out this is very easy and makes a really great looking piece of maille, and as an added bonus you don't have to worry about having a quarter mile of wire on hand to attach them together.

Step 1 Assemble your supplies

OK, you are going to need lots and lots of pop tabs. Don't give yourself renal failure trying to drink them all yourself. Spread it out or enlist the help of your family, friends, workmates, or maybe even the local recycling center. Here is what you will need:

Cutters
Staple remover
Old key
Non-mangled pop tabs (however many you need, 1000 is a good start)

Comments

[timothymh]

 I really need to make this wider; it keeps folding in on itself as I work. Takes five minutes to straighten out like in the photo below.

[frenzy]

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[th30be]

I found that this way of making chain mail is very annoying because it gets tangled so easily but I found a good solution to it. I use duct tape and stick the tabs I am working on and then when I am done remove the tab. This way you don't spend 10 min untangling them.

[th30be]

I mean remove the tape.

[Delo97]

I'm going to use this for airsoft battles

[LuciferJr]

it probably wont work well seeing that there are a lot of holes in it

[Delo97]

Ok, but I think I'll use two sheets for them to have one to cover the other

[ilpug]

Huge amount of work for something that is structurally weak and a tactical nightmare. If you need armor, wear a jacket. If you need more, wear two jackets. If you need still more, then play Nerf instead. This mail is awesome, but it really won't help on the field. Maybe as a little decorative patch on the back of a glove or something, but that is about it.

[Delo97]

Well, I just want something for non-professional, friendly battles. I am currently using cardboard.

[ilpug]

I just use a pair of needle nosed pliers with wire snips in them from my multitool.

Probably not as standardized and accurate as your method, but it works for my needs.

[jgerardy]

i have been working for about a month and i have made a tuxedo from this pop tab chain mail.

[therealgroovemachine]

excellent i'll start creating my "tazer proof shirt" immediately, see you at the protest rally. LOL ;-)

[seabananers]

if i were you i would were a rubber shirt

[king kolton9]

yea rubber because doesn't metal increase the shock (look im 11 i knew it i spaced out a min ago and i forgot (question rubber absorbs? the shock???))

[dczupik]

duh, he was making a joke, lol, oh, and it doesnt increase the the shock, it just lets the electricity travel, since its conductive

[king kolton9]

god ^%$#&* it was conducts

[hintss]

tazers use neadles, it won't work

[singhjr96]

not all tazer some use fish hooks besides if use use this the stop a tazer shock it won't work. aluminum coducts electricity and you just catch on fire or get minor burn wounds, plus the damage will be more widespred so theres a posobility that your heart will stop or u will have some damage to nerves. the nerve part i likely due to surface area of the shock but the heart part  a super small chance

[king kolton9]

the heat part is possible if their pressing the button for like 30 seconds just like frozen (lol imagin if a police officer spaced out tazing you)

[hintss]

they auto stop after 5 seconds, then they have to release the button and push it again

[Dms12444]

Not entirely true, Taser guns (wich most govt agencies use have needles), taser's which must make contact with the body dont. However chain mail would be a bad thing as it would arc onto you and make some really bad burn marks.

[smattman22]

ive got the make contact one with hiddden mace :P

[Loki_Peverell]

My stepfather is a police officer who followed these things. You're right.

[hintss]

tasers tht make contact with the body are just stun guns with a taser name slapped on

[therealgroovemachine]

you guys took my comment way too seriously......
but you know that electricity prefers to travel along the outside of awire (not through its core) therefore my theory is that if you wearsomething that allows the current to easily conduct and travel to groundacross the outside layer of your body it would hopefully lessen if notcompletely redirect the current from lighting your nervous system up.

of coarse to counteract the needles in the "tazer" type attacki would wear a nice fitting "needle-proof" vest made ofcardboard.... and possibly a tall cone shaped paper hat to help protectme against scientologists... ;-)

[lasersage]

electricity doesn't tend to flow along the outside of a wire, AC tends to. Its called skin effect, the higher the frequency the more it tends to travel in a thin skin, increasing resistance.

needles or not, unless the needles are insulated to the tip then they will short on the vest. Electricity will take the easiest path, a good metal vest should be far more preferable than a meat bag. Some may flow through you but the majority will be in the vest, hopefully enough that you can still tell the person whos tased you how unimpressed you are instead of just writhing around on the floor

[ursostupid]

really? you guys have a whole conversation about electricity? i don't even know what tazers are...

[ARK1L0]

Who is so stupid?

[Luvarian]

LMAO! I'll see you there for sure then...

[darknessfalls]

i really need to upload a picture of what i have so far, over a year of gathering the tabs the hard way (actually drinking the sodas and all), and i feel i have a good basis so far

[pmaxey]

So, the whole problem with the links coming apart. I might have an easy solution. Move the cut from right in the center, to the edge. I tried it and it seemed to work fine for me. =D

[sandiklaws]

it might seem a bit obvious... but why not just stitch the tabs to fabric once made?

[Nancy London]

How flexible is this stuff?

[Mythbuster009]

depends on the way you fold it (vertically/horizontally)
, one way you can fold it in half, the other way you might get about 30-40 degrees out of it

[Oi23]

If you want chainmail,why not just buy it? They sell shark-proof chainmail at some scuba diving shops.

[Mythbuster009]

the point isn't to use it as chainmail, its to say that you made an entire chainmail suit out of soda can tabs and impress your friends. I got a great reaction at halloween a couple years ago after wearing it to school

[Oi23]

That makes a lot more sense than what I thought the point was.:P

[raen714]

Does anybody know of a good way to clean this? I'm planning on making a hauberk to wear to the renaissance festival, but it's usually dusty and muddy. I want to be sure I can clean this before I wear it out...

[mrgryphon]

I know this reply is nearly a year out of date, but it may still be relevant to your needs and interests...

According to some fantasy novels I've read (I know, not a great standard for historical precedent) they would clean and polish chain mail by by putting it in a barrel of sand, sealing up the barrel, and rolling it back and forth across the practice yard. Again, no idea on the accuracy of this, but it seems like it would work. Depending on the size of your piece, a 5 gallon pail with your piece in it, then filled 1/2 to 2/3 full of sand could do it. Bigger than that, you may have to actually find some sort of barrel.

Come to think of it, this sounds remarkably similar to a basic rock tumbler. Hmm...

Hope that helps!

[raen714]

I've heard that too, but I'd be concerned about the softness of the tabs. Their own weight hanging up is enough to bend the weaker links and slip apart, I don't think my hauberk could handle the agitation.