Introduction: Can Tab Chain Body Armour
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grade 2 aluminum can tab armour.
Strong and easy to make, but takes a while to make.
Step 1: Materials
for this you will need
- a lot of copper wiring
- needle nose pliers
- wire cutters (unless the pliers come with wire cutters)
- and a couple hundred can tabs
Step 2: Stringing the Tab Chains Together
cut a little wire and have two tabs ready. Make a u with the wire and slide it into one end of one tab. Make sure that you do both holes, and that it is the same kind of hole.
Step 3: Bonus
i took apart a vacuum cleaner to get the copper wiring and theese metal squares you can see in the finished product. Mine is a plate chain hybrid. But other things you can do are make capes, gloves, whatever. (I'm still working on the gloves.)
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47 Comments
3 months ago
I tried this and put together over a square foot, but despite careful attention to closing the cut space, they kept bending open, creating breaks in the fabric. Project abandoned.
13 years ago on Introduction
Ok, 2 Points to make here.
1: This takes waaaaay too long! Im having a hard time gitting all the tabs, and not to mention being bored outta my mind wile weaving.
2: Has anyone ever thought of smashing cans into a flat plate like thing, and hooking them together with Duct tape? I think its worth looking into... :D
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
smashing them and then holding them with duct tape? if i'm thinking what what your saying, it probably won't work well. But i don't know. If you could post a picture of a sample of your idea maybe?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Smash a can flat Long wise, so its not just a flat circle. Put a few strips of ductape on it so it covers both sides and cover your whole body with it. then u will see what it is, and how well it works! THANKS
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
that would be really cool if u put da colored side so people can see it.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
its possible to do it with out the need for duct tape, however is time consuming
and requires a good heat source (about half way to melting aluminum).
however if u just want to smash and use duct tape to hold, smash cans into
the desired shape, get duct tape and fold unto itself and attatch to cans and to
clothing. i have done this before though not with a full body project. (got side
tracked and started something else, lol) remember DO NOT make a helmet this way. it will hurt upon removal
13 years ago on Introduction
this is how big I make my rings compared to a dime
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Links that small... are you a madman? (LOL) My first chainmaill project I used rings that size... to make a hauberk. After six months I vowed "never again". To be honest i still use links that size, but only when making jewelery or making Japanese weaves.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
those are pretty good.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
I used my camera phone to take the picture. I need to get a real camera so I can show you guys what the coloration of the two different types of ring are like. The coat hangers I put through an electric wire brush thats on my stationary grinder, then I hand crank the coils because the metal is so thick. I tried using a drill on the coat hanger and it didn't go over too well. I then slide the coils on a peace of rod after bending the ends tight so they are tight fitting on the rod and then proceed to cut them with my dremel tool very slowly about half way through. I cut them half way through and then bend them off the could snapping them right off of there and making a very nice butted together ring.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
I meant to say bend them off the coil snapping them right off
13 years ago on Introduction
www.instructables.com/id/Genuine-chainmaille-from-pop-tabs/ why dont you make it like this. (link above) i made a 14cm by 11cm peice in half an hour without any skills here is a pic
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
i started making it like that but i never made an instructable for it. I was about to when i saw there was a widely advertised version of the one i was making, so i never bothered.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
oh yea and this way is very scratchy so i sowed it onto the top of some gloves and now it looks awsome. cant send a pic because i gave it away as a birthday present.
lol $56 of pepsi
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
well this one still looks beter even if when you dont make it big enough it has a tendancy to disconect link by link but if you make it big enough that doesent hapen
13 years ago on Step 3
it looks very scratchy... and probably hurts when you move your hand around... have you thought about lining the inside? maybe with duct tape or a thin glove or a thin cotton?
Reply 13 years ago on Step 3
it isn't really meant for hand use except for covering the back where it doesn't move much, but putting it on a glove, fingerless preferably, would be best.
13 years ago on Introduction
The bottom ring is coat hanger and the top ring is galvanized. Both rings seem to be similar in thickness other than the fact that the coat hanger wire is stronger and a slight bit more thicker. The galvanized wire I use is 14 gauge being harder to work with but much more stronger than 16 gauge.
13 years ago on Introduction
hope this is just for looks because mah knives would go right through this. Why not use metal coat hangers, make a mandrel, make ring coils, and cut your own rings? If your going to make chainmail you might as well make it good and make it worth your time. This would be good for costumes only.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
i've been making real 4 in 1 with 16 guage galvanized steel wire. The rings are big, about 1 inch in diameter, but its worth the time. tried coat hangers though, not worth the time. they don't work so well.