Authentic mail pictures -- myArmoury.com

Mart Shearer · Posted: Mon 17 Mar, 2014 9:51 pm Post subject:

The collar (and possibly skirting) appears to be a later addition. I don't suppose we have any closer shots of either to examine?

B. Pogue · Industry Professional

Eric S · Posted: Wed 19 Mar, 2014 11:08 am Post subject:

Eric S · Posted: Sat 29 Mar, 2014 6:03 pm Post subject:

Kai Lawson · Posted: Sat 29 Mar, 2014 6:42 pm Post subject:

The minute I saw the mail in conjunction with the arrowhead I saw what you're getting at. That makes sense to me. Has any evidence of a form/mold/press been found for forming and welding the wire so uniformly? Something like a thicker wire form for bending the mail wire, or some sort of hinged press that could be heated?

Eric S · Posted: Mon 31 Mar, 2014 10:15 am Post subject:

William P · Posted: Mon 31 Mar, 2014 11:11 am Post subject:

Eric, what about some of the other designs of japanese kusari, particularly the ones that almost are knitted in a lattice design with decently sizable gaps n the maile left there on purpose.

why would they be used instead of others.

Eric S · Posted: Mon 31 Mar, 2014 4:41 pm Post subject:

Eric S · Posted: Thu 15 May, 2014 5:30 am Post subject:

Here is a type of kusari (Japanese mail) that has not been online seen as far as I know, mail of this type is illustrated and mentioned in Kozans "The manufacture of armour and helmets in sixteenth century Japan".

Eric S · Posted: Thu 15 May, 2014 5:36 am Post subject:

Here is another unusual example, it is Indo-Persian and appears to be all riveted with no solid links, all of the links are intricately stamped, it weighs 17 lbs, from the Higgins Armoury.

Mart Shearer · Posted: Thu 29 May, 2014 10:05 pm Post subject:

Another armor from the Musée de l'Armée in Les Invalides. It may be closer to c. 1400 than the reported 1350 IMHO.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chainm...ides_1.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chainm...ides_2.jpg

Although the description lists it as grain d'orge, so called "barley-corn mail", the rivets don't look that pronounced to me. I think the armor or rivets has been heat treated after riveting, something well documented in the metallurgy of other mail armors. This might account for the rivets fusing into the ring.

Robert Rootslane · Posted: Fri 30 May, 2014 4:05 pm Post subject:

Found some more pictures that i had, about mail from Estonia. They are of low quality, since i think i made them with a shellphone camera, and even with the best instruments im still a rather bad photo maker. Surprised

Mail from 14 century, picture made in a museum through class so....

closeup of the same thing:

Probably a peace of bronze edge trimming from some mail. Whats weird about this peace, is taht although all the rings have holes for rivets, only 2 or 3 rivets are left. Most rings have just empty holes.

A mailshirt of unknown origin and age. Id say 15 century maby.

Weird headgear armour of horse-people Surprised

Unkown origins, but it is said that they might be from Russian Kasak troops from the Napoleonic wars.

The metal disc in the middle is rather small. About 12 cm (less than half a feet) in diameter.

Also a prettier version of the same armour:

R

Eric S · Posted: Sun 01 Jun, 2014 10:35 am Post subject:

Robert Rootslane · Posted: Wed 04 Jun, 2014 7:21 am Post subject:

Those are from Eesti Ajaloomuuseum. "Museum of Estonian History" it might be in translation.

http://www.ajaloomuuseum.ee/en

Eric S

A newly translated chapter on Japanese mail from "Nihon katchū no shin kenkyū" (new study of Japanese armor) by Hachirō Yamagami, 1928, has supplied some more information on Japanese riveted mail, it states that is was introduced by the West before the 1600s and that it was copied and made in Japan as well. Mr Yamagami was an author of several book on the subject of Japanese armor and a well respected researcher, as far as I know this is the first English translation of this chapter.

Eric S · Posted: Thu 10 Jul, 2014 8:01 pm Post subject:

New research into the composition of the wire used in Japanese mail has revealed bars were cut from a steel plate, the bars were then drawn into wire. This is the first research I know of which proves that Japanese mail was manufactured from steel. The research paper is in Japanese, here is a small translated section and a link to the full pdf, if this ever gets translated I will post the translation.

https://www.jim.or.jp/journal/j/pdf3/78/04/149.pdf
The Japan Institute of Metals and Materials, "Manufacturing Technique of Steel Chains Used for Japanese Armors from the End of the Muromachi to the Edo Period", by Natsuko Kugiya, Kazuhiro Nagata and Masahiro Kitada, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, published April 1, 2014.

Eric S · Posted: Mon 11 Aug, 2014 12:22 am Post subject:

There will be an interesting item for sale in September, a 16th century Bishops mantle will be auctioned to someone with deep pockets, estimated selling price 10,000-12,000 Euro.

Erik D. Schmid · Posted: Mon 11 Aug, 2014 8:36 am Post subject:

That's not really much at all. Several years back they were selling for more than double that. The antique and collectables market has dipped considerably over the years. It's become a buyer's market now, which is nice. Happy

Kai Lawson · Posted: Mon 11 Aug, 2014 1:20 pm Post subject:

Erik--

Do you know if the smaller, tighter weave at the upper end of the bishops mantle above has intentionally exaggerated flattening of the ring near the rivet, or might that be a by-product of using a set of pliers that could be used on larger rings (and smooshing the ring a bit more)? The mesh is so close that the flattened area covers the body of the ring next to it--it looks intentional. Is it?