Hot Metalworking How-Tos
How To: Tailor your chain mail armor for the best fit
Tailoring isn't just for fabric! To have the best chainmail shirt, that doesn't pull or hang too losely, you'll want to tailor it. Tailor your shirt around curves by slightly altering the pattern of your weave, and this video demonstrates how.
How To: Attach a chain sleeve to a chainmail shirt
It can sometimes be confusing for new armorsmiths to figure out the best way to attach a sleeve to a chainmail vest. However, the technique is actually quite easy, and this tutorial demonstrates how you can add a sleeve to a four in one style chainmail shirt.
How To: Make a tin frame out of soda cans
How to Make a Tin Frame with Soda Cans You don't have to throw out your old soda cans anymore. Laura and Claiborne show how to recycle old cans into a craft project that creates a frame. You will need a wooden frame, soda cans, 5/8 of an inch nails, tin snipers, and a glue gun. While cutting the cans, make sure to be careful to avoid cutting your hands. Smaller square scissors tend to be more effective at cutting the cans. When cutting, try to cut the can in a rectangular shape. Try to avoid ...
How To: Forge a medieval arrowhead, or long bodkin
Watch this video demonstration on how to forge a medieval arrowhead, or long bodkin, by Paul Selby at an English Heritage Living History event at Kenilworth Castle. This type of arrow head was commonly used during the War of the Roses. This arrow is a professional craft, but a blacksmith in training can also learn how to forge arrows like this. These long thin arrow tips are designed for penetrating chain mail.
How To: Make a set of candlesticks out of plumbing hardware
Make you have some spare plumbing hardware you're looking to get rid of, or maybe you just want a fun way to make a pair of candlesticks. This video solves both problems! Use a few pipes and other bits and pieces to make a fun and unique set of candlesticks.
How To: Craft Chinese soda can lanterns with ribbon birds for Chinese New Year
We know that December 31st may seem like old news now, but for the Chinese the New Year is just getting started. Chinese New Year begins on February 3rd and ushers in the Year of the Rabbit.
How To: Craft a very easy DIY hair style holder using a clothing hanger
Did you know you can recreate Snooki's bump, or "invisibly" hold your hair up in a voluminous ponytail with something you already have lying around the house? Don't waste your time on Bump Its or other hair devices - all you need is a clothing hanger.
How To: Craft Lady Gaga's solar system orbital headpiece
Have you ever found the stars at night so pretty you wish you could just grab them with your fingers and move them just a little closer? Well, now you not only get to have the stars right next to you, but also a whole planetarium!
How To: Make Chain Mail Armor from Start to Finish
This article is a guide for making Chainmail Armor from start (simple wire) to finish (a finished chainmail shirt). We will be using the European 4 in 1 weave, as this is the most common weave. This is the weave that you usually see in movies. There are several sections to this guide: Materials, Making the Rings, Weaving the Rings, and Making the shirt.
How To: Weave a suit of medieval scale mail
Scale mail is slightly superior to chain mail, since it has a greater ability to deflect blows. But it is a little trickier to make than chain mail - but not by much! This tutorial shows you how to make an excellent suit of scale mail.
How To: Make chain mail
This how-to video shows the steps for making chain mail, just like the authentic armor of the Medieval period. Making chain mail is fairly simple, requiring only a couple supplies. You will need a rod, wire cutters, two pairs of pliers, a variable speed drill, and a spool of un-galvanized fencing wire. Watch this video metalwork tutorial series and learn how to make chain mail.
How To: Craft the iron fence glasses from Lady Gaga's "Lovegame"
Want to look like Lady Gaga without breaking the bank with all those expensive costumes? Then check out this DIY tutorial to learn how to craft the iron "fence" glasses Lady Gaga wears in her "Lovegame" video.
How To: Craft a vintage studio metal holiday container
This embossed, brass finish metal container is perfect for storing beautiful amaryllis or paperwhites during the holiday season, but they can be used year round to enhance flowers or even to act as a storage bin.
How To: Craft a person-sized spiderweb out of rope
You can also make this person sized spiderweb out of chain for extra sturdiness. Aside from the rope or chain, you will also need a solid frame (either wood or metal wil work) and 24 eye bolts to run everything through.
How To: Craft a "Harry Potter" style wand that lights up
With the first installment of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" out, don't be surprised if you find yourself more than ever wanting to whip out a twelve inch phoenix feather wand and wrist twirl your way to defeating your own personal Voldemort. While this video won't teach you how to do magic (so sad), it will teach you how to craft a very cool-looking "Harry Potter" wand that can do the "lumos" spell.
How To: Coil wire to create links for weaving chainmail
If you don't want to buy your links pre-made, you can coil your own links. You'll need wire (sixteen gauge is the most common), metal dowel rods in the diameter you want, variable speed drills, wire cutters and at least two pair of pliers.
How To: Join the front and back pieces when building a chain mail shirt
If you're halfway through making a chainmail shirt, and confused on how you can join the front and back pieces together (or any two large pieces of chainmail), this tutorial gives you a few hints on how you can seamlessly bring two pieces together.
How To: Weave a suit of dragonscale style chain mail
No, it doesn't use actual dragonscales. This technique actually uses two different sizes of rings with the proper aspect ratio (at least three of the larger rings have to fit through the smaller ones). If you have enough rings, then just follow along to master this challenging technique.
How To: Make chainmail in a European six in one pattern
This tutorial is a variation of the traditional European 4 in 1 pattern and uses a 6 in 1 chain. Using this method uses more links, but gives you greater coverage and creates a much fuller look for the whole piece.
How To: Use the European 4 in 1 method for making chainmaille
This tutorial shows you how to make chainmail following the tradition European four in one method. You'll need many small metal rings of uniform size and some metal pliers (work gloves are also recommended!) Afer you make each individual unit, you're also shown how to bring them together in a larger piece.
How To: Weave a suit of elven chain mail
This tutorial shows you how to make an elven style of chainmail. This is an intricate style of chainmail that is nevertheless very sturdy and gives good coverage. Good for anyone looking to make their own armor for Renaissance Faires, larps, the SCA or other historial costuming events.
How To: Make chainmail jewlery using the Persian style of chain linking
This tutorial shows you how to make pieces of chainmail jewelry by using the Persian style - also called the woven-V style. This is a simple pattern that builds off the tradtional four in one style, which you can use to make any number of jewelry pieces.
How To: Make chainmail jewelry using the Byzantine chain pattern
The Byzantine pattern is a variation on the box chain pattern, it just has two extra links per unit. This tutorial shows you how you can make a string of chainmail using this beautiful pattern, that you can eventually turn into jewelry.
How To: Make chainmail jewelry using the box chain or great queen chain
You can make jewelry out of chainmail! It will be bulky, unless you use incredibly tiny rings. This tutorial shows you how to make the box chain out of many small metal rings, which you can expand to a necklace, bracelet key chain or any other type of jewelry you can think of.
How To: Make the classic Roman lorica segmentata armor
Make an authentic piece of Roman armor! You will need quite a lot of metalworking tools, including hammers, drills and rivets. But if you have access to a workshop and the raw materials, you can make a replica of classic Roman armor, the lorica segmentata.
How To: Draw out metal in blacksmithing
When getting into blacksmithing, learning proper hammer strikes and heat levels for your metal and forge are good to know, but one of the most important techniques to know when hammering your metal is "Drawing Out", which is a method that you use to make your metal thinner and longer or thinner and flatter. In this video you will get a full tutorial on how to implement this basic, yet important, technique.
How To: Use a hardy tool and how to curve and form metal on an anvil
If you're looking to create curves and various shapes with metal, one way of doing it is using a hardy tool with your anvil. In this video you will learn what exactly a hardy tool is and also how to create your own curved S shapes out of metal.
How To: Use an anvil in blacksmithing
When getting started with metal work and blacksmithing, you may be confused as to what you can do with an anvil. In this video you will learn every aspect about the anvil and how to actually use each section of the anvil for cutting, shaping and more!
How To: Use basic hammer strikes in blacksmithing
Blacksmithing is an ancient art of metalsmithing that has never gone away and is still done today! Knowing about heat and what sort of metals to use is good, but if you are just whacking at the metal wildly without any sort of form, you're doing it wrong. In this video you will learn the eight basic hammer strikes in blacksmithing that you will need to know to do any sort of blacksmithing.
How To: Create a blacksmith forge in your backyard easily
Have a passion for metal working and metalsmithing? Want to get into the art without having to go to an expensive shop to set up a forge? Well this video has all the tips and tricks you will need! In it, you will learn what parts you will need and what steps you will need to take to create your own backyard forge easily!
How To: Get started with welding
Welding is a method of permanently joining metal pieces together. If you're looking to get started in the field either as a hobby or as a career, then check out this great video. In it you will get tips on how to get started and where to look as well as what tools you will need.
How To: Carve a bloody and gory Halloween pumpkin using power tools
Tim the tool man Taylor would do his famous grunt in favor of this manly way of carving a pumpking. Rather than use your typical pumpkin carving tools like a mini knife and sharp picks, you'll learn how to employ a faster course of action by using power tools to blast those contours off.
How To: Mimic the look of antique brass
You can easily copy the aged look on old brass jewelry and hardware. Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, oxides naturally. But you can encourage the process to go faster by using vinegar and salt water, or a rag soaked in ammonia. Use these techniques to mimic an antique patina.
How To: Use machine shop tools to build prototypes with MIT
This ten-part series on machining skills for prototype development comes straight from MIT & Erik Vaaler. It's one of the most extensive video tutorials available on the web for machining. MIT's artificial intelligence laboratory's primary work is done for their robotics group. And most of their equipment is unavailable to the public because they're machines that MIT have built directly in their machine shop, or items that came into the shop needing repair. But if you can get your hands on so...
How To: Build a 6X6 cube using magnets
Whoever said it's boring to be a square didn't make one out of shiny magnets. This video gives the phrase "thinking inside the box" a whole new dimension.
How To: Make chainmail quickly
Like A Flint demonstrates how to quickly make chainmail. First, find heavy gauge wire at a construction site or a craft store. Then, wrap the wire around a dowel or a tube until it forms a coiled spring. Remove the coiled spring from the tube and clip the spring into rings with a pair of wire cutters. Using two pairs of pliers, open up the ring and thread four rings inside of it. Close up the ring. Keep adding rings on top of rings until you achieve a chainmail like design. The process of mak...
How To: Make chainmail armor at home
Chainmail is quite difficult to make, but with this two part tutorial, you will soon be on your way. In these videos, learn how to make a piece of classic chainmail armor at home. Make smaller pieces to use as jewelry or decoration or make a whole suit for a cool knight costume.
How To: Make decorative chainmail at home
Chainmail is a classic accessory. It is a symbol of strength, royalty and the famous uniform of a knight. This two part tutorial will show in depth how to make the 4 in 1 pattern. This is the first basic pattern in chainmail, but with practice you will soon be maikng 6 in 1 and 8 in 1.
How To: Make your own chainmail cube
This two part video will show you how to make the Japanese 8 in 2 patter, an important part of making a chainmail cube.
How To: Make a cool recycled license plate mail box
Laura and Charles are a thrifty couple to have around in this time of recession. Using old license plates, some rivets and lots of love, they will teach you how to make a license plate mailbox. A simple and easy craft project that could be fun for the whole family, imagine the look on the mailman's face when he sees your new creation sitting in the front of your house. Your mailbox will be the talk of the neighborhood and who knows you just might start a trend! A friendly video with simple in...
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