Primitive Antique Fishing Harpoon Spear Head Side Hook Sharp Blade Hand Made US $24.00

Japanese Yari (spear) only blade : 17.5 x 4.7 " : 200g US $91.00

African Samburu Spear-Long Blade 5 ft. Great Weapon US $64.90

NICE LARGE 4 1/2" CHERT BLADE KNIFE ARROWHEAD SPEAR AMERICAN INDIAN 9,000 BC US $9.99

Rare original ancient Roman iron tanged Javelin arrowhead intact spear blade US $48.75

Ancient Persian Luristan Bronze Age Leaf Spear Dagger Blade US $34.00

Ancient HOLY LAND JAVELIN BLADE bronze age SPEARHEAD spear weapon artifact old US $379.99

Pre Columbian COLIMA Rare Obsidian SPEAR BLADE Mexico 2000 YEARS OLD 7in. 17½ cm US $689.00

ANTIQUE PRIMITIVE HAND FORGED SPEAR SPIKE BLADE US $69.99

Dogon Forged Iron Blade/Top of Spear or Lance Mali African US $29.00

A Fine Old North African Algeria Iron Boars Spear Halberd Blade ca. 1920's US $250.00

Powered by phpBay Pro

First of all, don't use copper. It won't rust, but it is terribly dense and also far too soft to be of any use. What you want is good carbon-steel wire. For an average shirt of maille, with 3/8" interior diameter rings, you will need about 10,000 to 12,000 rings. This will mean about 15 to 35 pounds of wire, depending on the size and length of your shirt.

These will be hooked together in a pattern where four rings go through a fifth, what is known as the 'four-in-one' pattern. There are many sites on the Web where you can find illustrations of the pattern, look for the term 'maille'. The rings are generally made by winding the wire around a steel rod like a spring, then slipping the rod out and clipping off the rings with a wire cutter.

Before you run out and start buying wire, decide if you have the time and patience to do this. At several hours a day, it will likely take you at least 4 to 5 weeks to complete, and that's assuming that you know what you are doing - otherwise, it will be even longer.

You may be better off simply buying a shirt from a maille maker. Costs can run anywhere from $200 to $1000 US, but at least you'll have a finished product rather than a half-completed project. Many places on the Web sell maille; look for "arms and amor" or "medieval armor" or just "maille".

If you want to learn how to fight with swords, don't try to make your own. Learn from a qualified instructor, and do it right. Swords are not toys, they are real weapons, and people can easily be hurt or killed by them,even when they "aren't sharp".

Items Recently Purchased From This Site: