Mail Bonding
I’m pretty busy right now, but it’s almost exclusively brain work. Coding, research, composing: all of these things occupy more or less the same part of my mind, which leaves me feeling wiped out at the end of the day. So I decided that I need something a bit lower order, something where I could be active without tickling the top of Bloom’s taxonomy.
If I had a house, I’d be all set — my dad used the house and its endless repairs and upgrades for this purpose. If I had a potter’s wheel and a kiln in the garage (and a garage while we’re at it), it would be ideal. But these are contrary-to-fact conditions, so I was left to find something else. But what?
The question of a suitable handicraft was addressed. All things requiring a vast amount of space or upfront expenditure were ruled out., and after considering what was left I decided to take up mailing. I ordered some rings and a pair of pliers.
I realize that chainmail is, as far as products go, relatively without use in today’s modern world but I’ll be the first to admit that it’s one of the things that drew me to it. Spending all day with technology, getting as close to the bleeding edge as I can without cutting myself, it’s very invigorating to spend time arranging little bits of metal in uniform patterns (again, without cutting myself). An unvalorized binary opposition if you will.
Here is my very first project, a European 4-in-1 ring pattern. Getting the weave started is the hardest part. I ordered three sizes of rings, this being the largest. The good news about working with the large rings is that the pattern is easy to see and make, the bad news is that the rings are thick and heavy and take some real strength to bend.
I add a row when I’m feeling like a break, so it will eventually get bigger, but for now it make Ye Olde Coaster, perhaps the worst possible coaster in all of human history. It gets hot and scratches the table. Dark ages indeed.
May 20th, 2005 at 3:49 pm
This is exactly the opposition and almost exactly the same motivation that got me started on a chainmail shirt a few years ago. It’s really great hand-work while listening to something, or waiting, or expending nervous energy, too.
You can make it even more of a physical mantra if you get into making the links. I bought a metal dowel of the right diameter at the hardware store, drilled a hole through one end, and can make about 25 links at a time bending some regular fence-mending wire around the dowel until it gets too springy. Then I take a pair of wire clippers down one side of the coil and have a bunch of links. If you use a little saw rather than clippers you get nice smooth wire-ends rather than pointy tapered ones, but clippers are easier to carry around.
Advice for bending the rings: bent-nosed pliers. Two pairs of bent-nosed pliers and it’s much easier on the fingerprint.
Advice for clipping: don’t do it on the bus. The noise is even more annoying to people (say, on the 34E…) than tapping your fingers on the seat.
May 21st, 2005 at 11:35 am
Very C r e a t i v e ~!
I wouldn’t worry so much about the house, though. WIth a house comes other problem:-)
May 27th, 2005 at 6:01 pm
i love the coaster! it really bends the SCA-ish social norms of chainmail making. it would be nice to see a line of time saving household products made this way.