Viking Chain Tutorial
Back when I was first making my copper-alloy needlecase, I wanted to make an appropriate chain from which to hang it. I'd seen a chain very much like this one, but longer, while at a museum in Lund with 
m_nivalis--I chose this style because of the happy memory. Also, it's nigh indestructible, and I need that quality in my chains.
It's not the most common type of chain found in Sweden, but since chains of this type have been found as far north as Lappland and as far south as Skåne, they're appropriate to both Danish and Swedish impressions. If you find a Norwegian example, let me know!
To make this chain, you'll need wire cutters (I use an SOG multi-tool), two S-hooks from the hardware store, and lengths of wire in a gauge that won't hurt your hands to work. Poking through the SHM catalog, 1 mm diameter wire seems to have been very common for Swedish wires, but wire as thin as 0.3 mm has been recovered. Having round-nose pliers on hand will help you neaten trimmed ends, but again I used my multi-tool.
I cut about 10 cm of wire per link, and the links I'm making here turn out to be 1 cm long.
Start by wrapping the wire 360º around your first S-hook. This first loop will ultimately be waste, so remember that when leaving your tail, but it'll help twist the wire into the link.
Wrap the wire around the second S-hook, but only go 180º.
Return to the first hook, and turn 180º again.
Make a final pass to the second hook, and make a full 360º loop.
At this point, you have your beginning loop on the left, a single pass right, a single pass left, and the final loop on the right.
From here you can begin to twist the S-hooks in opposite directions to twist your link. (You can see here that my left loose end started to get in the way!)
Once you've twisted it to its full tightness (and gotten your loose ends out of the picture), it should look like this.
Remove the link from the S-hooks, and point the loose ends away from the loops at each end of the link, so that you don't accidentally trim the loops when you trim the ends.
Trim the loose ends carefully, as close to the shank of the link as you can get.
You have completed one link. You can neaten up your trimmed ends with pliers by flattening the wire in the direction of the spiral, so that no pokey bits catch your clothes.
Start the second link with the first 360º loop around the left hook. Thread your completed link onto the working end.
Hold the completed link in place in the bend of your first pass to the right hook. Try to keep the S-hooks about as far apart as you did for your first link, but it's not the end of the world if your links end up being slightly different lengths.
Keeping the completed link in place (yes this part is fiddly, and yes I drop it sometimes) make your second pass left and final loop right. You will have followed the same basic path as for the first link (beginning loop on the left, a single pass right, a single pass left, and the final loop on the right), just keeping the completed link in place on that right hook. It should look approximately like this:
Again, twist your link.
Remove from the hooks.
And trim.
Repeat as necessary until your chain is the length you desire.
Even if the ends start to unravel slightly if you catch them on something, it's very unlikely that this chain will come apart. In three years of hard wear, I haven't had a single problem.
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comments currently posted.
m_nivalis--I chose this style because of the happy memory. Also, it's nigh indestructible, and I need that quality in my chains.
It's not the most common type of chain found in Sweden, but since chains of this type have been found as far north as Lappland and as far south as Skåne, they're appropriate to both Danish and Swedish impressions. If you find a Norwegian example, let me know!
To make this chain, you'll need wire cutters (I use an SOG multi-tool), two S-hooks from the hardware store, and lengths of wire in a gauge that won't hurt your hands to work. Poking through the SHM catalog, 1 mm diameter wire seems to have been very common for Swedish wires, but wire as thin as 0.3 mm has been recovered. Having round-nose pliers on hand will help you neaten trimmed ends, but again I used my multi-tool.
I cut about 10 cm of wire per link, and the links I'm making here turn out to be 1 cm long.
Start by wrapping the wire 360º around your first S-hook. This first loop will ultimately be waste, so remember that when leaving your tail, but it'll help twist the wire into the link.
Wrap the wire around the second S-hook, but only go 180º.
Return to the first hook, and turn 180º again.
Make a final pass to the second hook, and make a full 360º loop.
At this point, you have your beginning loop on the left, a single pass right, a single pass left, and the final loop on the right.
From here you can begin to twist the S-hooks in opposite directions to twist your link. (You can see here that my left loose end started to get in the way!)
Once you've twisted it to its full tightness (and gotten your loose ends out of the picture), it should look like this.
Remove the link from the S-hooks, and point the loose ends away from the loops at each end of the link, so that you don't accidentally trim the loops when you trim the ends.
Trim the loose ends carefully, as close to the shank of the link as you can get.
You have completed one link. You can neaten up your trimmed ends with pliers by flattening the wire in the direction of the spiral, so that no pokey bits catch your clothes.
Start the second link with the first 360º loop around the left hook. Thread your completed link onto the working end.
Hold the completed link in place in the bend of your first pass to the right hook. Try to keep the S-hooks about as far apart as you did for your first link, but it's not the end of the world if your links end up being slightly different lengths.
Keeping the completed link in place (yes this part is fiddly, and yes I drop it sometimes) make your second pass left and final loop right. You will have followed the same basic path as for the first link (beginning loop on the left, a single pass right, a single pass left, and the final loop on the right), just keeping the completed link in place on that right hook. It should look approximately like this:
Again, twist your link.
Remove from the hooks.
And trim.
Repeat as necessary until your chain is the length you desire.
Even if the ends start to unravel slightly if you catch them on something, it's very unlikely that this chain will come apart. In three years of hard wear, I haven't had a single problem.
This entry was originally posted on Dreamwidth. Please comment there using OpenID.
comments currently posted.