Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Hello!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    2

    Smile Hello!

    Just joined the forum so thought I would say Hello!

    I started making jewelery to relieve the boredom after having both hips replaced and now I am hooked! I am currently learning chain maille and have mastered the Byzantine weave, the box weave, the 2 in 2 and the mobius weave. They are so pretty. The only problem I have is really understanding the ID and AR especially when tying to use different sized wire gauges. For example one weave says use 14g 6.5mm and 18g 3.5mm but I want to make it slightly differently and want to use 18g 5/32" with an ID of 4mm. Anyone know if that will work?

    Anyway looking forward to being a member on the forum.

    Ciao for now

    A

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    56

    Default

    Hi

    I have no idea about the chainmail never made any myself

    but welcome to the forum :-)

    www.davidbaggaley.com

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    cotswolds
    Posts
    3,383

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by GemPJD View Post
    Just joined the forum so thought I would say Hello!

    For example one weave says use 14g 6.5mm and 18g 3.5mm but I want to make it slightly differently and want to use 18g 5/32" with an ID of 4mm. Anyone know if that will work?
    In simple terms, no it probably won't. AR is the 'magic number' that represents the relationship between wire gauge and inner diameter, and is the key to just about any weave. As long as you know the AR required, you can establish the exact ID of the rings you need.

    That said, some weaves are more AR sensitive than others - in fact there are some that really care very little what size rings they're woven in, but will still look better within a certain range of sizes.

    To establish the AR of any ring, divide the ID by the wire gauge (obviously, it's much easier to do this if you have both measurements in mm). Equally, to get the right size ring for any weave, multiply the wire gauge by the AR to establish the correct ID.

    As a simple example, Byzantine has an ideal AR of 3.5.

    So the ID's for different wire gauges go something like this:

    0.8mm wire (x3.5) = 2.8mm ID
    1mm wire (x 3.5) = 3.5mm ID
    1.3mm wire (x 3.5) = 4.55mm ID
    1.5mm wire (x 3.5) = 5.25mm ID

    ID sizes can usually be rounded up or down as appropriate to the mandrel sizes you have, though it can take a bit of trial and error to establish whether you prefer the weave to be looser or tighter.

    Hope that makes some sense, and welcome to the forum!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Earley, Berkshire
    Posts
    371

    Default

    Welcome to the forum!

    As George says, it's much easier to calculate the AR if both measurements are in millimetres. Wire gauges can be very confusing. Some suppliers use AWG (American Wire Gauge) and others use SWG (Standard Wire Gauge) and there are a couple of other systems as well. Quite often, they don't say which they are using, although most, but not all, in the US would be using AWG. The Ring Lord is a notable exception who use SWG but also quote the nearest AWG equivalent.
    Elaine at Mead Moon
    Mead Moon
    My Etsy shop

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    2

    Thumbs up Wow!

    Thank you mizgeorge, that is so much clearer! I actually understand it now. Thank you soooo much!

    One very happy lady

    A xx

    Quote Originally Posted by mizgeorge View Post
    In simple terms, no it probably won't. AR is the 'magic number' that represents the relationship between wire gauge and inner diameter, and is the key to just about any weave. As long as you know the AR required, you can establish the exact ID of the rings you need.

    That said, some weaves are more AR sensitive than others - in fact there are some that really care very little what size rings they're woven in, but will still look better within a certain range of sizes.

    To establish the AR of any ring, divide the ID by the wire gauge (obviously, it's much easier to do this if you have both measurements in mm). Equally, to get the right size ring for any weave, multiply the wire gauge by the AR to establish the correct ID.

    As a simple example, Byzantine has an ideal AR of 3.5.

    So the ID's for different wire gauges go something like this:

    0.8mm wire (x3.5) = 2.8mm ID
    1mm wire (x 3.5) = 3.5mm ID
    1.3mm wire (x 3.5) = 4.55mm ID
    1.5mm wire (x 3.5) = 5.25mm ID

    ID sizes can usually be rounded up or down as appropriate to the mandrel sizes you have, though it can take a bit of trial and error to establish whether you prefer the weave to be looser or tighter.

    Hope that makes some sense, and welcome to the forum!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    94

    Default

    Welcome to the forum
    Babette

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    199

    Default

    Hi

    Welcome from me too

    Sonia
    x

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Tyne & Wear
    Posts
    106

    Default

    Welcome to the forum
    Pauline x

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    yate,bristol
    Posts
    137

    Default

    Hello and welcome to the forum from me too.im sure you will find it very useful and full of information. stu

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •