Alright, so you've read some tutorials, seen some examples of chainmaille, and now you're really excited to make some of your own. But, you're prudent enough to want to make sure that you have a good idea of how to start before you invest your money into it.

Well, here's some advice to get you off and running in the wonderful world of maille. Once you get a hang of the general idea, you can use the various message boards for answers to more specific questions.

I'll be adding to this article as I think of other questions that a beginning mailler might ask.

Rings

If you're just starting out, it's easier and more economical to buy the rings premade. Once you increase the scale of your mailling you should look into buying wire and winding rings yourself. Depending on how much you value your time, it may still be cheaper overall to get premade rings, but winding your own rings gives you that extra sense of satisfaction.

Materials

As for materials, bright aluminum and/or galvanized steel are cheap materials to learn on. After you get a hang of the whole process, you could switch to a different material, or stick with the inexpensive stuff.

AR

AR means aspect ratio; it's the ratio of wire thickness to the inner diameter of the ring. It helps determine the strength of the weave, as well as its 'aesthetic-ness.' Here is a good article explaining AR and how it relates to maille.

Tools

You can use pretty much any types of pliers. Some people like the fancy pliers designed specifically for maillers; other people use Linesman pliers or random pliers from the hardware store. It partially depends on the type of metal you use (soft or anodized metal should have non-toothed pliers) and partially on what you find comfortable to use.

Projects

The first few projects you make should focus on learning a few basic weaves, as well as learning how to make good consistent closures. Small stuff, like bracelets or a dice bag are good choices. Or just make a few patches of different weaves to get some practice in.

Soldering

For most projects you should be fine just butting the rings shut. If you use really large rings or really thin wire (such that the AR ends up being large) the rings might pull open after time. Most of the time you can just re-butt the rings closed again. If you start using precious metals you should look into soldering/fusing to ensure that rings don't fall out.

Charging

First off, if you're just starting out mailling, it will be more beneficial to spend time improving the quality and speed of your work. Work on getting consistent, smooth closures. That way when you are ready to make pieces for sale, you'll have quality work that you can be proud of. There's little point in rushing to make poor quality pieces for sale that hurt your reputation as an artisan (and worst case scenario, actually injure your customer).

That being said, charge whatever you want. If you charge by the hour, make sure it's a wage that makes it worthwhile. It should at least be minimum wage; many maillers charge much more. Wage is often determined by the type of metal being used, the size and amount of the rings required and the individual mailler's experience.