Congratulations to both you and your customer, Thranduil!

You probably already know this, but by creating replicas like the mail shirt which have never been made before and by upgrading your UC pieces to be made from more accurate, higher-quality materials, you're inspiring a lot of people in the LotR collecting hobby.

Keep up the excellent work, sir

Thanks Jaman.
Inspiration's always a good thing.

Reading that review is nothing short of what I e xp ected, but it makes me want the shirt with the finest mesh possible, though I am well aware the cost is doubled, and I'm not even sure Thranduil would do it since he mentioned two people would have to order it in order for it to be cost effective and worth his time.

I guess time will tell as I'm still a few months away from being able to order one. Damn e xp ensive trips that you have to pay off.

[quote=""Valkrist""]Reading that review is nothing short of what I e xp ected, but it makes me want the shirt with the finest mesh possible, though I am well aware the cost is doubled, and I'm not even sure Thranduil would do it since he mentioned two people would have to order it in order for it to be cost effective and worth his time.

I guess time will tell as I'm still a few months away from being able to order one. Damn e xp ensive trips that you have to pay off. [/quote]

If my Christmas calculations go well, I should be $150-$200 away from it. Maybe we can be a team?

Nothing short of perfection! Very cool. I really wish I could afford it, but damn that Rivendell!

Who's the lucky customer? Someone from here or a Flamer?

[quote=""Fingolfin""]Nothing short of perfection! Very cool. I really wish I could afford it, but damn that Rivendell!

Who's the lucky customer? Someone from here or a Flamer?[/quote]

Flamer. Markv.

Nice. Here's to many more customers!

[quote=""Arwyniel""]If my Christmas calculations go well, I should be $150-$200 away from it. Maybe we can be a team?[/quote]
Exactly!
So far there are two pairs of people here to team up if I'm not mistaken.

I'll go back through and check that.

Btw to all interested parties; You need your 50% down payment to begin so I can buy the materials. Balances are due upon shipping and they don't need to be teamed up or payed upon completion. I'll post pics of each shirt as they are finished.

Make that three pairs. I haven't heard from a few as of yet about their commitment, but based on interest here's the list so you can converse with each other about teaming up.

Arwyniel
Valkrist
Moonglum
N2darkness
Legion
dpegasusm

Go Andrew, go!

I guess some details of what to e xp ect should you make a commitment.

You will receive emails confirming payment (Pay Pal works best for this).

Copies of receipts via email concerning your chainmail, which is the greatest part of the down payment e xp ense.

I already purchased the remaining bolt of that collar fabric so as to guarantee the ability to re-create duplicates.

The additional materials (fabric, dimensional fabric gold paint, cord, gold leaf, crystals, white primer, and pearlescent paint) add up to about $20 per shirt.

I went through sizes of chainmail available from RingMesh and determined the most economical purchase to be enough to make two shirts out of one piece divided accordingly. Other forms of sizes either left too much unused material or ended up to be more money per shirt.

It took 2 weeks for the chainmail to arrive, so I work on the collar while I wait.

Shipping weight of the first was 4.1 pounds and cost $11.50, but the #150 mail will weigh more (I'm guessing 5 pounds with packaging), so I doubt anyone's shipping will be more than $15 unless your out of the States (Val, seems you once stated that USPS was most efficient for Canadians).

Finally, this is far more a labor of love rather than money. I make about $5 per hour making them. I'm getting a lot of satisfaction knowing I'm the "one and only" maker on the planet. Perhaps one day (though not officially licensed) they be considered one of the most valuable LOTR collectors pieces ever. And good for you if that happens.

Like the many other things I've done for other people, they look at them and think of me. I enjoy touching other peoples lives in a positive way- So screw General Elecrtric; I do bring good things to others lives.
So here's to your collections

[quote=""Thranduil""]I guess some details of what to e xp ect should you make a commitment.

You will receive emails confirming payment (Pay Pal works best for this).

Copies of receipts via email concerning your chainmail, which is the greatest part of the down payment e xp ense.

I already purchased the remaining bolt of that collar fabric so as to guarantee the ability to re-create duplicates.

The additional materials (fabric, dimensional fabric gold paint, cord, gold leaf, crystals, white primer, and pearlescent paint) add up to about $20 per shirt.

I went through sizes of chainmail available from RingMesh and determined the most economical purchase to be enough to make two shirts out of one piece divided accordingly. Other forms of sizes either left too much unused material or ended up to be more money per shirt.

It took 2 weeks for the chainmail to arrive, so I work on the collar while I wait.

Shipping weight of the first was 4.1 pounds and cost $11.50, but the #150 mail will weigh more (I'm guessing 5 pounds with packaging), so I doubt anyone's shipping will be more than $15 unless your out of the States (Val, seems you once stated that USPS was most efficient for Canadians).

Finally, this is far more a labor of love rather than money. I make about $5 per hour making them. I'm getting a lot of satisfaction knowing I'm the "one and only" maker on the planet. Perhaps one day (though not officially licensed) they be considered one of the most valuable LOTR collectors pieces ever. And good for you if that happens.

Like the many other things I've done for other people, they look at them and think of me. I enjoy touching other peoples lives in a positive way- So screw General Elecrtric; I do bring good things to others lives.
So here's to your collections [/quote]

Great post! I think its pushing me closer to the edge of ordering but still might have to wait till the first of the year.

Business is a boomin'!

[quote=""Arwyniel""]If my Christmas calculations go well, I should be $150-$200 away from it. Maybe we can be a team?[/quote]

Ar, I would love to team up with you, but I know for a fact I won't be ready to buy this by the time you are. I assume you want the finer mesh also, right? I think Thrandy mentioned that version would be around $800, correct?

[quote=""Valkrist""]Ar, I would love to team up with you, but I know for a fact I won't be ready to buy this by the time you are. I assume you want the finer mesh also, right? I think Thrandy mentioned that version would be around $800, correct?[/quote]
Actually I said $555 (I've had to bump this to $575 & down payment is $350) for current members. Pretty much just covering the extra chainmail e xp ense and a few more hours in labor because those itsy bitsy rings are going to take more time to work with. (We need a smiley pulling his hair out)

Thrandy, what did you say (if you did say) the actual weight of the finished #210 maile shirt is? (Not shipping weight).

[quote=""Deimos""]Thrandy, what did you say (if you did say) the actual weight of the finished #210 maile shirt is? (Not shipping weight).[/quote]
I don't really know. I guesstimated it at 3.5lbs based on the shipping weight of the chainmail package.

I suppose I could weigh my prototype, but that too wouldn't be completely accurate.

Wow coming in on this very late in the game (12 pages late from the looks of things!) ... but your work on these is phenomenal as others have stated! Very cool! I'll have to see how financials shape up early next year before I jump in, but in the meantime I just wanted to say congrats on an awesome project sir!

My head is spinning regardless of false accusations.

Thanks to all for such support!

http://www.grouphug.com/overwhelmed

False accusations? Who's heckling you?

[quote=""Thranduil""]...Thanks to all for such support!

www.grouphug.com/overwhelmed [/quote]

Thrandy, you old sentimentalist! !

[quote=""Fingolfin""]False accusations? Who's heckling you?[/quote]

You did! Over in the other thread you said: "He's good... but not that good."

[quote=""Valkrist""]You did! Over in the other thread you said: "He's good... but not that good."

[/quote]
No doubt where true intelligence be found in here!
Touche!

Don't worry Fin, no ones pointing a finger at you.

[quote=""Deimos""]Thrandy, you old sentimentalist! ![/quote]

Yeah, well;...........There's more love here than some can appreciate.

All I was pointing out was that you're not in the Peter Lyon class of swordsmiths...or are you?

[quote=""Fingolfin""]All I was pointing out was that you're not in the Peter Lyon class of swordsmiths...or are you?[/quote]
No I'm absolutely not in a Peter Lyon class of swordsmiths. I'm not even a swordsmith! I made a really sweet prototype, but it's aluminum. The next step would be to make it in spring steel but I'm not interested in buying all the necessary equipment for that.

I'm a Master-Craftsman, I make just about anything people request, but because that can be anything, it's across the board and not exactly specialized in one particular area.

Have you looked through my artworks thread Fin?
That's a good example of what I mean when I say across the board.

Lol! Uh, apparently that threads older than I thought, all my pics are gone. I'll see if I can edit some back in so the conversation makes some sense.http://www.ucforums.com/showthread.php?t=4910&page=4

A true renaissance man.

[quote=""Fingolfin""]A true renaissance man. [/quote]

Thanks Fin.
I think that's the first time anyone has called me that.

Well there's a first time for everything. I'm no such man, however...I'm only good for playing instruments, playing video games, eating, sleeping, etc. Oh and I can golf...but not very well.

[quote=""Fingolfin""]Well there's a first time for everything. I'm no such man, however...I'm only good for playing instruments, playing video games, eating, sleeping, etc. Oh and I can golf...but not very well.[/quote]

[/QUOTE]

Awesome job Thranduil!

Your paint idea is very ingenious!

Have long thought about using various materials to make a wearable mithril mail. Aluminum is the optimal material for weight and color, but will eventually show black at scuff points. Titanium would be optimal for weight and real strength. Stainless optimizes for strength and price.

If I were attempting this tough project which ever material was selected, I would consider having the mail plated in fine silver and left unfinished except for burnishing the high points of the rings. This would give the bright, almost iridescent silvery effect of the aluminum rings in the actual color of silver (which is how I imagine mithril to look).

There is one element that is whiter than pure silver but I can't remember what it is and its pretty exotic...

And completely of topic, if you can find a copy of the book Panzer Spirit, you can read about a haunted German WWII Jagdpanther made of mithril and the havoc it causes when roused from its sleep...

Tim

[quote=""timdp""]Awesome job Thranduil! Your paint idea is very ingenious!

There is one element that is whiter than pure silver but I can't remember what it is and its pretty exotic...

And completely of topic, if you can find a copy of the book Panzer Spirit, you can read about a haunted German WWII Jagdpanther made of mithril and the havoc it causes when roused from its sleep...

Tim[/quote]
There's nothing ingenious about my paint idea, it isn't my idea, it's Weta's; that's how they finished the original prop.

Magnesium perhaps?

Is Panzer Spirit a fantasy story?

[quote=""timdp""]There is one element that is whiter than pure silver but I can't remember what it is and its pretty exotic... [/quote]

Palladium?

[quote=""Thranduil""]There's nothing ingenious about my paint idea, it isn't my idea, it's Weta's; that's how they finished the original prop.

Pretty sneaky...

Magnesium perhaps?

Not magnesium - its darker than silver. Also not Palladium. It may be Lithium, but don't quote me on that.

Is Panzer Spirit a fantasy story?[/quote]

You are asking if a story with a mithril Jadpanther is a fantasy story?

Here is a pretty good review:

This review is from: Panzer Spirit (Paperback)
When a long-dormant Nazi tank destroyer comes ine xp licably to life and goes on its own bloody blitzkrieg, veteran tanker Jim Fafner may be the only man who can face down the otherworldly intelligence that pilots the haunted Jagdpanther. And eccentric fantasist Sherri Vail may be more Fafner's foil than a help. Can they put aside their differences and bring the tank destroyer's rampage to an end, or will a Soviet spy be the one to unlock the Jagdpanther's ghostly secret?An effortless and unpretentious escapist fantasy, Tom Townsend's novel seamlessly welds WWII armor specs, romance, Cold War espionage and mythic mystery into one package. Panzer Spirit is a downhill thrill-ride from beginning to end that will not disappoint.


A few copies at Amazon for one cent...

http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Spirit-Tom ... 072&sr=1-1

[quote=""Deimos""]Palladium?[/quote]

The Palladium is a sports bar with lots of big screens and video arcade in Troy Michigan

Re "gems" on the shirt and matching belt. Reading the Hobbit and it says the belt that came with the shirt was set with pearls and crystals, so one would probably assume that the shirt collar was set with the same stones.

Tim

Yeah, there are a few nice big pics of the shirt that show off the collar especially. I am sure Thranduil has seen and used those photos as reference for his excellent shirt.

[quote=""timdp""]Re "gems" on the shirt and matching belt. Reading the Hobbit and it says the belt that came with the shirt was set with pearls and crystals, so one would probably assume that the shirt collar was set with the same stones.

Tim[/quote]
Deimos is making his own version and I believe his collar will be more accurate to the books description (pearl collar). He also opted for aluminum chainmail so he won't need to paint it.
I suppose he may be upset that I've mentioned all this but I can't spoil the real surprise which will be photos.
I'll let him tell you all how much it cost.

Aaaaarrrrrggggh!!!!! THRANDY YA SPOILSPORT!!!!! (Just kidding )

I was hesitant to mention it just yet for a number of reasons:

1) The collar is the most labor intensive part, as Thranduil can attest to, even though ours differ.
Mine has silver-lined crystal beads--thousands of them [see Alleycatscratch]--but it will have the same type of crystals as Thrandy’s.
I may have to resort to the gold paint for the scrolling design, but I am trying a half dozen other ideas first--all very time consuming.

2) The method for attaching the collar will also differ... the maile will be sandwiched between the outside of the collar and the inside of the collar, so, again, more time needed to make it work/get it right.

3) Awhile back I mentioned upcoming back surgery... Well, it's scheduled for Jan 18 and I will be out of commission for about 2 months.
Maybe I can still work on the collar, but that is about it.

So really I don't e xp ect to have photos for several months, which is why I originally didn't even bother discussing it at length, except via PMs with Thranduil.
The makers of the Maile are very interested in the finished project and want photos as well.But they also know about the delay due to surgery.

But just to show you what Thranduil meant about the aluminum Maile I have posted a pic of the fabric. You are viewing the torso part...the sleeves are already in separate pieces.
It is called Bright Aluminum and for all intents and purposes it doesn't oxidize, meaning no black on skin or clothing.
The rings are the next size up from #210 SS but the wire gauge is also larger which makes the opening smaller, so it still looks pretty dense.

They do make smaller size rings in the Bright AL, which would be absolutely perfect for the shirt, but it is special ordered with a minimum I can't begin to meet.... nor would it matter if there were no minimum because it's still $350 / sq ft. And I believe Thrandy used about 5-6 sq ft, same as I will use.
Do the math... a $2000+ Mithril shirt....like a Master Armourer version!

The Maile I bought was considerably less, but still costs enough ---more than the SS---to make a shirt that could be called a MC version.

The completed shirt should weigh no more than 4 lbs.

I am not doing this with the idea of selling them....the materials cost alone is close to 4 figures. My labor would bump it over that. This is just a project to see how good of a "mithryl" shirt I can make.

If it turns out well enough I will put it on Etsy, and the manufacturer of the Maile may post it as well, if it showcases their product to good advantage.

[And notice the spelling of "mithril" differs from Thrandy's version....just in case I do decide to take commissions down the road.... ]

Wow... I do love that close-up shot of the rings. Looks exactly how I'd picture it. Can't wait to see some more photos down the road, after your surgery, which I hope goes well.

[quote=""Deimos""]

But just to show you what Thranduil meant about the aluminum Maile I have posted a pic of the fabric.
It is called Bright Aluminum and for all intents and purposes it doesn't oxidize, meaning no black on skin or clothing.[/quote]

Interesting.. Is the aluminum plated with maybe Rhodium, or perhaps clear anodized?

Tim

[quote=""Valkrist""]Wow... I do love that close-up shot of the rings. Looks exactly how I'd picture it. Can't wait to see some more photos down the road, after your surgery, which I hope goes well. [/quote]

Thank you very much for the good wishes, Val. I hope it goes well, too, seeing that I only have one back. (Excellent Neurosurgeon and surgical team from what I have been told by other MDs. )

The rings are a size up from the larger ones Thrandy used, as I mentioned, but the heavier gauge offsets what would look like oversized rings if they were SS (like the #150 and #210 rings). Hence the fairly dense look.
Had I been thinking when I took the pics I would have put a penny or dime on the maile to give the viewer a better idea of the size of the rings.

[quote=""timdp""]Interesting.. Is the aluminum plated with maybe Rhodium, or perhaps clear anodized?

Tim[/quote]

You know Tim, I should know the answer to that but I don't recall it.

I said in my long post that "for all intents and purposes it doesn't oxidize."
Well, even the guy I talked to, who is the president of the company, said that there is a little oxidation over time (not a perfect world, after all), so I am thinking it's plated with rhodium.

If you need a definite answer go to www.theringlord.com and contact them.

[quote=""Deimos""]You know Tim, I should know the answer to that but I don't recall it.

I said in my long post that "for all intents and purposes it doesn't oxidize."
Well, even the guy I talked to, who is the president of the company, said that there is a little oxidation over time (not a perfect world, after all), so I am thinking it's plated with rhodium.

If you need a definite answer go to www.theringlord.com and contact them.[/quote]


Thanks Demios. Went to the site and took a better look at the offerings.
There is no description of plating or anodizing in the Bright Aluminum listing, and he does offer anodized aluminum, but not in clear, so I have no idea if the aluminum is coated. Not a big deal, but I was curious.

Ring Lord does offer an amazing number of ring material options; fine silver, inconel, solid 10 karat gold, anodized niobium, black stainless, anodized titanium... wow!

Just as a side note, i considered making a mithril shirt back in the late sixties/early seventies, but materials were much tougher to find and rings had to be handmade...

Tim

[quote=""timdp""]Thanks Demios. Went to the site and took a better look at the offerings.
There is no description of plating or anodizing in the Bright Aluminum listing, and he does offer anodized aluminum, but not in clear, so I have no idea if the aluminum is coated. Not a big deal, but I was curious.

Ring Lord does offer an amazing number of ring material options; fine silver, inconel, solid 10 karat gold, anodized niobium, black stainless, anodized titanium... wow!

Just as a side note, i considered making a mithril shirt back in the late sixties/early seventies, but materials were much tougher to find and rings had to be handmade...

Tim[/quote]

Oh, sorry....when I said contact them I meant email or call them. When I first went to the site and looked at the Brt. AL. I also noticed there was not a very good description of it, metallurigically speaking. So I called them.

Did you look at the site Thrandy bought his maile from? I can't recall the name of it but it is somewhere in this thread, 'way back towards the beginning.
I noticed that they also offer the Bright Aluminum maile. That site might give a better description.
And, of course, you can always just ask him.

And whatever the method is used, I am certain all the suppliers use the same maile, manufactured in that same big far eastern place.

[quote=""Deimos""]Oh, sorry....when I said contact them I meant email or call them. [/quote]

Yeah, I understood, but I was too lazy and it is not a really important question that I need to be answered right now. Have other higher priority projects...

Tim

http://www.ringmesh.com


Btw, #150 ordered so I post a pic of the two side by side in the raw when it arrives.

[quote=""Deimos""]Aaaaarrrrrggggh!!!!! THRANDY YA SPOILSPORT!!!!! (Just kidding )

I was hesitant to mention it just yet for a number of reasons:[/quote]
I guess I missed this one.
Sorry Deimos, spoiling wasn't my intention, but now that I see this aluminum chainmail, I can see that I did spoil it for you.

It is as I had said, the right look for mithril with no need of paint. I'm assuming the wire gauge is larger accounting for the denser look.

I'm glad you've pointed out the general costs and how labor intensive these are to make. I hope when you've finished you offer up the complete cost and labor figures.

I'm currently making two shirts of #150 maile which is absurdly fine and much more difficult to work with. Seriously thinking these will be the last.

Anyway, here's a shot of #210 and #150 chainmail side by side;

Guys, I'm pretty sure you don't have to misspell mithril, as I don't believe mithril is something Tolkien came up with, but something else altogether. I've seen the word mithril used many other places, for a light and durable metal.

[quote=""Thranduil""]I guess I missed this one.
Sorry Deimos, spoiling wasn't my intention, but now that I see this aluminum chainmail, I can see that I did spoil it for you.

It is as I had said, the right look for mithril with no need of paint. I'm assuming the wire gauge is larger accounting for the denser look.

I'm glad you've pointed out the general costs and how labor intensive these are to make. I hope when you've finished you offer up the complete cost and labor figures.

I'm currently making two shirts of #150 maile which is absurdly fine and much more difficult to work with. Seriously thinking these will be the last.

[/quote]

Yep, the mesh I bought is both a larger O.D. than the #220, and the wire diamater (gauge) is also larger.
The thicker wire helps offset the larger ring size, appearance-wise

(refer to my other post about the back surgery) I'm off work for at least another 6 weeks (at 80% of my salary, which I can easily live on) so I have all that time to assemble the maile for the torso and sleeves and also play around with the collar to see what works.
Not to mention also doing tons of reading and movie watching

Actually I have pretty well got the collar planned out, managed to figure out how to do everything but the damn gold scrolling pattern.
Lots of ways but none looks really good, at least not worthy of a nearly $1000 Mithryl shirt.

Should be able to come up with something fine looking, though

Darlak I am not certain you are correct about the lack of copyright on "mithril". Lots of people may use it, but I'm betting that as soon as I post a pic of my shirt for sale on Etsy and describe it as "mithril" or say I will accept commissions, the Tolkien estate will be contacting me for copyright infringement.