Whether you spell it chain mail, chainmail chainmaille, it doesn’t matter – it all refers to the same thing. Personally, I like to spell it with two “Ls” and an “E” because it makes me feel all smart and fancy and stuff. But if you think that less is more, well, more power to ya!
To start out in chainmaille, all you need are two sets of pliers. But what kind of pliers should you buy? Here’s the abridged version on the two most common types – chain nose and needle nose.
If these two styles had personalities, they would look like this: The Wrapped Loop requires a little more work upfront, but is emotionally stable, reliable and can withstand quite a bit of pressure. The Basic Loop, while fun and easy at first, turns out to be a bit neurotic and is prone to nervous collapse at the first sign of trouble.
We’ll start with the Single Roll Headpin. Bend the very end of one of wires with your chain nose pliers. Use the pliers to flatten the tiny loop, and you have your completed Single Roll Headpin. This is a super easy and super fast way to make a headpin, but it’s important to note that it will only support beads with small holes. Beads with larger holes will require a headpin with more substance.
