REVIEW: GDFB Riveted Maille types compared (and Mithril!)

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SierraStrider
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Re: REVIEW: GDFB Riveted Maille types compared (and Mithril!)

Post by SierraStrider »

No amount of polishing is going to change the color of the titanium for long. It'll revert back to that dark gray oxide fairly quickly.

The more interesting possibility is anodizing it--using an electric current and chemicals to precisely alter the thickness of the oxide layer to change its color. Right around 45 volts looks like you might get a slightly brighter 'silver' color, and it looks like there's an even better candidate above 120v, though most of the charts I've seen don't go up that high, since running 120v DC through an electrolyte bath is terrifying. You could also get a wide array of colors from it, which would mostly be useful as an aesthetic choice.

I would be very interested in a strength comparison. In my experience with my hand-made fence wire mail, no sword slash is getting through it. A long edge, no matter how sharp, won't cleave that many links simultaneously (though the blunt-force trauma underneath is still a danger). A sharp point with enough force behind it to pop a small number of links is the biggest threat.

I think the best way to test it would be some kind of rig with a tapered broach that could have weight added to it pressing down, to see how much weight it took to pop a link of each of the different types. Seems like a lot of work to satisfy idle curiosity, though.
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Peter Remling
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Re: REVIEW: GDFB Riveted Maille types compared (and Mithril!)

Post by Peter Remling »

Actually a simple device would be quite easy. Take a normal drill press, affix your penetration bit.* and use a fish scale to weight the force needed on the handles.** Not 100% accurate but it would give you a good idea as to relative lbs of force needed to penetrate.

*the penetration bit should be shaped either like a phillips head screw driver or a simple tapered rod.

**Use a regular scale to determine the force lbs ratio and convert your figures.

Sounds like an interesting experiment
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SierraStrider
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Re: REVIEW: GDFB Riveted Maille types compared (and Mithril!)

Post by SierraStrider »

Good thought with the drill press.
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