Advanced Styles : 6-in-1, 8-in-1

Once you have mastered the art of rudimentary chainmail construction, you may want to experiment with different metals, wire gauges, link sizes, and basic unit styles. Two of the more straightforward (although time consuming) variations on the European 4-in-1 style, are the 6-in-1 and 8-in-1 maille patterns. As the names imply, the basic units of these styles simply consist of a single ring interlinked with six and eight others, respectively. There are a number of important considerations to keep in mind when attempting these styles. First, they are much more dense than the 4-in-1 style, and will weigh considerably more if made with the same size wire and link. I have personally found that the 6-in-1 style has an acceptable density and weight with 16 gauge wire made into 5/16" links, but the 8-in-1 becomes far too dense. For the 8-in-1 I would recommend 3/8" links at the smallest, and 15 gauge wire at the lightest.

Once the basic unit of each style is made, the methods outlined in the previous section can be use to create chains and sheets.