costume question ???

[james_uk1]

hi all
i have a question i would like to ask if anyone could help me please i am putting togeather a jaffa costume and would like to know if anyone out there knows of a material that looks like chain mail and would not be too heavy as this part of my costume is proving to be difficult to find any help would be greatly appreciated
cheers in advance
james :alienooh:

[CynVision]

The only thing that comes to mind as the substitute is large gauge knit fabrics with glittery yarn. I'm betting that's what the costumers use in the first place. Hand knitting would be the way to make a single piece, but involves a big learning curve. There are knitting machines but they're expensive buggers.

[Hatshepsut]

Actually, although chainmail is fairly heavy, it's reasonably comfortable to wear as the weight is evenly distributed.

A friend of mine wore hers around the house to get used to it. She soon became so accustomed to it that she went out to the local shops and forgot she was still wearing it! :lol:

Best wishes,
Hatshepsut :wave:
--

[Wingless Flyer]

It can be quite dear putting together a costume.

I am getting into some Living History with the US 1st infantry Div. and it's £250 to get started for the minimal amount of kit (not including the blank firing Colt .45) and any of the other stuff like dress uniform or D-Day 'look', like life-belts, and boat crew equipment (the teams were spilt into teams like, Rifle, mortar, AT and the like who each had their own different equipment)

I know the guys who do the Romans, Vikings, Normans and the like pay allot more for their kit. They have to have all the armour and swords and other arms made by real black smiths (or companies do, who they then buy them off) and ex surplus is hard to find

The Jaffa uniform will be a hard task. I mean, the SGC uniforms could be constructed from current US air force and Army surplus, but the Jaffa uniforms are made from rubber and the like (We did have a person from the Stargate make-up room with us here on AsciFi, maybe she can give you some tips?)

Good luck with it

BTW - Chain mail was great for glancing blows but get a fit young Norse male wielding a battle axe, or an English Long Bow-man and it wasn't much help. But they were comfortable and allowed great manoeuvrability, much more then what we expect to see 'knights in shining armour' to have, which while good, restricted movement quite a bit. So it really was a compromise between manoeuvrability and overall protection.

[Rowan]

One thing you might be able to sub is the chain mail they make meat cutter's gloves out of.

Oher than that, it looks like you'll be knitting chain. Since it's only for show, you don't need the 'weight' used in fighting, so you can probably go with an 18 or 20 ga wire. There are a couple of good internet sites with info:
Sunshyn's Guide to Chian Mail
Apprentice Armorer's Guide
Fields of Glory
and any local SCA'er.

Rowan <who's made and worn chain, but prefers Cuir Bouilli leather to fight in

[webmouse]

I did the Living History thing for years and if you can manage to get real chainmail, be wise and wear a padded shirt or tunic (gambeson) underneath. Even fairly light gauge mail can leave wierd rows of bruises on your shoulders and on any other part of you that gets bumped.

Since this is just for show and not for protection, the bulky knit route is probably better and much cheaper. Oh, and no bruises.

If you want the real thing, there are makers of mail out there -- in the U.S. and the U.K. I might be able to come up with some names, if you need the information.