So you're getting into chainmaille

Chainmaille has a reputation for being complicated. And complex weaves — Full Persian 6-in-1, Helm chain, Dragonscale — genuinely are. But the basics are more approachable than they look, and the first meaningful milestone (a finished Byzantine bracelet you’d actually wear) is reachable in an afternoon.

The craft has exactly one core skill: opening and closing a metal ring without distorting it. Everything else is pattern.

Hour 1: Learn the one technique that matters

Before you weave anything, you need to learn how to open and close a jump ring correctly.

The wrong way is to pull the ring apart sideways, widening the gap. That stretches the ring and it never closes cleanly again. The right way is a slight twist: one side of the ring comes toward you while the other goes away, creating a gap at the seam without changing the ring’s shape. When you close it, you reverse the twist and press until you feel the ends click together.

Hold one pair of pliers in each hand, gripping the ring on either side of the cut. The plier on the left stays still. The plier on the right twists forward. That’s the motion.

Practice this with 20 rings before you try any weave. Open them, close them, check the seam. A well-closed ring has no gap at the seam you can feel with a fingernail. After 20, you’ll have the muscle memory.

Hours 1-2: Your first weave (2-in-2 chain)

The 2-in-2 chain is the best starting weave because it teaches you everything about how chainmaille works while producing something you can actually use as a base for a necklace or bracelet.

The pattern: lay two closed rings flat. Add two open rings through both of them, and close those. Keep adding pairs of rings through the previous pair. That’s it.

When you first try it, the rings won’t want to cooperate. They’ll flip, fall out, or not sit flat. This is normal. Slow down. Work on a flat surface. Once a few pairs are connected, the chain starts to organize itself and the rhythm kicks in.

By the end of two hours, most beginners have a workable 6-inch 2-in-2 chain. It won’t be perfect. The rings probably aren’t all sitting at the same angle. That’s fine. You’re building pattern recognition, not a finished piece yet.

Hours 2-4: Byzantine — the weave that hooks people

Byzantine is the weave most chainmaillers credit for getting them serious about the craft. It looks like something that should take a jewelry class to learn. It doesn’t.

The structure is a 2-in-2 box segment followed by a “flower” that locks the rings into a rigid geometric unit. Once you see the flower open and lock, the pattern is clear and repeatable. You chain the units together and build length.

The key moment is learning to “pop” the unit open — pressing the central pair of rings down with your thumbs so the side rings fold outward into the flower position. It takes a few tries to feel it. Once you feel it once, you’ll recognize it every time.

Work from a video the first time. Watch someone else’s hands do the pop before you try it. Blueprint instructions are hard to follow for Byzantine until you’ve seen the physical motion.

Most beginners complete their first Byzantine bracelet somewhere in hours 3-4. It’s not perfect. Some units are tighter than others; a few rings aren’t quite closed. That’s fine. The piece is wearable and recognizable as Byzantine, and that’s the milestone.

Hours 4-5: Finishing, clasps, and what’s next

A finished bracelet needs a clasp. This is simpler than it sounds: you attach a jump ring to each end of your chain, then connect a lobster claw clasp to one jump ring. The claw clips to the jump ring on the other end.

The clasp jump rings need to be slightly larger than your weave rings so they sit cleanly. If you bought an assortment, you’ll have a size that works. If not, most chainmaille suppliers sell “connector rings” sized for the purpose.

After you close the clasp attachment and put the bracelet on for the first time, something clicks: this is a real object you made from a pile of rings and two pliers. That feeling is why people get into chainmaille.

By hour 5, most beginners have a reasonable answer to “what do I want to make next?” The most common next steps:

• Box chain necklace: simpler pattern than Byzantine, scales to any length, works beautifully in aluminum or copper.
• Orbital chain: Byzantine cousin with an added ring that gives it a different texture.
• Full Persian 6-in-1: the ambitious jump. Significantly harder. Wait until Byzantine feels automatic.

What you’ll do wrong (everyone does)

• Pulling rings sideways instead of twisting them. The most common beginner mistake. Stretched rings don’t close cleanly and make your finished piece look loose and uneven.
• Working too fast. Chainmaille rewards patience. Rushing leads to rings in the wrong orientation that you have to unpick later.
• Skipping the seam check. A ring that looks closed from a foot away may have a gap you can feel. Run a fingernail over every seam. Gaps snag skin and catch on fabric.
• Starting with sterling silver. Aluminum is the learning metal. Silver at 10-30x the cost just makes your mistakes expensive.

After hour 5

Two things improve the slope of your progress faster than anything else:

Work from the M.A.I.L. database. Maille Artisans International League has hundreds of named weaves with aspect ratio guides and step-by-step instructions. Browse by difficulty. Pick your next weave there, not by Googling.

Find the r/Chainmaille community. Post your first Byzantine bracelet. You’ll get genuine feedback and encouragement, not just likes. The regulars remember what it’s like to be a beginner.

The craft scales indefinitely. There are weavers who’ve been at it for twenty years who are still learning new patterns. Your first five hours are the entry point to something that has a lot of room in it.