About The Chain Nerd
AUGUST GRAPPIN (@gaudrhin)
August "Gus" Grappin started self-teaching himself chainmail in early 2015 and now has chainmail work on at least three separate continents! Gus loves a challenge and more than once has taken on a commission that other chainmail artisans call "insane," such as a micromaille hauberk for a 1/6 scale Lord of the Rings figurine, or an inlaid dragonscale dice bag made to look like R2D2.
Gus also streams gaming on Twitch (twitch.tv/gaudrhin) and writes novels under the name A. F. Grappin.
August "Gus" Grappin started self-teaching himself chainmail in early 2015 and now has chainmail work on at least three separate continents! Gus loves a challenge and more than once has taken on a commission that other chainmail artisans call "insane," such as a micromaille hauberk for a 1/6 scale Lord of the Rings figurine, or an inlaid dragonscale dice bag made to look like R2D2.
Gus also streams gaming on Twitch (twitch.tv/gaudrhin) and writes novels under the name A. F. Grappin.
ERIN KAZMARK (@emmelach)
Erin started learning chainmail from Gus in 2017 and suddenly exploded into the craft in full in 2018. Erin is a master of inlay patterns and jewelry and loves to incorporate gems, tags, and other elements into her designs.
Erin also streams gaming on Twitch (twitch.tv/emmelach), and with her husband Theo, raises three amazing, geeky children.
Erin started learning chainmail from Gus in 2017 and suddenly exploded into the craft in full in 2018. Erin is a master of inlay patterns and jewelry and loves to incorporate gems, tags, and other elements into her designs.
Erin also streams gaming on Twitch (twitch.tv/emmelach), and with her husband Theo, raises three amazing, geeky children.
FAQs
- Do you bend all those rings by hand?
- If "by hand" you mean "with two pairs of pliers," then yes. we weave every ring. The only technical exceptions are welded rings and rubber rings, which are permanently closed before we ever handle them.
- Really? All of them? How many are there?
- Yes, all of them. So far, my (Gus's) most ring-intensive piece had 29,707 rings in it. After that, 22,166 and 18,151.
- How many weaves do you know?
- Um... a lot. And I'm (Gus) always learning new ones. Last time I counted, it was around 40, ranging from beginner level to expert. Erin doesn't know as many as I do, but she's far more adept at designing with them. She thinks of doing things with weaves that I'd never dream of.
- And you've been doing this how long?
- Gus started chainmailing seriously in late March 2015. Erin started learning in 2017.
- What material(s) do you work with?
- We primarily use anodized aluminum, but we also work with stainless steel, titanium, brass, bronze, copper, niobium, argentium silver, gold, and EPDM rubber.
- Aluminum? Like a soda pop can?
- Not quite. The aluminum we work with isn't nearly as thin or fragile. This is jewelry-grade.
- Will those metals react with my skin?
- It's possible. Some people are sensitive to the metals. Copper, brass, and bronze in particular naturally develop a patina as they're worn. There may be occasions of "greening" of the skin. That does not necessarily mark a cheap metal. It's chemistry.
- I (Gus) will say that I have personal pieces in stainless steel and anodized aluminum that I rarely remove, and neither cause greening.
- And I (Erin) have a severe nickel allergy, and have never had a reaction to any of the metals we work with. And I regularly wear pieces we've made!
- Do you work in precious metals, like gold and silver?
- We certainly do! We recommend argentium silver, if silver is your thing. It doesn't tarnish and looks great.
- What size rings do you work with?
- We've gone everywhere from 1/16" (1.58mm) in diameter up to several inches. We mostly stick around to 1/4" or smaller, though.
- What do "gauges" mean?
- Gauge references the thickness of the wire used to make the rings themselves. The higher the number, the thinner the wire. We generally work as small as 26awg (.4mm) to as large as 14swg (2.03mm).
- How do I order a custom piece?
- You can message us directly through The Chain Nerd page on Facebook, or click that nice contact button right here on the webpage.
- How do you determine the prices of your pieces?
- It's based on a calculation of materials used and time spent making the piece.
- What are the limitations on designs?
- Honestly, your imagination is the starting point. For inlays, we can make almost any picture into a pattern to turn into chainmail. The main limitation there is color. We don't have the shades available to say... painters or needlecraft workers. But we'll do our darnedest to get it right for you.
- Size is another big factor. Think of it in terms of picture resolution. The more rings, the more detail we can get into an image. But more rings means a bigger overall piece.
- For jewelry, the main limitations are ring sizes for whatever weave(s) you're looking for. There's a ton of math involved in chainmail, and sometimes, getting rings in just the right size is a pain. We're talking things that are sensitive to 1/128 of an inch here. But again, we'll do our darnedest to make what you want.
- Will you ever ship internationally? What are the restrictions on that?
- We already have, actually. A few of our pieces have found their way to Canada, Germany, and South Africa. For international shipping, it really just comes down to shipping costs. If you're willing to foot them, we'll gladly send wherever you like!
- Where do you buy your materials?
- We purchase supplies from a number of jewelry and chainmail suppliers, most often The Ring Lord and Joshua Diliberto.
- How do you feel about the song "Chain of Fools?"
- Gus: I don't hate it...
- Erin: It's... okay.
- How many chains can a chain nerd chain if a chain nerd can chain chains?
- Gus: No.
- Erin: Seven.