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About Dodecahedron

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    thither and yon
  1. Dodecahedron

    BRIGHT finish AA scales

  2. Dodecahedron

    Has anyone made Maille from crush washers?

    1. Just because it something will stop a bullet, does not mean it will stop the bullet from shattering you sturnum or causing major internal damage. 2. Thats why people carry .38 special, .40 and .45 's Best of luck in your endeavors. You may need it.
  3. Dodecahedron

    I need some pointers

    Why not make the necklace out of graduated Byzantine to compliment the bracelet. you could start with 20ga 1/8 and slowly work up to a 18 5/32 in the center. you could even put tails of Euro 2in2 leading back to the clasp
  4. Dodecahedron

    What type and what gauge of aluminum should I use

    Welcome and Well Come Nightingale, Firstly, 18ga. aluminum is not very strong when it comes to armour. you WILL be replacing rings. Secondly, there is a reason dragon scale in not used armour. Dragonscale is a tough weave. I dont mean tough as in difficult, though it can get tedious, I mean it is more rigid than than the typical Euro 4in1. Some of the protection of 4in1 is because it dissipates the energy of a blow into making the maille move, bend and flop around. dragonscale does not bend or flop nearly as well as 4in1 so the energy that would have been be dissipated goes directly into either you or the rings, causing them to stretch and bend out of shape. this combined with light guage aluminum means you probably have to replace rings for anything stronger than a friendly jab on shoulder, but i guess that depend on how strong your friends are :-P Thirdly, fitting. since it is not as flexible, it won hug you as well as 4in 1 will, and you need to make the shirt big enough to fit over you largest feature of your figure. I dont know if the is a clean way to do contractions and expansions when dragon scale is hanging "open" (scales pointing up or down. exp. and con. are more discrete when the maille is hanging closed. Fourthly (is that a word?), repairs: dragonscale is a tighter weave with orbital rings. it can be tough to replace rings in the middle of a sheet. I am to trying to discourage you from doing this; I just want you to understand what you are getting into, so you can plan accordingly. if you do go through with it, it will be more of a costume piece than armor, but it will be definitely be gorgeous Material: Bright Aluminum will leave black oxide residue on anything it is worn over. i believe the etched aluminum reduces this, but only until the etching wears off... I have not used it yet so i defer to those with more experience. also pay attention to the temper of the wire that determines the strength of the rings. Advice: Get a bag each of different sizes (or a small amount of wire of make them) to practice with before you dive in. Get to know the weave and see what you think will be sturdy enough and flexible enough for you. (18ga 5/16 large rings with 18ga 3/16 or 5/32 small rings) should be a good start. Check if you will be able to replace rings in the middle of the sheet. Double check that you have the patience to make a whole shirt from those tiny rings. Consider using larger wire: (16ga 3/8 large rings with 16ga 1/4 or 7/32 small rings ) they will be stronger and take less rings(=time) to make the shirt. Consider using Stainless Steel.
  5. Dodecahedron

    Newbie with a scale question.

    This is the correct tutorial, and ~90% of what applies to large scales is the same for small scales. if this is the one you found then ignore the sheet of scales on the left side; that is the before sheet. Look at the left and right edges of the after sheet on the right to see edging in action. That edge finishing does a good job of keeping the edge scales from flying outward, but they can still have a tenancy to curl back like separate pieces of fringe. Let's represent that with the doodles: | \ | \ for standard weave (left side of the sheet in the tutorial) and | \ / | \ for 4in1weave (right side of the sheet in the tutorial. where " | " is the edge of a sheet and the slashes are rings attached to an edge scale, that are connected by the floating ring. I prefer to edge with: | \ | / \ because it makes a flatter, fringless edge. You will need two rings attached to the outside of each edge scale instead of just one. This method will take some sag out of the edge, scrinching it vertically, but small scales do not have nearly as much sag as large scales, and this should only be a problem if you have to finish a rather long edge.
  6. Dodecahedron

    Maille purse.

    Well done, good sir.
  7. Dodecahedron

    Clear + Black Polycarbonate Scales

    I don't know if it has been said, but there are some pretty cool things that can be done with clear plastic other than plain dying or painting Paint the back not the front. The paint will show through, but it wont get scratched off because it is behind the scale. just remember that any designs you want to show have to be painted first. The plastic scale over the paint maylook like a lacquer finish Sharpie Stained glass: draw on the back with colored sharpies. you can do solid scales or frame them into sections with black sharpie. If you apply white or silver over top of the sharpie on the back, the color will show more prominently; or drape white fabric behind. the sharpie can be removed with 90% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Side note: You can "dye" with Sharpies by adding the color cartridge from inside the sharpie to 70% isopropyl alcohol and soaking the thing to be dyed in the solution. this will work on synthetic fabrics, but i have no clue how well it will work for PC scales. It will likely be just a surface finish, and not as permanent as the acetone method, it it works at all. Paint a base color on the back and thin coat, dry-brush or mist the front. This will not only give the effect of dry-brushing, but it can add a little depth the the material. If/when the paint on the front scratches or wears down it won't look too bad, it will only expose more of the base color. this works rather well for creating all sorts of metallic hues (silver over black or gunmetal, brass over burgundy, gold over green, etc...). Disclaimer: I have not yet tried any of these techniques on the TRL scales. I am looking forward to getting to some to play with and just thought I'd share some things ive learned working with similar materials until that happens. I do not know if it is just the pictures in the website, but the scales appear like they might be a little cloudier than the crystal clear plastics that work really well.
  8. Dodecahedron

    Clear + Black Polycarbonate Scales

    but i wanna make microscale gloves
  9. Dodecahedron

    scale mail fitted bra

    what a beautiful way to do an underwire. I am definately going to consider using this 12 in 2 method for the 34DDD i will be making soon.
  10. Sweet! I love the pearlescents and the Macaw top. I've made several sets of spaulders ans i often get comments that they looke like wings. since first i heard that ive been wanting to do somthing like that with multiple lengths of scales.
  11. Dodecahedron

    Scale armor noob, ring size question

    Correct. Scratches on the rings or from the rings won't show, but the bottom of each scale will rub on the face of the ones below it. Unfortunately, aside from edging your scales with rubber, there is practically no way of avoiding this. The amount of scratching depends on the sharpness/hardness of the scales' edge and the durability of the paint. I would test your choice of paint out first with a rub test and a bending test to make sure it doesn't scratch or chip too easily. For 16g steel, toothed pliers wouldn't hurt, and the rings will be large enough to fit in regular old pliers. The rings won't be seen so you can scratch them all you want. If you use toothless flat nose narower 1/4" at the tip for aluminum rings, you might want to avoid using them on 16g steel. They will be hardER to work with, and the harder material could round out the corners of the pliers.
  12. Dodecahedron

    NEW Cyborg Shipping!

    If you receive a package today, please order it by tomorrow so it can have been shipped yesterday.
  13. Dodecahedron

    Storage on the Go

    I use lock-up jars. You can find them at Joann Fabrics. You can grab exactly the rings you need and throw the stack in running sack with some pliers and a project and be off. For variety. I'll use a plastic tub or a pack for to carry multiple stacks. http://m.crateandbarrel.com/lock-up-jars/f34917
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  15. Dodecahedron

    Pink Armor...yes I said Pink Armor