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Has anyone tried to make and test the best mail that is possible to make today? What were the results? |
Jesse,
Nobody has yet performed the test you describe. Some have come close, but still fell short by a good margin. ARS is currently in the process of putting together just such a test, but as I stated earlier, the results will not be publishable for quite a while yet for the reasons stated earlier.
You have to understand that there was a good deal of variety to mail. I mean here you have an armour that for all intents and purposes was manufactured and used for roughly two and a half thousand years straight. In addition to that it was used by many different cultures. With such a large number of variables involved it will take time to sort through them so that an accurate test can be designed.
Now, as for your reference of spring temper, there have been samples of mail that were hardened and tempered, but they represent a very small percentage of the mail that was in use. There is also good reason to believe that shirts composed of this type of link, were used under civilian clothing to protect the wearer from asassination.