T. Kew wrote: |
"Half-arsed" riveting is still significantly stronger than butted |
Respectfully, I disagree. Speaking strictly in terms of strength I think there's quite a bit of overlap in durability between the better quality butted mail and lesser quality riveted mail.
I still use the butted mail shirt I made in high school almost 25 years ago. It's made entirely of 8mm ID 1.4mm diameter spring steel links, and has only ever had minor repairs. I still use it for sentimental reasons. When I made the thing as a 16 year old (who was frightened of horses) I never could have imagined that one day I'd be jousting in it.
Conversely, I've handled poorly riveted mail and seen links fail just from the weight of picking it up, so I think a blanket statement that riveted mail is better than butted mail is a bit over simplistic.
Butted mail made out of mild steel-absolutely, not even worth it for scrap value.
I probably will get around to replacing my butted mail as it doesn't really cut the mustard by today's authenticity standards, but strength/durability plays no part in this decision. It's held up better than any indian made riveted mail I've come across.
Ed.