Rings: made of 16 ga. steel wire, 5/16 inch I.D.
The main tie is made of Euro 4 to 1 weave.
The neck straps are made of Half Persian 4 to 1.
Let it be known that each piece is hand made following no particular pattern which leads each one to be it's very own with exact duplicates. This is not terribly important, I only mention it in case you notice that your piece appears slightly different than the picture (if you care to look so closely at ring placement) this is why. I won't sell a piece if I think it looks funny or poorly put together.
I have cleaned all pieces before sending them out. Please let it be known that some of my materials are naturally duller than others.
To care for your STEEL chain maille piece you have a few options.
You may simply wash it with dish soap or any anti-grease soap (if your piece lays against your skin you'll notice it getting dingier over time, yay skin oils, so the anti-grease soaps are better if you have them) use and old tooth brush to get in the crevasses and tighter areas. Let it dry on an old towel, or it can hang dry, I prefer to dry it up as much as I can before leaving it but remember that water will sit between the rings and require some time to evaporate. You can also use a blow dryer if you'd like but avoid using heat.
Another method is to take an OLD pillow case as it may get dirty in the process (or you can use a box or container of any kind with no holes) fill it with dry grainy sand (or kitty litter or rice also work) toss your maille in with your chosen grainy substance (tie your pillow case shut with a tight knot) and SHAKE. You can plop it in your trunk while you drive around, if you're using a pillow case some people put them in the dryer on air fluff (again avoid heat if you do this, metal you know, and also I wouldn't recommend very powdery dirt if you're going to use the dryer it poofs everywhere, this problem may occur with some kitty litters too, I personally use cheap rice from the 99 cent store). ANYWAY: The granule bits polish the maille and help remove dirt. I like to wash them first then throw them in a sack of rice to help pull out the extra moisture and polish.
There are a variety or ways to clean your chain maille, just make sure you get permission to use your mum's nice pillow case or the expensive new dryer if that happens to be your situation, I'd hate be advising you to get yourself in trouble for desiring clean chain maille.
Finally this is all very good advice for your STEEL chain maille, if you should come across a piece made of different material there may be another set of care instructions for it.
(All SteamWolf Chain Maille is created by Nicole Warner.)
Have any questions?
Contact the shop owner.
