Making a Byzantine Chain

Byzantine Chain

Materials:

• Wire 4'. 6" ~ 132cm 20 gauge 2.5mm ID (Inner Diameter)
  24 rings per 2cm (204 rings)
• Wire 3' 9" ~ 114cm 18 gauge 4.0mm ID (Inner Diameter)
  14 rings per 2cm (120 rings)
• Clasp
  

  Tools

  Chain nose pliers
  Flat nose pliers or Bent nose pliers
  Wire tie, or any lace
  Jewelers saw, or Flush cutters

Instructions:

You can make your own coils for jump rings using Bail making pliers.

Bail Making Pliers

Linked Rings 2-2-2 Chain 

Flipping the silver rings to the chain sides

1. Open widely the jump rings to be easy to link them
2.  Place a wire tie or a lace through two closed rings and twist the ends of the closed wire
3. Link an open ring through the two closed rings and close the ring. Link a second ring through the same path and close the ring
4. Link 2 more open rings to the chain and close them forming a 2-2-2 chain
5. Grasp the chain, and the wire tie in your non dominant hand and flip the two top rings (silver rings) to the sides of the chain facing down
6. Lift your fingertips away and pin the (silver rings) with your thumb and turn them to the outside of the chain, and push the flipped rings (silver rings) up a little to position against the sides 
7. Split the two top rings and insert and open ring between the top two rings and through both rings (silver rings) beneath them, then close the ring
8. Insert another open ring to the the same path beneath them (silver rings) and close the ring
   

   

   Splitting the two top rings

Inserting a Ring-beneath the silver rings to lock the pattern

Locking the pattern

 

Byzantine Chain Maille pattern

Repeating pattern to form 2-2-2 chain again

Byzantine Chain Maille