I've just been looking at Beadsisters site at all the rings they have and i'm lost!
Whats the difference between saw cut and machine cut? Is the gauge the thickness of the metal? With coloured rings is copper or aluminium better? How do you know what to get? lol. Will it all be clearer when i get a book?

Its probably all very straight forward and i'm just making it complicated!

It can be a little confusing to start with. It really depends on what you want to make. Why not get a kit to start with, think Beadsisters have a few beginners one's to get you going.

Wire gauge is the thickness of the wire, the other measurement will be the ring diameter. The aluminium rings are quite thin and very light, whereas the enamelled copper are a bit heavier and come in different gauges. With both you have to be careful not to damage the coating when using your pliers.

Books do help, but you can get lots of information on weaves and ring sizes from the web. If you do a search in the Chainmaille and wire section you will find some posts with lots of details of these sites.

Be warned though - chainmaille is very addictive and once you start you can't stop

I got one of Lynne's (dragonfly lynne) catkins kits which after a bit of difficulty and stressing at the start, i have managed to complete and really enjoyed.

I like the set that Lesley (coburg crafts) posted a little while ago in latest creations and would like to try doing something similar as it looks fairly similar to the catkins.

I shall go search the web now lol.

Luckily Sam, nearly every weave instruction will tell you the size of rings to use.

Unlike us with jump rings that give you the external diameter, the maille works with the INTERNAL diameter of the rings. That's the bit that always confuses me, although some weaves will work with the kind of rings we buy normally.

The trick to understanding weaves (I'm afraid) is getting to grips with aspect ratio (AR). This is basically the internal diameter of the ring divided by the gauge of the wire. Easiest to work in mm for this as imperial measurements end up giving you some very complicated fractions!

So if you have a 3.5mm id ring with in 1mm wire, the AR is 3.5. To get the same AR in a 1.6m wire, you'd need rings with a 5.6mm id (5.5 would work OK!)

Virtually all weave instructions will include the required AR, and from there you can work out exactly what size you need in any given gauge.

Whew!

Then there's the difference between saw and machine cut. In simple terms, saw cut will be better quality, and the kerf (width of the blade, and therefore the width of the 'gap' in the ring) is likely to be smaller.

As for coloured rings, I have to admit I rarely use them as the coated ones often lose their coating (especially near the cut), and anodised can be affected by wearing them. Same goes for plated metals sadly. However, as Alison says, you need to be careful with both, and I find the weight of the copper rings more satisfying.

Uncoated copper is a good option to learn with - more forgiving on any scratches, and much cheaper than sterling!

hth
george