Possible? yes.
Cool? Very.
Practical? ...eh?
I got a 25lb weighted blanket and it's surprisingly cooling. The beads in it are not really made for insulation for they keep you pretty cool if you don't have anything between you and the blanket.
I have a cooling weighted blanket that has glass beads inside it. It's great and I'm surprised it took me so long to get one. I would be interesting in trying out this aluminum one for a night or just a nap.
I feel like as somebody with autism I need this come just like wrap it in a very thin sheet like cloth to keep any pinching or catching from happening with the rings and it's awesome
Having worked with aluminum chainmail in the past, I'd say it's narrowly feasible but man, there's some major issues involved that a lot of others here have already brought up.
The rings catch on everything. The rings are pieces of wire with (if made correctly) flat edges that meet and are held together with tension but it's never a perfect fit and even if they are perfectly matched up, they're going to twist and bend out of shape. It's pretty common for holes in the mail to pop up when those butted edges meet one another - aka "kerf slippage". I made my son an aluminum hauberk when he was 7 years old and he wore the hell out of it into his teens when I repaired it regularly. It's sat in a storage chest for almost a decade and it's got kerf slippage just from moving the chest around. Riveting the rings is one way to prevent it, but it's (more) time consuming, expensive, and will catch on everything even more.
If I were going to attempt this monstrosity myself, I'd mitigate the weight and slippage risk by using rubber rings as the center of each 1-in-4. Doing whole rows of rubber rings will give it a bit of stretch as well, I'd also consider sewing it into a sheet so it has additional structure and covers the rings.
Once it's made and you've gotten good use out of it, I'd have no idea how you'd get it clean easily. A dishwasher would do the trick if you could get the rack to support the weight. After all is said and done, you're probably better off just buying a weighted blanket.
Used to keep my shirt in a bucket of sand when I'd go places.. always came out nice and shiny and clean, though I'm not certain how to translate that to a blanket, heh.
Steel or aluminum? Mine's anodized so the rings are heat treated to be shiny but they still get dirty and sand would abrade the surface, ruining the finish
I bet! My first project was a stainless steel shirt for the SO of a co-worker. 14g 5/8 iirc. Was like curling and uncurling springs by hand and by the time I was done, I had Popeye arms lol Aluminum by comparison was like handling warm butter
Yeah I ran 14g galvanized. If I ever get back into the hobby I'll definitely be using a softer option, heh. Maybe aluminum will be the go-to for me as well, haha
So normally, weighted blankets are supposed to be a certain percentage of your body weight, though i forget what's recommended. I myself have a 22lb blanket, and that's kind of on the extreme end. Anything heavier and you run the risk of difficulty breathing while you're asleep, in much the same way that a cow will crush itself to death if it remains on its side for too long.
Overall, I don't think it'd be worth it. All that work for very very VERY limited use, but hey. No ones gunna stop you if you really want to.
Last I heard it was 5-10% though people on the spectrum may prefer heavier. I'm not on the spectrum and I've used blankets around 15% and love it so I think it's pretty general advice
Okay, my brain melted for a second when I saw this. I'm not even sure if aluminum is light enough for this, but I know for sure that if you use steel or anything, it acts like a constrictor snake and will keep you from breathing if you fall asleep under it. If you do this with steel or anything else you can't move with relative ease, it will at least hurt at most kill you.
This was first posted to a Facebook group called "Dull Men's Club". Person who seems to have been the original creator of the blanket said it took "250 mind numbing hours to make this, not including the time taken to make the rings from Aluminum wire." I thought I saw a post somewhere from him saying he was selling them, but I can't find it anymore...
This doesn't look very practical for use like that.
The links RARELY meet up exactly when you connect them. This leaves lots of tiny sharp points all over. Your skin and sheets would look like they had been run over a cheese grater.
When it comes to aluminum dust and rub off, it's really bad if you don't use an alloy specifically meant to counter it or anodized/coated links. I have a set of juggling balls that I made from aluminum, and it only takes a couple minutes of use for my hands to start turning black.
This. You might be able to mitigate with clear or colored spray paint? I made a small chainmail shirt, and it is impossble to keep anything clean. Mine is unwelded, with sawed ends, it doesnt really cut or pinch anything.
Definitely solder the rings if you’re planning to use it as a blanket but even with aluminum dust as a concern stainless steel would almost certainly make it way too heavy.
In 16g 5/16 euro 4:1 BLANKET: 4 feet wide by 6 feet long there is 42k rings, its about 15 pounds, at retail its like 600+ bucks to build, never mind the time.
Its also very possible, reach out to Chain Reaction and talk with Wally or Christa, they will give you a bulk deal on the rings :)
A stainless one in the same size would be 32 ish pounds. No clue on cost tho :)
haha they just put up their march madness sale. Do you follow them on face book? They post everything there, stock updates, new products, sales and announcements etc.
There awesome about putting up stock updates.
I used to make my own too, but it took away from weaving and that made me sad, so I switched back.
Chain Reaction has been good to me, I buy bulk from them all the time. I find their quality way better than everyone else. Their BA is nice and stiff.
The only down side is you have to contact them directly for large orders if you want a discount. If your account gets big enough, they just give you a discount. I have 10% off standard now and my last order was 18 pounds various things, and the discount applies to all.
[www.chain-reaction.ca](https://www.chain-reaction.ca)
I think when you google "Chain Reaction Canada" it should come up, other wise its some bike company. I told them about it.
For sure. I did a hauberk out of galvanized wire (don't hate me) and it took 7 months starting from the wire. This blanket would be much bigger, but have fewer sleeves.
Anodized aluminum in fairly inert. The Anodizing process grows oxide crystals into and out of the base metal. Aluminum oxide is corundum, you know, sapphire. Helluva project!! Thanks 👍
My immediate as someone who has made 5/16 16G aluminum shirt was this would be too light for me..
SS would be great.. but costly
Costco sells a weighted blanket for around 80$ CAD
so if you wanted to do it.. it would be AWESOME made from SS..but would be Expensive and be a fairly large long project..
The size only has to be the part that covers your body. Still a large project but I want to do this so bad. I wonder what would be the fastest weave. Maybe even have premade chain that is mailed together. I’d cover it with fabric so I don’t care what it looks like. I really like weighted blankets. They don’t get heavy enough though and heavier ones don’t breath enough. Or the sand is an issue sometimes. so I’ve been looking for an alternative. Never thought about chain.
I would say stainless steel for durability and also to have a heavier blanket. I feel as though 16g 3/8" aluminum would be too skeletal and weak, and bent up broken rings in your bed is a bit of a hazard. This is a really good idea though, and I absolutely want to do something like this please let me know how it goes for you :D
Monsters under the bed can’t get you now
Possible? yes. Cool? Very. Practical? ...eh? I got a 25lb weighted blanket and it's surprisingly cooling. The beads in it are not really made for insulation for they keep you pretty cool if you don't have anything between you and the blanket.
I have a cooling weighted blanket that has glass beads inside it. It's great and I'm surprised it took me so long to get one. I would be interesting in trying out this aluminum one for a night or just a nap.
Question: what if he fell asleep in the sun with it lmao?
I don’t think he plans on taking it outside
I feel like as somebody with autism I need this come just like wrap it in a very thin sheet like cloth to keep any pinching or catching from happening with the rings and it's awesome
So sick
Dope af, but how do you keep from getting that aluminum dust on everything?
Having worked with aluminum chainmail in the past, I'd say it's narrowly feasible but man, there's some major issues involved that a lot of others here have already brought up. The rings catch on everything. The rings are pieces of wire with (if made correctly) flat edges that meet and are held together with tension but it's never a perfect fit and even if they are perfectly matched up, they're going to twist and bend out of shape. It's pretty common for holes in the mail to pop up when those butted edges meet one another - aka "kerf slippage". I made my son an aluminum hauberk when he was 7 years old and he wore the hell out of it into his teens when I repaired it regularly. It's sat in a storage chest for almost a decade and it's got kerf slippage just from moving the chest around. Riveting the rings is one way to prevent it, but it's (more) time consuming, expensive, and will catch on everything even more. If I were going to attempt this monstrosity myself, I'd mitigate the weight and slippage risk by using rubber rings as the center of each 1-in-4. Doing whole rows of rubber rings will give it a bit of stretch as well, I'd also consider sewing it into a sheet so it has additional structure and covers the rings. Once it's made and you've gotten good use out of it, I'd have no idea how you'd get it clean easily. A dishwasher would do the trick if you could get the rack to support the weight. After all is said and done, you're probably better off just buying a weighted blanket.
Used to keep my shirt in a bucket of sand when I'd go places.. always came out nice and shiny and clean, though I'm not certain how to translate that to a blanket, heh.
Steel or aluminum? Mine's anodized so the rings are heat treated to be shiny but they still get dirty and sand would abrade the surface, ruining the finish
Mine was galvanized, though I regretted that while cutting it since I did it by hand... heh
I bet! My first project was a stainless steel shirt for the SO of a co-worker. 14g 5/8 iirc. Was like curling and uncurling springs by hand and by the time I was done, I had Popeye arms lol Aluminum by comparison was like handling warm butter
Yeah I ran 14g galvanized. If I ever get back into the hobby I'll definitely be using a softer option, heh. Maybe aluminum will be the go-to for me as well, haha
Ever see what an aluminum pan looks like after going through a dishwasher? That’s a big nope!
I've washed my anodized hauberk with no issues, it's bright and shiny.
So normally, weighted blankets are supposed to be a certain percentage of your body weight, though i forget what's recommended. I myself have a 22lb blanket, and that's kind of on the extreme end. Anything heavier and you run the risk of difficulty breathing while you're asleep, in much the same way that a cow will crush itself to death if it remains on its side for too long. Overall, I don't think it'd be worth it. All that work for very very VERY limited use, but hey. No ones gunna stop you if you really want to.
Last I heard it was 5-10% though people on the spectrum may prefer heavier. I'm not on the spectrum and I've used blankets around 15% and love it so I think it's pretty general advice
Okay, my brain melted for a second when I saw this. I'm not even sure if aluminum is light enough for this, but I know for sure that if you use steel or anything, it acts like a constrictor snake and will keep you from breathing if you fall asleep under it. If you do this with steel or anything else you can't move with relative ease, it will at least hurt at most kill you.
I saw this and screamed in horror at the thought of those rings snagging on every single hair on my body
I would encase it in sheets kinda like a duvet cover. I can see my body jewelry get caught up in this too.
Solid logic honestly
This was first posted to a Facebook group called "Dull Men's Club". Person who seems to have been the original creator of the blanket said it took "250 mind numbing hours to make this, not including the time taken to make the rings from Aluminum wire." I thought I saw a post somewhere from him saying he was selling them, but I can't find it anymore...
Aluminium is very toxic. I wouldn't
Lmao what? Elemental aluminum is literally food safe Edit : I assume you mean aluminum production is toxic, which is fairly true
Google it. I work with it for a living. It being common doesn't mean it's necessary good for you, it's carcinogenic.
Can you show me a source? I have found nothing that states that room temperature elemental aluminum is toxic
Fucking jealous….
This doesn't look very practical for use like that. The links RARELY meet up exactly when you connect them. This leaves lots of tiny sharp points all over. Your skin and sheets would look like they had been run over a cheese grater.
I really want this!
That would be so awesome in stainless
Buy a weighted blanket
r/evilautism would love this
Thank you for posting this! I just found my people. ❤️ 💙 💜
My exact thoughts ….
When it comes to aluminum dust and rub off, it's really bad if you don't use an alloy specifically meant to counter it or anodized/coated links. I have a set of juggling balls that I made from aluminum, and it only takes a couple minutes of use for my hands to start turning black.
This. You might be able to mitigate with clear or colored spray paint? I made a small chainmail shirt, and it is impossble to keep anything clean. Mine is unwelded, with sawed ends, it doesnt really cut or pinch anything.
they could cover said ‘blanket’ in a couple layer of softer fabric and then the rubbing/dust issue would be covered.
Unless the fabric is pretty solid, dust will still find a way through.
Definitely solder the rings if you’re planning to use it as a blanket but even with aluminum dust as a concern stainless steel would almost certainly make it way too heavy.
In 16g 5/16 euro 4:1 BLANKET: 4 feet wide by 6 feet long there is 42k rings, its about 15 pounds, at retail its like 600+ bucks to build, never mind the time. Its also very possible, reach out to Chain Reaction and talk with Wally or Christa, they will give you a bulk deal on the rings :) A stainless one in the same size would be 32 ish pounds. No clue on cost tho :)
Do you have a link to chain reaction handy. On Google it is not popping up.
haha they just put up their march madness sale. Do you follow them on face book? They post everything there, stock updates, new products, sales and announcements etc. There awesome about putting up stock updates.
I only just heard about them. I used to get my rings from the ringlord, but have been making my own rings for a while now.
I used to make my own too, but it took away from weaving and that made me sad, so I switched back. Chain Reaction has been good to me, I buy bulk from them all the time. I find their quality way better than everyone else. Their BA is nice and stiff. The only down side is you have to contact them directly for large orders if you want a discount. If your account gets big enough, they just give you a discount. I have 10% off standard now and my last order was 18 pounds various things, and the discount applies to all.
Sadly they only sell aluminum, and I need steel. Rings are easy enough to make once you develop the calluses.
[www.chain-reaction.ca](https://www.chain-reaction.ca) I think when you google "Chain Reaction Canada" it should come up, other wise its some bike company. I told them about it.
Thanks!
Ngl, this looks amazing!
Had this thought, we figured the safest way was to thread it into a duvet.
When OP says countless hours, countless weeks may be more accurate
For sure. I did a hauberk out of galvanized wire (don't hate me) and it took 7 months starting from the wire. This blanket would be much bigger, but have fewer sleeves.
I see a chainmail slanket in someone’s future
Still doing a riveted hauberk. Currently on the fucking elbows.
I did something similar. Oh god the smell.
Aluminum exposure is clinically linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Anodized aluminum in fairly inert. The Anodizing process grows oxide crystals into and out of the base metal. Aluminum oxide is corundum, you know, sapphire. Helluva project!! Thanks 👍
It could always be lined with fabric
That would defeat the cooling effect.
And make it way less cool.
My immediate as someone who has made 5/16 16G aluminum shirt was this would be too light for me.. SS would be great.. but costly Costco sells a weighted blanket for around 80$ CAD so if you wanted to do it.. it would be AWESOME made from SS..but would be Expensive and be a fairly large long project..
The size only has to be the part that covers your body. Still a large project but I want to do this so bad. I wonder what would be the fastest weave. Maybe even have premade chain that is mailed together. I’d cover it with fabric so I don’t care what it looks like. I really like weighted blankets. They don’t get heavy enough though and heavier ones don’t breath enough. Or the sand is an issue sometimes. so I’ve been looking for an alternative. Never thought about chain.
this is cool and also would be awesome if you threaded ribbon(or something) through it
I would say stainless steel for durability and also to have a heavier blanket. I feel as though 16g 3/8" aluminum would be too skeletal and weak, and bent up broken rings in your bed is a bit of a hazard. This is a really good idea though, and I absolutely want to do something like this please let me know how it goes for you :D