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Terminology We refer to one sequence of a chain s pattern as a segment if it s part of a continuous length of chain or as a unit if it s a stand alone element such as might be used between other components or for making earrings Because the last ring in one segment is also the first ring in the next segment a segment requires one ring fewer than a unit each of which must be finished off independently of the next If you need to calculate the exact number of rings needed for a given project such as when using gold you ll want to keep this difference in mind Top Ring Left Ring Right Ring Paired Rings in the center The Barrel Weave unit pictured at right is labeled with other terms used in this tutorial Bottom Ring Unit shown above A complete unit for use between jewelry components for earrings etc requires 6 rings Multiply the number of units you want to make by 6 to determine the number of rings you ll need Segment shown between the arrows at left Each segment of chain requires 5 rings plus the one additional ring needed to complete the last segment in the chain To determine the number of rings you ll need for a chain refer to the chart at the bottom of the page Ring Sizes Use the table below to calculate the number of rings needed for your project The number of units that can be made with a troy ounce of rings in each of the recommended sizes is included for your convenience The following counts are approximate and all refer to sterling rings Consult our Weave Gallery for test results of other metals Unit Length Units per ozt Rings Rings per Inch of Chain Length per ozt Rings 12g 7 0mm 21 6mm 0 85 in 5 3 9 1 3 5 in 14g 5 5mm 17 75mm 0 69 in 10 5 12 1 5 2 in 16g 4 5mm 13 6mm 0 53 in 20 8 15 6 8 0 in 18g 3 5mm 12 3mm 0 48 in 42 1 19 1 13 25 in 20g 2 75mm 8mm 0 32 in 85 8 24 6 20 9 in 22g 2 25mm 6mm 0 23 in 172 6 30 1 34 4 in Copyright 2003 09 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved urbanmaille com Required Tools As always when making chain you ll need two pair of smooth jawed jewelers pliers Visit the Tools section of our website for information on choosing pliers and to see our selection
Begin by opening at least 10 rings and closing the same number That s enough to make 3 segments Weaving Barrel Chain 1 Pick up an open ring with your pliers and scoop three closed rings onto it Copyright 2003 09 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved urbanmaille com Aspect Ratio An aspect ratio of 3 5 works best for Barrel Chain Other weaves that can be made using rings of the same aspect ratio include Byzantine Byzantine Rose and Parallel Chain Close the open ring 3 Pick up an open ring with your pliers and slip it through the paired rings from the left side as shown 2 Pick one of the closed rings it doesn t matter which one and put a twisty tie or some other type of marker on that ring This is now your top ring You won t always need to mark the top ring like this but since it not only takes all the confusion out of orienting a half made barrel unit but also makes it easier to hold on to I really recommend doing it at first Hold the chain by the top ring or rather the twisty tie attached to it To better see the pattern as it develops know that the middle ring in the illustration will become the left ring in the finished unit and the two rings dangling at the bottom will become the paired rings
The next step is where it all comes together and it can be a bit awkward so I ll explain first what s going to happen then the best way to accomplish it Without losing the paired rings already on the open ring you must also go through the top ring from the left side 4 Pull the open ring to the right so the paired rings are oriented horizontally as shown above Use the thumb of your non dominant hand to prop the paired rings in place for stability then slide the open ring to the left on top of the left ring bunching the paired rings until you can hook the open ring through the top ring from the left as shown here 5 When you have the open ring through the top ring close it It s now the right ring as you can see here Hold the chain unit by the twisty tie and arrange it as shown in this illustration Copyright 2003 09 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved urbanmaille com 6 Pick up another open ring with your pliers and insert it through the intersection at the bottom of the left and right rings so that its position mirrors the top ring as shown here
Close the open ring If you re making a charm bracelet you might want to add a charm to the bottom ring before closing it If you re making a single unit of chain it s finished once the bottom ring is closed as shown at left If you re making a length of chain pick up an open ring scoop two closed rings onto it then add it to the unit s bottom ring as shown below Close the open ring Return to step 3 and repeat from there until the chain is the desired length Orientation Copyright 2003 09 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved urbanmaille com When the open ring is inserted left to right as shown in steps 3 through 5 the finished chain looks like the illustration at right If that ring is inserted right to left instead the chain looks the same except that the left ring is on top of the right ring rather than beneath it In the variation shown at right the orientation of the segments is alternated left to right right to left left to right etc The result is a finished chain that appears to spiral When making single units for earrings orient them in opposite directions so they ll mirror each other to better frame the face
Lore Since any weave might have originated with a thousand different people from a thousand different times and places it s only possible to credit the source of ones own inspiration Ours is Susie Richards who accidentally invented Barrel Weave while weaving Byzantine We appreciate her sharing that happy little accident And FYI we ve been told that Barrel Weave made with a single ring in place of the pair is a different weave altogether inexplicably known as Rhinos Snorting Drano Use and Limitations It s often difficult to know exactly which rights are granted with instruction of any sort so we include this section in an effort to clarify our policies Most of our tutorials teach chainmaille weaves some of them ancient that are not of our own design and reside in the public domain If you learn a weave from one of these tutorials and then wish to teach that weave you have every right to do so as long as you use your own photos or renderings and your own wording in the instructions Using our instructions even if you retype them and change some words is a violation of copyright and other intellectual property rights Those of our tutorials marked as Urban Maille Exclusives however are our own copyrighted designs and do not reside in the public domain When you purchase an Urban Maille Exclusive you are granted the right to make and sell the piece as many times as you like but we reserve the right to teach those designs ourselves Because they are unique designs and we don t grant permission to teach them sharing or publishing ring sizes and other particulars privately or publicly or teaching them even with photos or renderings and instructions you ve prepared yourself is expressly prohibited and constitutes a violation of Urban Maille s copyrights and other intellectual property rights Barrel Weave is not an Urban Maille Exclusive Teaching If you would like to use our tutorials to teach your classes you re welcome to do so as long as each student is provided a purchased copy of the tutorial and a kitpack of our rings We re happy to make custom kitpacks for your classes with co branded labels featuring your name or logo even for Urban Maille Exclusives Contact us with your requirements or wish list and we ll work up a quote that includes quantity discounts tailored especially for classes Copyright 2003 09 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved URBANMAILLE COM