Bright Aluminum – (Jewelry, Armor, Decor )

Bright aluminum is clean, shiny and light. There is little to no noticeable black rub off from this material. You get 3 times as many rings per lb as steel rings. The brightness of the rings varies. In general the regular aluminum is dark gray in color and the bright is a very light metallic color.

Brass – (Trim and Inlay, Jewelry, Armor )

Brass is a shiny yellow metal that is an alloy of Copper and Zinc. It tarnishes and without care it will turn a dark yellow. Brass can be cleaned with any commercially available brass cleaner; like Brasso. Most brass wire you will find is soft.

Bronze- (Trim and Inlay, Jewelry, Armor)

Bronze is a shiny, dark copper colored metal that is an alloy of copper and tin. It tarnishes and will turn the color of a bronze sculpture or old penny over time. It has slightly more corrosion resistance than brass. Bronze can be cleaned with any commercially available brass cleaner; like Brasso.

Copper –(Trim, Jewelry, Armor)

Copper is a reddish colored metal that corrodes quite easily. It starts the color of a shiny new penny and can either darken or turn depending on how it is used.

Niobium - (Jewelry) Niobium is strong, corrosion resistant and hypo-allergenic. When anodized colors are beautifully vibrant. In raw wire form it is a matte silver color. Niobium weighs about the same as most common chainmail materials - its 6% heavier than steel and 22% lighter than sterling silver.

Stainless Steel- (Jewelry, Armor, anything else in-between.)  Stainless steel doesn't rust, is strong and clean. Stainless steel is the best balance of material properties and price. I use ether alloy 304 or alloy 316 (surgical grade).

Spring Stainless - (Jewelry, Armor) Spring stainless is very difficult to cut by hand but only slightly more difficult to cut with machinery. Typical tensile strength of the spring stainless is 220-280KSI. This material makes the strongest armor.

Titanium - (Jewelry, Armor) Titanium is a very light, strong and very corrosion resistant metal with a matte light gray finish.

Sterling Silver - (Trim, Jewelry) Sterling Silver is made from 92.5% silver. A beautiful material but it does tarnish with age. It is easily restored with a chemical silver polish.

Fine Silver - (Trim, Jewelry)

Fine Silver is made from 99.9% silver. Fine silver has more corrosion resistance than sterling silver. It fuses well and has no fire scale when heated. It is slightly heavier than sterling (less than 1%).