OK, I have now mastered a number of weaves including the infamous full persian.  I wanted to make a chain for a pendant using byzantine, and I got a bunch of anodized aluminum 5mm rings.  An hour and an inch and a half later, I realized I'd have to charge a fortune for a 24" chain...  It seemed every move took 3x as long as with larger rings.  My fingers just felt too big and kept getting in the way! I spent most of my time picking up pliers and putting them down again.  Not to mention dropping tiny jump rings and searching for them...

 Is there a trick to this, or do most folks just avoid working so small?  Or does it truly get easier with enough time?

 I've done Byz with 3/32" rings (5mm is about 3/16).

I "speedweave" Byz by opening and closing rings and after the flip I add 1 open/2 closed, then add another open through the closed. Goes lots faster.

I also wait until I'm done with the chain to pick up the rings. It's just faster <G>

It gets faster and less frustrating. Really. It's still a long road -- and this isn't even micromaille! I know people who cut springs in pens to make chains. Now those guys are NUTS!

trysch:

 I know people who cut springs in pens to make chains. Now those guys are NUTS!

OMG.    OK, I'll stop complaing!  I was doing the "speed" technique, even so I only got 1.5" in an hour.  How long does it take you with small (but not insanely so) rings?  

Hahahaha, I made a Byzantine necklace with 24G 2.25mm rings. I threw it at least twice before I got a big magnifying lens that hangs on a string around my neck. It took around 4 hours to make, but I am really fast. With a 4mm 20G ring, I can usually make a necklace in around an hour and a half.

It's a beautiful thing, but no one will pay what it took for me to make (hour wise) when you can buy a fine necklace from eBay for $0.99. Hahaha.

 LOL. Wound up making about 6" total in a couple of hours... I did get faster, but I also started damaging the anodized finish more often and having to toss.  Part of my issue is that I like to use my fingers.  Once I trained myself not to put the pliers down unless absolutely necessary, I got faster.  My fingers are just too big for 5mm (or smaller) rings.  I'll post a pic of the finished product on SOYW later.  I wound up using the maille to evoke the thick wavy mane of a Fresian horse.

I don't know how other people do it, but I have a pair of pliers in my right (dominant) hand, a pair of pliers in my left, the chain I'm working on in my left hand as well, draped over my index finger. I pick up the rings with my right hand and use the left pliers to grasp while I get my right hand pliers to open, link the ring into where I want it, then grasp the ring again with the left pliers to close. It sounds awful and you wonder where the extra left and right hands come from, but it works well and I never have to put anything down, unless I drop a ring. Basically, I hold the weave the entire time as well as my pliers and use my fingers only to pick up rings and move the links on the weave. If I'm doing a really tight weave and I need to use an awl, that's about the only time my right hand pliers are put on the table.

I'll get my partner to take a series of photos next time I'm doing something so you can actually see what I mean.....I don't know that it makes much sense the way I explained it.

If you like opening the rings with your fingers, why not get a ring-ring opener? It's a ring that slips over your finger with slits in it that you use instead of pliers. I wear mine as an everyday ring, but I have VERY small fingers (J-K size in rings). If you have larger fingers, it will sit above your knuckle.

I love fresians and andalusians, we have a couple of students at school who breed the andalusians and I always love seeing the photos when they foal. Where do you sell online and I'll direct them to your site, you may pick up some business?

 Try coating your pliers with a rubberized material that you get at the hardware store. It protects the rings from scratching. I use Plasti Dip and don't scratch rings anymore. Dip once or twice according to directions on the can. When done or you don't like it, it will peel right off.

I made a sterling 20g 3/32 JPL for my daughter this spring and wanted to poke my pliers in my eyes several times...that is one tiny weave!!! (I've done a ton of Byz and Euro 4:1 using teensy tiny rings, but JPL is another story!)

Ended up splurging on the Baby Wubbers pliers, and they were the best investment I could have made.  The tips are perfect for micro-maille...I seriously don't know how I did it before I got them.  Cut my time to finish that bracelet and to make another in copper.

Lynn

 Jet Propulsion Lab? 

 I have Baby Wubbers round nose and bent chain nose.   Nice pliers!

LOL, Jens Pind Linkage. Sorry, thought I'd seen that abbreviation here already!

The Baby Web bent nose and chain pliers are perfect for tiny maille.  I use the bent nose in my right hand and chain in my left.

Hi cmydesigns and Dressagewoman. I use the bent in my left and the chain in my right! I stick my tongue out to the right, too when I'm weaving them that small, it seems to help them go in better. Hahahaha.

I love Jens Pind, it's a perfect weave for men (14G 4mm) and great for delicate looking women's chains (20G 2.5mm) My favourite is to weave three colours (rose, yellow and white gold, usually) or Sterling Silver and every third ring a Gold one.