What's the best way to attach chainmail to a helmet?
Throughout the Middle Ages, it was common to attach chainmail to a helmet. This piece of chainmail was called an aventail or a camail and was designed to protect the neck and shoulders.
Many re-enactment helmets, especially bascinets, have vervelles along the lower edge. These vervelles are designed to attach an aventail to the helmet.
What do you need?
-Helmet
-Aventail
-Leather cord
How to attach a chainmail shirt to a helmet:
Step 1:
Place the aventail along the edge of the helmet, against the vervelles. Some aventails have a leather band along the edge with holes in it. Line those holes up with the vervelles.
Step 2:
Thread the leather cord through the chainmail shirt, or through the holes in the leather band, and through the vervelles. Tie the ends of the cord firmly together.
If your helmet doesn't have vervelles, you can add them yourself by drilling holes along the lower edge of the helmet. You can then place the vervelles in these holes and secure them the same way as rivets.
