How to Make a Chain Maille Hacky Sack

A hacky sack, also known as a footbag, is a small, round bag used to play the game of the same name. In this game, you control the hacky sack using only your feet, performing various tricks with it and keeping it in the air as long as possible. Hacky sacks can be made from a wide variety of materials, from the commercially available vinyl and suede to the handmade ones crocheted from yarn. If you really want to stand out from the crowd, you can make a chain mail hacky sack.

Things You'll Need

• Pliers (2 pairs)
• 51 14-gauge 3/8 inch ID rings, galvanized steel
• 68 16-gauge 5/16 inch ID rings, stainless steel
• 34 16-gauge 1/4 inch ID rings, nickel silver
• 34 16-gauge 1/4 inch ID rings, brass
• 68 18-gauge 3/16 inch ID rings, bronze
• 2 16-gauge 7/16 inch ID rings, brass
• Fabric

Instructions

1. Open a 14-gauge 5/8-inch ring with the pliers. Hold the ring to be opened with the two pairs of pliers, with the jaws of each pair of pliers covering half of the ring. The break in the ring should be positioned at the top. Twist one pair of pliers away from you while at the same time twisting the other towards you, applying the same amount of pressure with both pairs of pliers. An ideal ring opening is slightly larger than the thickness of the wire; you should be able to easily pass other rings through it, but not open it so wide as to deform it.

2. Hang four more closed 14-gauge 5/8 inch rings from the open ring.

3. Close the open ring with the pliers. Hold the ring with the two pairs of pliers and reverse the motion you made while opening it. As you are closing the ring, push slightly inwards with both pairs of pliers, pushing the ends of the ring beyond the point at which they would meet, then pull them gently apart as little as possible and finish closing the ring. This ensures that the ring is closed as tightly as possible.

4. Lay the five linked rings on a flat working surface so that they form the shape of a four-leaf clover with two rings on either side.

5. Open another 14-gauge 5/8-inch ring and hang two more closed 14-gauge 5/8 inch rings from it. Pass this ring through the two closed rings on the right side of the clover shape then close it. Repeat this step until you have formed a long strip of chain mail. The top and bottom rows of this strip should have 17 rings, while the middle one should have 16 rings. You should have one unused 14-gauge 5/8-inch ring left.

6. Add four more rows of rings to the strip of chain mail, two at the top and two at the bottom, using the 16-gauge 5/16-inch rings. Link each new ring you add to the two rings below it. You should have two unused 16-gauge 5/16 inch rings left.

7. Add two more rows of rings to the strip of chain mail, one at the top and one at the bottom, using the 16-gauge 1/4-inch nickel silver rings. Link each new ring you add to the two rings below it. You should have two unused 16-gauge 1/4-inch nickel silver rings left.

8. Add two more rows of rings to the strip of chain mail, one at the top and one at the bottom, using the 16-gauge 1/4-inch brass rings. Link each new ring you add to the two rings below it. You should not have any unused 16-gauge 1/4-inch brass rings left.

9. Add four more rows of rings to the strip of chain mail, two at the top and two at the bottom, using the 18-gauge 3/16-inch rings. Link each new ring you add to the two rings below it. You should have two unused 18-gauge 3/16-inch rings left.

10. Open one of the 16-gauge 7/16-inch rings, hook it through all the 18-gauge 3/16-inch rings on the top row of the strip of chain mail and close it. Repeat this process with the second 16-gauge 7/16-inch ring for the bottom row.

11. Open one of the two unused 18-gauge 3/16-inch rings. Hook it through both ends of the 18-gauge 3/16-inch row at the top of the strip of chain mail and close it. Repeat this process with the second 18-gauge 3/16-inch ring for the bottom row. Repeat this process with the two unused 16-gauge 1/4-inch rings for the next two rows. You should now have a ball with a hole in its side.

12. Stuff the ball using the fabric until you are satisfied with its shape. Close the hole in the ball using the last three unused rings, trapping the stuffing inside.

Tips & Warnings

• The basic weaving structure for the hacky sack is European 4-in-1 chain mail. You can refer to the link in the Resources section for more information on how to weave this type of chain mail.

• Avoid using pliers with teeth, as they can easily mark and scratch the metal rings.

• Never open rings by pulling the ends apart; this deforms the ring in such a way that it will never lay properly flat again.

References

• Maile of the Dreamseeker: Juggling Balls

Resources

• Maille Artisans International League: European 4-1