Make a Steel Chainmail Dice Bag

Presented by Timber and Token

Gen Con 2026 Schedule

SOLD OUT: This event is sold out. Please contact info@timberandtokengaming.com or drop in to see if there are open seats and materials available.

THURSDAY
Jul 30, 2026 8:00 AM ET
Embassy Suites : Coronation II

THURSDAY
Jul 30, 2026 10:00 AM ET
Embassy Suites : Coronation II

THURSDAY
Jul 30, 2026 6:00 AM ET
ICC : 201 : Front

THURSDAY
Jul 30, 2026 8:00 AM ET
ICC : 201 : Front

FRIDAY
Jul 31, 2026 8:00 AM ET
Embassy Suites : Chancellor I

FRIDAY
Jul 31, 2026 10:00 AM ET
Embassy Suites : Chancellor I

FRIDAY
Jul 31, 2026 6:00 PM ET
ICC : 202 : Back

FRIDAY
Jul 31, 2026 8:00 PM ET
ICC : 202 : Back

SATURDAY
Aug 1, 2026 8:00 AM ET
Crowne Plaza : Penn Station C

SATURDAY
Aug 1, 2026 10:00 AM ET
Crowne Plaza : Penn Station C

SATURDAY
Aug 1, 2026 6:00 PM ET
ICC : 201 : Front

SATURDAY
Aug 1, 2026 8:00 PM ET
ICC : 201 : Front

SUNDAY
Aug 2, 2026 8:00 AM ET
Embassy Suites : Ambassador I

SUNDAY
Aug 2, 2026 10:00 AM ET
Embassy Suites : Ambassador I

Tool and Materials

For forming and cutting the rings

16 ga stainless or galvanized steel wire
3/8 in diameter metal or wooden dowel rod appx 24 in long
Power drill with at least a 3/8 in chuck
1/16 in drill bit
Aviation snips rated for 16 ga steel
PPE: Safety glasses, respirator, leather gloves

For assembling the dice bag

265 steel rings, 16 ga, 3/8 in inner diameter
16 in cording, faux leather
Plastic cord lock
Flat nose jewelry or slip-joint pliers

Estimated Forming/Cutting Time: 2 hours

Estimated Assembly Time: 1 - 3 hours

Forming and Cutting the Rings

Safety Tips

Steel wire coiled under stress by a power drill may crush fingers or spring back with enough force to cause deep lacerations.

Use heavy duty, tight-fitting, durable leather gloves while handling steel wire.
Slow down. Operate the drill on the lowest possible speed and take your time while using aviation snips.
Wear tight-fitting clothes and remove jewelry while operating the drill (forming the spring).
Wear safety goggles while operating the drill and while cutting the rings
Wear a respirator while drilling and cutting metal
Wash your hands after handling raw materials

Prepare the Drill

With a power drill and a 1/16 in drill bit, make a hole in the dowel rod large enough for the wire, approximately 3 in away from the end of the rod.
A steel rod works best, but may be difficult to cut. Use a cobalt or carbide tipped drill bit and use low speed with consistent pressure to cut the hole.
A wood rod will also work, but may wear down over time and need to be replaced.
Insert the rod into the drill (with the hole end nearest to the drill) and tighten the chuck.
Test rotating the rod with the drill to ensure it turns smoothly.

Form a Spring

Drape the coil of wire on the rod so it can unspool clockwise in the direction of the drill.
It works best to cut the wire into a manageable length. About 8-10 turns of an 8" coil is enough for a 24" spring.
Thread one end of the wire through the hole in the dowel just enough so it stays in place.

Hold the drill with your right hand, and with your left hand, hold the wire firmly near the hole to apply pressure against the direction of the drill movement.
Slowly engage the drill and guide the wire into a long, tightly-wound spring along the rod.
When the spring has formed along the full length of the rod, use aviation snips to cut the excess wire and release the wire from the dowel rod.

Cut Individual Rings

Gently pull the spring to create some separation between turns of the wire.
Cut off any non-uniform, loose or bent wire from the ends of the spring.
Place the blade of the snips against the end of the wire on one end of the spring.
Cut the next turn in the spring lining up the cut with the end of the of the wire.
Depending on the size and strength of the snips, you may be able to cut multiple rings at once.

Connecting Rings

European 4-to-1 Chainmail

The style of chainmail used for this project is called European 4-in-1 (or 4-to-1) in which each ring in the standard pattern is linked to four other rings.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_mail)

A unit in the 4-to-1 chainmail pattern consists of five rings with one ring connected to four other rings.

When laid flat on a table, the four outer rings are facing/laying in the same direction (sloped "up") while the middle ring is facing the opposite direction (sloped "down") as shown.

To make a chain, start with a single 4-to-1 chainmail unit.

Add a single ring to two of the four outer rings.

This chain is considered unstable as it will lose its shape and orientation once lifted from the table. When laid flat, there should be four rings facing one direction and two rings facing the opposite direction as shown.

Add two rings to the newly added ring.

The chain is considered stable as the outer rings on both ends may become twisted or flipped, but it will retain its basic shape as a 1.5-unit chain.

Continue the pattern of adding one ring, two rings, one ring, two rings and so on until you reach the desired length.

Assembly Instructions

Step 1: Make an 8-unit chain

Materials

Split rings (47x)

Instructions

An 8-unit chain consists of 8 standard 4-to-1 units, each connected by a single ring.

There are 15 middle rings and 16 outer rings on each side for a total of 47 rings.

Follow the illustrated steps above to make the chain.

Step 2: Reduce the Chain

Materials

8-unit chain (from Step 1)
Split rings (8x)

Instructions

Connect one ring to every other pair of rings on one side of the 8-unit chain.

Ensure that the outer rings of the chain are all facing the same direction and that the newly added rings are facing the same direction as the middle rings of the chain.

This is called "reducing the chain" because it reduces the chainmail pattern from 8-units (16 rings) to 4-units (8 rings).

Step 3: Form a disc

Materials

8-unit chain, reduced to 4-units (from Step 2)
Split rings (1x)

Instructions

Lay the 8-unit chain on a flat surface and position all 8 rings from the reduced side so they are oriented in the same direction.

Add all 8 rings on the reduced side to a single ring.

Step 4: Close the Disc

Materials

8-unit disc (from Step 3)
Split rings (1x)

Instructions

Lay the 8-unit disc on a flat surface and position the two ends so they are properly overlapping.

Connect the two ends with the split ring so that the split ring is attached to all four rings.

Notice how the copper ring is forming the middle ring of a 4-to-1 chainmail unit.

The four outer rings of this unit are all facing the same direction and the copper ring is facing the opposite direction.

Notice in the illustrated version of this pattern how the middle ring goes:

Down through the Blue ring
Down through the Red ring
Up through the Green ring
Up through the Yellow ring

Step 5: Expand the Disc

Materials

8-unit disc (from Step 4)
Split rings (8x)

Instructions

Add a single ring between every other ring in the outer row of the 8-unit disc.

Unlike the standard 4-to-1 pattern, each new ring will be connected to only one ring.

This is called "expanding the chain" because it expands the chainmail pattern from 8-units (16 rings) to 12-units (24 rings).

Step 6: Add a Single Row to the Disc

Materials

12-unit disc (from Step 5)
Split rings (24x)

Instructions

Add a single ring to every pair of rings (overlapping).

Unlike the previous step where the newly added rings are attached to a single ring, each newly added ring will be connected to two rings on the outer row of the disc.