Theme contest #4 (February 21 - May 15, 2008)   (Updated 2008-02-22)

The theme for the current contest is dreamcatchers. Rules and more information is available in this thread.

Welcome to our new home!   (Updated 2007-10-05)

We've just completed the move to our new webhost! We've tried to test our scripts and things as best we can, but if you find anything that's broken or missing, please let Kithplana know. Thanks for your patience!

On the Move!   (Updated 2007-10-05)

Hi folks! At long last, we have secured a new, more stable webhost, and are in the process of moving the site over to it. For the next few days, we ask that folks not submit any new additions to the site, as we will have trouble synchronizing them as files are copied over. Also, please forgive us if a few discussion board posts disappear during the process, as we get dozens of new posts a day, and at least some of them are going to hit while we're making the transition. We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you for your patience!

Theme Contest #3 (July 7 - Sept. 29, 2007)   (Updated 2007-07-11)

M.A.I.L. is running theme contest #3. The theme this time around is a chainmail quilt patch that would be for the Alpha Project. Please note that you don't necessarily have to physically submit your patch for the alpha project, you can simply submit a picture of it for the contest running on the discussion board.

Registration Verification Problems.   (Updated 2007-05-21)

Please folks, if you try to sign up for this site, and have trouble with the verification code, remember that 'S' and '5' may look alike, and so might 'O' and '0'. Please reread the code, if you are having problems. In the past two months, 100% of all registration problems have been due to this issue!

Registration repaired   (Updated 2007-02-02)

All apologies to those who have been trying to register for the last two weeks. Our database was corrupted by errors a few weeks ago on our webhost's servers, but it took some time before we were really aware of the problem, and more time before our staff figured it out! However, everything should be on-line now. Please let us know via email if problems persist...

Discussion Board Upgrades   (Updated 2006-08-28)

The discussion boards have just undergone a major upgrade, which should help some things to run more smoothly. If you encounter any problems on any part of the site, please post in the "Forum upgraded" thread in the Knitting Circle. Thanks :)

Discussion Board Technical Issues   (Updated 2006-07-08)

Are Over!

We had a rough patch there for a while, owing to a cracker attack on our bulletin board system, but we are again open for business...

TRADING ROOM IS NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!   (Updated 2006-04-09)

Thank you patient members of M.A.I.L.

After much discussion and work, we have finally hammered out the guidelines and have posted them in a sticky thread. Please take the time to read through all of it before you start using the new room which can be found here :)

MAIL APPROVAL VOTE - trading room   (Updated 2006-02-12)

New Trading Room vote is over. Thank you to those who participated in this important vote. The Admins are now working to establish the Guidlines for the new Trading room. Be sure to check here for the announcement of when the new room will arrive. :)

If you would like to see the voting results, the topic is located HERE.

Getting started page, for beginners   (Updated 2006-01-05)

Members of MAIL have been working on a page to help people get aquainted with maille & MAIL. So, if you're new here and would like a little explanation about where things are on our site, or where to get started mailling, this is for you. Beginners Page Enjoy!

M.A.I.L. Server Performance Problems   (Updated 2005-11-21)

We recently experienced some major technical difficulties, for which a temporary fix is now in place. You should see significant increases in performance from here on out. We apologize for any delays while the problem was being looked into.
For more details, have a look at the discussion post here: http://www.mailleartisans.org/board/viewtopic.php?t=6094

Member map!   (Updated 2005-11-13)

We've got a brand new way to connect with other maillers in our local communities worldwide!

Lessons in the Base Mailling Concepts   (Updated 2005-07-28)

Inner Diameter also known as I.D. or ID.

Inner Diameter is the measurement from one inner side of the ring to the other, across the equator.
As with Gauge/Wire Diameter, Inner Diameter can be expressed in decimal inches, fractional inches or metric (centimetres and/or millimeters).
Inner Diameter, more often than not, is larger than the diameter of your mandrel, due to springback of the metal. Copper for example has less springback than stainless steel, so copper rings and stainless steel rings wound on the same mandrel will not be the same size - the stainless steel rings will be slightly larger.
For reference purposes, it is usually acceptable to note the diameter of the mandrel you used, as well as the actual measurement of the resulting rings.
Inner Diameter, divided by Wire Diameter (not gauge!) will give you the Aspect Ratio of a ring - covered next issue.

Lessons in the Base Mailling Concepts   (Updated 2005-04-03)

GAUGE Also known as Wire Diameter

This is one of the 4 most important concepts in mailling.
The gauge or wire diameter of the wire is how thick the wire is from one side to another.
Gauge can be expressed as a number, in SWG, AWG and a few others. Gauge is a quick reference number that is easy to remember, but inexact, varying from manufacturer to manufacturer, system to system and place to place.
Wire diameter can be expressed in decimal inches, fractional inches or metric (usually millimeters). It is usually more accurate to express the wire thickness as a numerical measurement than as a gauge number.
See this article for more details on gauge types, and conversion tables in the handy links.

Gallery submitters note!   (Updated 2005-03-19)

If you've recently submitted something to the gallery, but haven't seen it approved yet, it is probably missing some data needed to comply with the gallery guidelines. If so, you can find it on the list posted at the top of the gallery discussion.

Chat Times   (Updated 2004-10-24)

In order to get more use out of the chatroom, we've instituted 'Chat Dates,' pre-set times for people to meet up in the MAIL chat room (look in the header). The following times apply:

GMT: 2am M/Th;
Amer EST:10pm Sun/W;
PDT: 7pm Sun/W;
Aus EST: Noon M/Th

Keeping the Peace   (Updated 2004-04-02)

All members, new and old, please familiarise yourself with the M.A.I.L. Content Policy, and be mindful of it when you post in the forums. Thank you.

Gallery Submits Update   (Updated 2004-03-22)

Wow! It's fantastic how many people are submitting their work. To all you newcomers, please visit the Gallery Submission Guidelines to familarise yourself on how to get your work on display ASAP! Also, all you old hands, take a peek and brush up!

Submissions Bug!   (Updated 2004-03-14)

Hey folks, we've just discovered a bug in the submissions process for users submitting multiple items to the same area in the same session. A fix is on the way, but in the meantime, if you are submitting multiple items to the same area, please refresh the initial submit screen between submissions, otherwise some of your submissions will be overwritten...

M.A.I.L. Charter Approved!   (Updated 2003-12-01)

The proposed charter, to officially define who we are, and how we run things, has finally been approved by the membership! A new age dawns... The charter can be found via the about us link in the navigation bar, or here.

Spread the word about M.A.I.L. and maille!   (Updated 2003-10-28)

Go forth among the masses and let them know about M.A.I.L.! We have a brochure which can be downloaded and printed: M.A.I.L. brochure. It's in PDF format, so you'll need Adobe Acrobat. Print out a bunch, and drop them off at your local library, school, or any public place that allows the distribution of educational brochures. Even distribute them at your booth, if you are a chainmail vendor.

Rough Seas Behind Us   (Updated 2002-11-13)

There's no doubt...our first year at www.mailartisans.org was a successful one. We set out to be the prima destination on the web for maille craftsmen, and that we did. Yet there was a problem: funding. At the end of the year our dns ran out, and our server subscription ran out. The management scrambled to fix the problem only to find some Hong Kong search engine snatched up our DNS. So now we find ourselves with a new name, perhaps one a little more appropriate: www.mailleartisans.org. Hopefully next year we'll be able to generate the funds to keep this from happening again ;). Welcome, All!

Success!   (Updated 2002-04-07)

Well, with 20,000 hits, 150 weaves, 150 gallery images, 150 members, and 500 board posts in our first month, it's safe to say the new M.A.I.L. system is a success! Congratulations to all of you who've put so much blood, sweat, and tears into this artisan union!

100+ Weaves!   (Updated 2002-03-30)

Well, thanks to everyone who has submitted their weaves to the library we have finally broken 100 weaves! There are a total of 130 in the library as of today and with the new system that makes it so much simpler to submit new weaves I expect many more.(Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou to Mari and Woody) I just wanted to take a minute to encourage everyone who has a new weave to submit it. If you know of any one else who has invented a new weave please encourage them to come submit as well, the more the better! :)

Announcing M.A.I.L. 2.0!   (Updated 2002-03-10)

After months of hard labor, the automated skeleton of M.A.I.L. is complete! We need all of you to flesh us out again. The old site (and your old submissions) can be found here. We'll be spending the next few weeks cleaning out the bumps...feel free to report errors or glitches or whatnot to the suggestion box 8)