Q&A for How to Create Chainmail from Pop Tabs

I used some long-nose pliers to close the gaps a bit more, and made the cut as tiny as possible. It works pretty well, and it's still pretty durable.

It would take about 225 pop tabs to do this.

It is necessary to bend the tabs to get a flat surface. Not bending the tabs will result in the chain mail curling up on itself. Piece together 10 flat pieces to see what happens.

Yes, that's what I did. It works, but not really well. If you don't glue it just right, the glue will just pop off. Try to cut the slit as close together as possible in order to prevent tabs from falling off.

It depends. It takes about 225 tabs to make a square foot of material. Depending on how big you are, you are going to be making between 4 and 6 square feet of material for a vest. That means you are going to need somewhere between 900 and 1350 pop tabs.

It depends on the length of the sleeve you are making. If you are making full length sleeves, that is going to be around 2-3 square feet. A square foot of material is about 225 tabs. You are going to need between 450-675 tabs.

What I do is collect the pop tabs from soda cans. This works especially well if you like hosting parties because if each person has 2-3 cans of soda, and there are 30 people, you can collect up to 90 tabs in one sitting. But I do know you can buy them online. To get it off the can, just bend it back and forth like you are opening the can, and keep doing it until it comes off. It should take about 2 or 3 times to come off.

A pair of needle-nose pliers will work better but may leave indentations. You could also bend them with your thumbs over a dowel, although your thumbs may get sore. (Leather gloves might help.)