Itripper:
I buy the rings from several different places: The Ring Lord, Metal Designz, Weave Got Maille & ChainMail Dude (.com) primarily, but there are others.
They sell rings, kits of rings w/instructions & some sell the pliers (must be smooth jaw!) & other tools, but I bought a set @ Lowe's (Kobalt brand) that works well.
I found a couple of Dylan White's books (chainmaille jewelry instructions) @ a public library in a couple places. There's also instructions online, M.A.I.L.L.E. (org) has a Huge (overwhelming) amount. Do a search, as there's LOTS available. Some of the weaves are truly OMG & some sites deal primarily with making hauberks, coifs, bras & other non jewelry items. Can we say Rabbit Hole? Actually, it's more of a Warren.
A few weaves kits can also be found @ a Big Box hobby store.
The raw wire & winding tools take up too much space for OTR for me as I do other hobbies also, so I keep those tools in storage.
My intro to chainmaille was occupational therapy @ VA, relearning manual dexterity & hand-eye coordination, but it can be learned entirely on ur own.
I used to make curb chains & other fancy brightwork to sell @ horse shows/rodeos. I still make/sell jewelry. I'm currently working on protective collars for the puppers.
Hope this helps.
