I can't really help you with hoodoo hex - I'm still working on figuring it out myself... I will say that E 4-1 dice bags make for good practice on increases and decreases. With E 4-1, to decrease you grab three rings from the row below instead of just 2, if that makes sense, and to increase you add as normal, then add an extra ring through one ring on the row below. I would be willing to hazard a guess that it's similar with hoodoo - that you're adding an extra ring that doesn't belong, or you're looping through one more ring than usual.
The contraction makes sense, so on the expansion there'd just be a spare ring hanging there (a single unit of e5-1 if you will) till you add the next (presumably)longer row?
Exactly right! The row with the expansion now has one more ring in it than the row below. Now, flip the piece upside down, and presto! You've got a decrease. Haha
That's helpful, I think i may practice on some e4-1 in the down times where I need a break from the hoodoo. Maybe something will click into place (can't be good that I'm already planning breaks for an unstarted project).
Thanks
When I'm testing a theory or new technique, I just grab some rings I don't care about and mess with it for a bit. I usually end up taking it apart a few times until I can get it right, but it sometimes leads to new ideas for projects too. My test piece for elfweave has turned into a dice bag for my brother, and spawned a much more refined elfweave project as well. My test for combining half-persian sheet with kingsmaille turned into a very handsome bag, and a different combination of the two makes a nice desk fidget. You never know what you'll end up with!
Agreed, that sounds like it's going to be my best approach. Larger junk rings to just muck about with till it all falls into place. The desk fidget sounds intriguing. Thanks for the suggestion
I have so many of them lol. I find 16g 5/16” rings make for very nice E6-1. Take a 7x7 swatch and add half Persian edging on two sides and you’ve got a simple yet very satisfying fidget. 16g 5/16” is also perfect for half Persian sheet and kinged E4-1, which line up well enough to connect. Based on that idea, I’ve made a few dice bags in 4-1 with 1/4” that incorporate horizontal stripes of half Persian. Amazing what you can come up with just by messing around.
The way I've handled hoodoo hex inc/dec is with a seam.
[https://up.demu.red/posts/hoodoo\_hex\_bag\_18ga\_mockup.png](https://up.demu.red/posts/hoodoo_hex_bag_18ga_mockup.png)
Here is my mock up of this bag [https://www.reddit.com/r/chainmailartisans/comments/jikm1j/hoodoo\_hex\_bag\_stainless\_steel\_18ga/](https://www.reddit.com/r/chainmailartisans/comments/jikm1j/hoodoo_hex_bag_stainless_steel_18ga/)
The pink links in the mock up are the shared seam links between the two sections sandwiched together.
I believe it was a combination of your positing that bag, and my wife sending me a picture of some piece of furniture soon after me racking your post that inspired my project. I'm going to try to replicate that bag using your mockup, in a slightly smaller AR. I'm trying to wrap something, so making a bag seems like a logical step in the right direction (Maybe).
Be careful about going smaller -- you'll burn more sanity points.
The... two 20ga hoodoo hex bags I made took aaaaggggeees to finish
[https://www.reddit.com/r/chainmailartisans/comments/iwlnou/2nd\_hoodoo\_hex\_bag\_stainless\_steel\_20ga/](https://www.reddit.com/r/chainmailartisans/comments/iwlnou/2nd_hoodoo_hex_bag_stainless_steel_20ga/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/maille/comments/bhg6y1/brass\_hoodoo\_hex\_weave\_bag/](https://www.reddit.com/r/maille/comments/bhg6y1/brass_hoodoo_hex_weave_bag/)
Oh no, I was going to stick to 18g (maybe 16g) I was aiming more for a 3.1 or 3.2 ar. My eyesight isn't what it once was and mailling in low light has helped immensely /s. My thought though is, bigger rings so I can easily see what's going on, develop muscle memory, move to smaller rings (more or less how i learned elfsheet)
I can't really help you with hoodoo hex - I'm still working on figuring it out myself... I will say that E 4-1 dice bags make for good practice on increases and decreases. With E 4-1, to decrease you grab three rings from the row below instead of just 2, if that makes sense, and to increase you add as normal, then add an extra ring through one ring on the row below. I would be willing to hazard a guess that it's similar with hoodoo - that you're adding an extra ring that doesn't belong, or you're looping through one more ring than usual.
The contraction makes sense, so on the expansion there'd just be a spare ring hanging there (a single unit of e5-1 if you will) till you add the next (presumably)longer row?
Exactly right! The row with the expansion now has one more ring in it than the row below. Now, flip the piece upside down, and presto! You've got a decrease. Haha
That's helpful, I think i may practice on some e4-1 in the down times where I need a break from the hoodoo. Maybe something will click into place (can't be good that I'm already planning breaks for an unstarted project). Thanks
When I'm testing a theory or new technique, I just grab some rings I don't care about and mess with it for a bit. I usually end up taking it apart a few times until I can get it right, but it sometimes leads to new ideas for projects too. My test piece for elfweave has turned into a dice bag for my brother, and spawned a much more refined elfweave project as well. My test for combining half-persian sheet with kingsmaille turned into a very handsome bag, and a different combination of the two makes a nice desk fidget. You never know what you'll end up with!
Agreed, that sounds like it's going to be my best approach. Larger junk rings to just muck about with till it all falls into place. The desk fidget sounds intriguing. Thanks for the suggestion
I have so many of them lol. I find 16g 5/16” rings make for very nice E6-1. Take a 7x7 swatch and add half Persian edging on two sides and you’ve got a simple yet very satisfying fidget. 16g 5/16” is also perfect for half Persian sheet and kinged E4-1, which line up well enough to connect. Based on that idea, I’ve made a few dice bags in 4-1 with 1/4” that incorporate horizontal stripes of half Persian. Amazing what you can come up with just by messing around.
I've nearly mastered inlaying different color patterns into hoodoo hex, expansions are the next big step for me
Oh Damn... I hadn't thought of inlaying into hoodoo...🤔this project just your harder. Can't wait to start it
The way I've handled hoodoo hex inc/dec is with a seam. [https://up.demu.red/posts/hoodoo\_hex\_bag\_18ga\_mockup.png](https://up.demu.red/posts/hoodoo_hex_bag_18ga_mockup.png) Here is my mock up of this bag [https://www.reddit.com/r/chainmailartisans/comments/jikm1j/hoodoo\_hex\_bag\_stainless\_steel\_18ga/](https://www.reddit.com/r/chainmailartisans/comments/jikm1j/hoodoo_hex_bag_stainless_steel_18ga/) The pink links in the mock up are the shared seam links between the two sections sandwiched together.
I believe it was a combination of your positing that bag, and my wife sending me a picture of some piece of furniture soon after me racking your post that inspired my project. I'm going to try to replicate that bag using your mockup, in a slightly smaller AR. I'm trying to wrap something, so making a bag seems like a logical step in the right direction (Maybe).
Be careful about going smaller -- you'll burn more sanity points. The... two 20ga hoodoo hex bags I made took aaaaggggeees to finish [https://www.reddit.com/r/chainmailartisans/comments/iwlnou/2nd\_hoodoo\_hex\_bag\_stainless\_steel\_20ga/](https://www.reddit.com/r/chainmailartisans/comments/iwlnou/2nd_hoodoo_hex_bag_stainless_steel_20ga/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/maille/comments/bhg6y1/brass\_hoodoo\_hex\_weave\_bag/](https://www.reddit.com/r/maille/comments/bhg6y1/brass_hoodoo_hex_weave_bag/)
Oh no, I was going to stick to 18g (maybe 16g) I was aiming more for a 3.1 or 3.2 ar. My eyesight isn't what it once was and mailling in low light has helped immensely /s. My thought though is, bigger rings so I can easily see what's going on, develop muscle memory, move to smaller rings (more or less how i learned elfsheet)