Sixteen links from various suits of armor of known provenances in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, were sectioned, mounted, polished and etched according to standard metallographic procedures. It was easy to tell if the wire was slit or drawn, whether the links were riveted, welded or punched, and the metallurgical history of the metal. Most of the links are made of soft wrought iron, often containing large amounts of slag. Only three contain enough carbon to be classed as steel. The links display regional differences in technique and quality but no evidence of consistent improvement in metallurgical practice over the period covered. Few of the links were hardened or even hardenable. Ease of manufacture took precedence over serviceability. -- AATA