Making Elven Chain Mundane? (LONG)

Archived from groups: alt.games.adnd,rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

I was sorting through my old campaign notes and discovered this Sage
Advice article from October 1982:

How does one make or acquire “elfin chainmail”?
Elfin chainmail is a special type of chainmail armor that is
much lighter and stronger than normal, and allows greater
freedom of movement. It is made exclusively by elven armorsmiths
of above average ability, who keep certain aspects of its
manufacture secret for a number of reasons. Even were its
manufacturing process better known, duplicating elfin armor
would prove very difficult for most armorers.
What little is known about making elfin chainmail is that the
links of the chainmail are much thinner and smaller in diameter
than usual. The metal from which elfin chainmail is made is
apparently an alloy of high-quality steel and mithral, a rare and
valuable metal of bright silvery color. In the process of making
the alloy, the elven smiths add a special substance to the
molten mixture to cause the metal to be harder; the nature of
this substance has never been identified, since it is either
completely
absorbed into the metal in the smelting process, or
somehow destroyed. Not even magical devices appear to be
able to determine the nature of this substance. At any rate, the
presence or after-effects of this substance also make the alloy
impervious to enchantment, no matter how powerful the spell.
Elfin chainmail is linked together in an exceptionally intricate
fashion; the pattern of the interconnections of links changes
from place to place across the armor, so that certain general
designs may appear. One suit might seem to have a tree-like
design on the chest, another might have an abstract pattern of
criss-crossed lines, another might have sunburst designs on
front and back. The intricacy of the links is another reason
(aside from the nature of the alloy itself) for the armor’s
strength. It appears that only elves, because of their passion
for complexity and appreciation of artistic beauty, are able to
properly fashion the armor in this way.
It takes twice as long as normal to make a suit of elfin
chainmail (90 days instead of 45), and may take even longer than
that if the maker desires a particularly complex design for
linking it together. Only 25% of all elven smiths are able to
fashion elfin chainmail, the rest being occupied with making
other sorts of armor (ring mail, scale mail, etc.) or being
of lesser ability.

Making elfin chainmail requires the full involvement of the
smith and many years of study as well; player character elves,
even those with exceptional characteristics and backgrounds
as smiths or armorers, are not able to make elfin chainmail
though they could make some minor repairs on it if necessary.
Player character elves could, however, obtain such armor as a
gift for extraordinary services rendered for the elven people; it
is considered a great honor to have a suit of mail made, and
some elves who own magical but human-made chainmail will
prefer to use elfin chainmail instead.

Dungeon Masters who like to start out characters with some
minor magical item could offer elven characters an elfin
chainmail suit instead, though evil elves would not be able to
receive this benefit. Non-elves are not given elfin chainmail
by longestablished tradition, and it is never sold. Elves
regard it as an artistic treasure as well as an expression of
appreciation and distinction; selling it would cheapen its
social and cultural value. Most non-elves are not able to
wear elfin chainmail anyway, since they do not have the proper
build and size to fit an already made suit, though some thin
and light humans and a few large tallfellow halflings might
possibly be able to fit into it.

Elves would not appreciate seeing a non-elf wearing elfin
chainmail, however, and might believe the wearer got it by
killing or robbing the previous owner.
Elfin chainmail weighs about 15 pounds, allows movement at
normal speed (up to 12”), and is regarded as non-bulky; its
weight is very evenly distributed over the body and limbs.
A thin layer of underpadding is required, usually made of
tough but soft materials carefully woven to permit free
movement and good ventilation. Special small helms are usually
worn with it, and these take about a week each to make
properly (including decorations, engravings, and so forth).

In my game, I decided to make elvin chain woven out of wood and
then targeted with Transmute Wood to Metal, in order to keep closer
to the elven tradition (and explain why certain spells did not effect
it) and woven with complex patterns as listed above.

I'm curious; Does anyone think that elven chain was made more mundane
in 3E?