Bike chains wear out. Grit eventually wears the pins so the chains effectively elongate and no longer mesh nicely with the cogs. Rather than throw the worn chains away, places like Resource Revival recycle them into various products. However, if you're handy and have an old chain and a bit of wire, you can do your own recycling and make some star-shaped Christmas ornaments.
I don't show the steps I did with a chain tool, but I use the tool to make little five link loops of chain. I also got a 100 foot roll of 28 gauge galvanized steel wire from the hardware store. It cost about four bucks and it's enough wire to do about 50 ornaments.
I cut about a two foot length of wire.
I flex the chain links into a star shape.
I loop the wire around the inner five pins, pulling it tight. I loop the wire around the inside three times.
Then I twist the ends of the wire together. The twisting snugs the wire tight and holds the links in the star shape.
I twist the two strands of wire together.
I loop the double twisted wire through one part of the star, which is now the top of the ornament.
I twist the loop of wire to form a hanging loop and then twist the last of the wire around the loop to secure it. If I have any excess, I just snip it off.
That's it. I suppose you could spray paint the stars festive colors, but I just leave mine silver.
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