Magnetic Bike Chain Bracelet

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This is a great looking bracelet made out of Bicycle Chain that serves a dual purpose! It has tiny magnets glued to it so that you can use it as a parts holder. Never loose those little parts again!

I teach a class on Bicycle Repair to 7th and 8th graders. It seems I always catch one of them trying to permantently attach a chunk of bike chain to their wrist as a bracelet. Two problems with this: the chains are always FILTHY and no amounts of degreasing, scrubbing, cleaning, or soaking would keep them from turning your wrist black after a few hours of wearing it. The other problem was they were trying to put them on using the chain breaker, which is pretty permanent, and in my opinion just a little unsafe...

My solution uses an easy to remove "clasp" to take it off or put it on, and by starting with a new chain, no more black wrists!

Gather Your Junk.

Pretty simple supplies list.

Tools & Supplies:

Chain Breaker (or a grinder will work if you are careful)
Glue. I recommend JB weld, the gorilla glue didn't work on all of the magnets.

Parts:

NEW bicycle chain (about $15.00)
Neodymium Disc Magnets 1/4" X 1/16" (I bought a pack of 100 for abt $12.00 shipped)
Small bolts or rivets

Thats it! I figure you can make 4 bracelets easily with one chain and one order of magnets, so each bracelet would run about $7.00. Less, if you use less magnets and can get more than 4 out of a single chain.

Break the Chain

Measure out the length of chain you want to fit around your wrist. Use the chain breaker to push the pin ALL the way out.

Magnetize!

If you want a magnetic part holder, attach the magnets using JB Weld. Other glues may work as well. Put a SMALL drop of glue right on each pin as shown in picture 1. Remember, the magnets are going to JUMP out of your fingers and stick to the chain... Be ready for it or they will smear the glue around and make a mess.

Once you have all of the magnets set in place, pull it out in a straight line and set it somewhere to dry. Dont get it near metal or other magnets, because the magnets you just glued on might stick to something else and get pulled off the chain. If you bend the chain, the magnets will stick to each other and pull each other off... Don't ask me how I know.

Make the Quick Release Clasp

Take the rivet or bolt and if it isn't already, grind or cut it down so that it is just long enough to fit through the pin holes on the thickest part of the chain. If you make it just a tad long, it's easier to get your fingernail under the head of the rivet to take it out, but it's a lot more noticeable and can snag on things easier.

To close the "clasp", line up the two ends of the bracelet and push the rivet through the holes. Set a magnet on the other side of the bracelet to hold the rivet in, and viola! Done!

Try It Out!

Give it a whirl. It seems to be able to hold a ton of stuff. I've been wearing mine for a few weeks now and no black wrist from grime. I don't see any signs of rust yet, but keep in mind most chains are made of plain old un-treated steel, so if you get them wet, expect them to rust eventually.

Now if I could just get my students to stop asking me to make them one...