Dave Cutter

I add mine to the recycle bin. Metals should all be recycled. But if I couldn't do that.... I wouldn't lose any sleep over it either. It's a chain. There is so much iron on this planet.... that most of it's living creatures... have red blood.

SteelCharlie

I really like the idea of making whips. The leather ones wear out so fast.

fixedweasel

Then you ain't doin' it right.*






*it's all in the flick of the wrist

SteelCharlie

I'm quite satisfied with my technique actually. I suspect that you likely lack a certain enthusiasm.

fixedweasel

Oh my!

juntjoo

Literally

BCRider

It never ceases to amaze me at how VERSITILE common sporting good equipment can be....

OP, if you have some shop stuff around and are willing to do a bit of work to give your FIRST used up chain a new lease on life then here's how I did my own chain whip.

The steel involved is 3/16 thick. If you use 1/8 then you'll fit the inner plates and rivet them to the steel instead of the outer. Note that using the 1/8 plate will require the pushed through burrs to be ground away. So a lot more work to use the inner links and 1/8 material.

Rivets in this case were made from suitable size regular nails. You'll need to take a piece of chain with you to the local source of nails and find one that fits with little or no slop. Note that the tips often have a burr. So ideally measure the diameter with something like a set of calipers. You'll need a couple of nails to make enough rivets. The rivets will be cut to .045 or just over 1/32 over the width between the plates with the steel inserted.

Aluminium was mentioned earlier. I've had to beat on my chain whip (SteelCharlie, take note ) with a dead blow hammer on occasion for some badly stuck freewheels. I doubt if the soft sort of aluminium found in the hardware stores would deal with that. If you can find proper good aircraft alloy? Then sure. But not the cheap lumberyard/hardware store stuff.

Ideally you'd use the ball end of a ball peen hammer to peen and mushroom over the ends of your rivets. But if needed the rounded edge of a regular carpenter's hammer can do the same thing. Just keep twisting the work around so the peening occurs across a wide variety of angles. Finish with the flat face.

After you've made your first chain whip with the first used chain the rest can go into the art projects (some pretty nice looking ones they are too ! ! ! ! ) or just put the chains into metal recycling. At least with metal we know it does get recycled.

EDITED TO ADD- Looking more closely at the pic and at my whip I see now that what I thought was peened nails is in fact chain pins pushed back into place. I guess I just saved the pins and reused them. It's hard to remember since I made this whip up well over 20 years back.



Home made chain whip

ofajen

If saddle theft is an issue, you can install a short section of chain (preferably in a plastic sleeve) through the seat rails and through the seat stays.

Otto

Tawraste666

There are tonnes of vids on youtube showing short sections of old chains being used as hinges.
And new hinges are expensive these days.