I recently changed over the chain on my bike and had some links left over. Instead of just throwing them away, I decided to make myself a bracelet from the leftover links.

It's actually a very simple project and you only need a couple parts and tools to be able to make your own. I wanted my links to be a darker colour so I used some heat to change it from silver to more of a deeper grey/black.

You don't have to do this however if you want to keep the links silver. I just liked the way the links looked against the brown leather

Step 1: Tools & Parts

The good news is you only need 2 parts to be able to make your own!

PARTS:

1. Bike Chain. You could use an old bike chain if you have one - would probably look quite good with some patina on the links. You can also just buy one as well - eBay

2. Leather Cord - eBay

TOOLS:

1. Hammer

2. Centre punch

3. Blow Torch

4. Superglue

5. Vice

6. Dremel or a metal saw

Step 2: Removing the Links From the Chain

You can actually buy a proper tool that removes chain links but I found that a centre punch and hammer does the job well

STEPS:

1. To be able to remove the links, you have to push out the pin which is holding the links together. There are 2 types of links, an inner and outer. I used the outer ones as they are flat unlike the inner which have a small lip. You could def use the inner ones though if you wanted to.

2. Place the chain on something like a vice with the jaws of the vice slightly open

3. Place the punch on top of the pin and give it a few good hits with the hammer. This will remove the pin and release the links.

4. I used 8 links to make my bracelet but depending on the size of your wrist, you may need more or less

Step 3: Changing the Colour of the Links

Once you have removed the links, the next thing to do is to hit it with some heat to give the links a darker appearance. Heating them is also a good way to get rid of any grease or oil on the links.

As I mentioned in the intro, you don't have to do this if you want to leave the links a silver colour

STEPS:

1. Place a link onto a heat protected surface.

2. Use a blowtorch to heat the link until cherry red in colour

3. Place into some water as soon as it is glowing red.

Step 4: Making a Connector for the Bracelet

To able to connect the bracelet together I used one of the links as a connector by making a small cut into it

STEPS:

1. Place one of the links into a vice to keep it secure

2. Use a dremel or small metal saw and make a cut into the side of the link

3. Clean up the edges with a file and test to make sure the cut is large enough to slip onto one of the link holes

Step 5: Putting the Bracelet Together

STEPS:

1. First thing to do is to add the first link to the leather cord. Place the link into the cord and add a dab of superglue to the cord.

2. Push down the end of the cord onto the superglue and hold for a couple seconds until glued together

3. Start to weave the links onto the cord. Thread the cord through the bottom of one hole in a link and through the top of the other hole

4. Keep on adding the links, making sure you leave a small space between each of the links.

5. Once all of them are threaded, the next step is to add the final connector link

Step 6: Adding the Final Link

Before you add the final link to the bracelet, place it around your wrist to make sure that it is the right size. You might have to reduce or make larger the spacing between each of the links or even add or remove one of the links to ensure it fits your wrist.

STEPS:

1. Thread the final link onto the leather cord

2. As per the first link, add some superglue to the cord and glue the end of the cord together

3. Place the bracelet around your wrist and connect it together

Done!