Make a Belt from Brass Chain

Before: Chain

I will be honest. I do not remember where this chain came from. Whenever we repair, replace or renovate in our home, we always keep anything of historical, architectural or other interest-- even if we are not sure what to do with it at the time. In an old house, in an old city, there are ALWAYS lots repairs and upgrades that could be done to improve the place.

After: Belt by GeltDesigns

This project caused my daughter and I to reconsider lots of old junk in our continuing search for daily materials. The other day, when we saw the above pictured chain, we both looked at each other and said "belt" at the same time. It is always nice to agree with your partner/daughter. Turning the chain into a belt was very easy, but the results are IMHO what repurposing is all about.

Tools
Three-step pliers or mandrel
Chain nose pliers
Wire side cutters or flush cutters
Wire rounder or cup burr and flex shaft
Steel bench block
Rawhide or plastic mallet or ball pein hammer 


Materials
Chain
Brass ring
Brass finding
14-gauge brass wire

Step 1
Clean and polish the chain so it has no tarnish. This chain is brass so we thought it quite a find.

Step 2
Create two large "S" links from 14-gauge brass wire. Use three-step pliers or a mandrel to form the "S" link. Cut the wire from the spool with wire side cutters or flush cutters.Use a wire rounder or cup burr and flex shaft to file the end of the link so it is smooth enough to wear as jewelry. Place the link on a steel bench block and hammer the link with a rawhide or plastic mallet to harden the metal with out marring the surface. If you don not mind a hammered look to yur metal, you can use a ball pein hammer to harden the metal.  Repeat to create a second identical link.

Step 3
Use chain nose pliers to open the "S" link and attach one side of the link to one end of the chain. Close the link so the finding is secure on the chain. Open the other side of the link and attach the brass "O" ring. Adjust the link as needed with your chain nose pliers.

Step 4

Use chain nose pliers to open the other "S" link and attach one side of the link to the other end of the chain. Close the link so the finding is secure on the chain. Open the other side of the link and attach the brass clasp. Again, adjust the link as needed with your chain nose pliers.


Related Tutorials
Make a Stone & Elastic Belt  
How to Make a Simple "S" Clasp (with or without Beads) 
Make Your Own "S" Clasp 
Make Your Own Beaded "S" Clasp
How to Make Your Own Wire Wrapping Tool Kit
How to Care for Your Wire Wrapping Tools
How to Straighten Wire
How to Smooth Sharp Edges on Wire
How to Measure Wire
How to Use a Wire Gauge
Tutorials by GeltDesigns 


Further Reading
"Making Stylish Belts: Do-it-Yourself Projects to Craft and Sew at Home"; Ellen Goldstein-Lynch, Sarah Mullins, Nicole Malone (2007).
"The Complete Metalsmith: Professional Edition"; Tim McCreight; 2004"Jewelry Concepts and Technology"; Oppi Untracht; 1982

"The Complete Book of Jewelry Making"; Carles Codina; 2006


Day 19. Week 3. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: brass chain, brass ring, brass catch
New Jewelry a Day.

Make a Stone & Elastic Belt (Made from Hair Bands)

Sometimes a girl just needs to renovate old jewelry. I had this necklace made of donut shaped beads carved from a green mystery stone. There was nothing wrong with the necklace....except that it was boring.  What's more, my daughter and I agreed that there was something icky about the way the wire showed through the center of the donut holes.

So we took the necklace apart and used the beads to become a stunning, 42-inch adjustable belt made with black elastic hair bands. We used 21 black Goody Ouchless Hair Elastics and twenty-two (22) 35mm donut shaped beads to create the belt. Here is how we did it.

Figure A

Step 1
Construct the belt link by link.

Step 2
Begin with one elastic hair band and one donut bead. Feed the elastic hair band through the center of the donut bead.

Figure B

Step3
Feed the right side of the elastic band over the donut and back through the center of the elastic band.

Figure C

Step 4
Pull the elastic band tight so it is snug around the donut bead.

Step 5
Feed the open side of the elastic hair band through the next donut bead and repeat the above procedure.

Step 6

Continue to create links until you have made a chain the length of the belt you need.

Step 7
Make the belt buckle.

Cut a four inch piece of 18-gauge sterling silver wire. Form the 18-gauge sterling silver wire into a circle and solder the wire closed using a soldering torch and hard silver solder.

If you do not know how to solder, follow the instructions in our tutorials How to Solder Using a Small Butane Torch, Soldering Tips for Jewelry Makers and Soldering Tips.

Pickle the soldered ring in a warm acid pickle bath to remove oxidation. If you do not know how to pickle silver, see our tutorial How to Make Pickle. Rinse the pickled silver in a solution made of a cup of water and one teaspoon baking soda to neutralize and remove the acid.

Form the soldered metal ring into a belt buckle. Use your round nose pliers to pull the soldered ring into an oval shape. Feed the silver ring through the last donut bead in your belt in the same manner you used the elastic hair bands in figures A, B and C photographed. Pull the silver ring tight as you did in figure C. Rather than add another bead, bend the sterling wire into a shape of a hook. Adjust the hook until it will fit through the donut bead on the other end of the belt and securely hold it.

Step 8
Test your belt. I plan to wear the belt with my LBD for Thanksgiving, but here it is with the sweater and jeans I was wearing when my daughter and I made the new belt.

We decided to add length to the belt so it drapes. We used an "S" link to hold the excess of the belt to create the drape. For instructions on how to create an "S" link, see our tutorial Make Your Own “S” Chain.

Further Reading
Tutorials by GeltDesigns
Hot Connections Jewelry: The Complete Sourcebook of Soldering Techniques
Step-by-Step Jewelry Workshop: Simple Techniques for Soldering, Wirework, and Metal Jewelry (Step By Step)
Art Jewelry Magazine: Precision Soldering Simplified; Give a Classic Ring a Twist with an Easy Forging Technique; Make a Basic Chain with Spring Links (Vol.3 No.1 November 2006)
The Complete Guide to Jewelry Soldering: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why!
Jewelry: Fundamentals of Metalsmithing (Jewelry Crafts)
Complete Metalsmith: Professional Edition

Materials
Goody Ouchless Hair Elastics
Forest Green Jasper Large Square Donut Focal Pendant Bead 35mm (1)
1 Ounce. (12 Ft.) Sterling Silver Wire 18 Gauge - Round-Half Hard

Tools
Blazer GB2001 Self-Igniting Butane Micro-Torch
SILVER SOLDER 1/4 OZ SHEET HARD
Soldering & Annealing Pan
CHARCOAL SOLDERING BLOCK 4 3/4 X3 X 1-1/2" INDIVIDUALLY BOXED
PICKLING COMPOUND SPAREX 2-1/2 LB BAG
Pickle Pot Sparex Acid Soldering Jewelry Repair Tools

Day 4. Week 1. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
New Jewelry a Day. Join the adventure.