I’ve taken quite a bit of time off from prop building since last October. Normally I would have already started working on projects long before now. Due to some family issues and learning a new job I started in August, I will likely not get to devote as much time this year. I decided to start off fairly simple to get me going again. Next year I’d like to make a coffin out of pallet wood, put a skeleton inside & wrap chain around it to keep him in so I decided to go ahead & make some chain.
Supplies
1 1/4″ PVC pipe
PVC pipe cutter
End cutters
Black spray paint
Metallic stone paint
Sand and/or sawdust
Black acrylic paint
Brown acrylic paint
Red acrylic paint
Orange acrylic paint
Glue
Gloves
Antique maple gel stain
Satin urethane spray sealant
Cutting Links
I purchased 1 1/4″ PVC tubes from Home Depot.
Using a PVC pipe cutter, I cut the tubing into pieces approximately 1/2″ wide. Some were larger, some smaller. I did my best to keep them the same but the difference in size does add a bit of character. This was the most difficult part of the project because it really wore my hand out so don’t get discouraged if you end up taking frequent breaks.
Shaping and Preparing Links
Once I’d cut all the pieces I boiled water in a large pot. I added the PVC in batches. Once the water reached boiling I shut the burner off. Using tongs I squished each piece into an oval shape & pulled it out of the water. I just set these on a paper plate to cool.
Once the pieces cooled I tried a variety of ways to cut a slit in them so I could hook them all together. I initially tried a hand saw but quickly saw this was not working well. I tried cutting it with the PVC pipe cutter and this did not work well either. Chris found an end cutter in his garage and quickly discovered this was the easiest method to cut them. Fortunately you only need to cut 1/2 of the pieces.
Painting the Links
Next, I placed all the pieces in boxes & spray painted them black. If you’ve read my other blogs you’ll know that I highly recommend investing in a Grip Spray Accessory that can be attached to the can. Overall, it makes life so much easier, and I’ve used this to make tons of Halloween props! Once dry I turned them over to do the same on the other side. After the black paint dried I used a metallic stone spray paint to give them texture & a metallic look.
Connecting the Chain
Next, I connected the pieces by going every other one with a slit. Chris ended up helping me with this because this was the 2nd most difficult part of the project. Some of the thicker pieces were difficult to attach together.
Rusting
Once all the pieces were attached into one long chain, I made my rust mixture by combining sawdust, sand, and my acrylic paints. I blended the colors until I got the rust color I wanted. The sand and sawdust give the “rust” texture. My mixture was in a bowl so I just dipped the chain in and rubbed it all over.
Before the mixture completely dried on the chain I hung it outside over a tree limb. I used paper towels to wipe off the mixture, allowing it to still look rusty, yet see some of the black and metallic colors below the rust.
Wrapping Up
Once dried I sprayed the polyurethane sealant.
Be sure to give me a thumbs up and leave me a comment below! Of course, I would love to hear from you also and see how your chain turned out! You can also check out my other tutorials on my Blog page!
