Flat Car Chains?

I guess you need to decide between "cheap" and "accurate looking". Those craft stores have lots of different chain for jewelry making.

I use to get mine at Hobby Lobby, the craft jewelry dept. necklace chain.

Best looking are the model ship building chains.  Definitely not the cheapest.

We have a hobby lobby couple blocks up the road.   Whats the best size to get?  I would like fairly accurate but reasonable and be able to get in longer lengths (bulk) if possible

 

Chain in the hobby is sized by links per inch.  So....  if you want to model a chain that has 10 links per foot in the real world you would need chain with 40 links per inch.  FWIW.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheap jewelry chain

$5.00 scale flat car

sticks cut from brush in winter

spring from hardware store

 

 

 

Try the Forum Search feature.

Check the Scenery Sourcelist in the Scenery and Structures Forum.

Dollar store necklaces are what I have used.

Then I dipped it in gun blueing to darken it.

Thanks for the info ill check it out today eh

I too have used various jewelry-making chains from Michael's, but have hand-painted/weathered them.  I like the gun-blueing idea...may give that a try.  Thanks for the idea, Harley!

I have used a silver string like material, comes on a spool, from Micheal's craft store. It is stretchable(maybe elastic inside) and I tie a car or cargo container to the flat car with it.

 

Lee Fritz

I buy blackened small link chain in the jewelry dept of Hobby Lobby. $5 will buy a BUNCH of chain......and it's ready to use or add a wash of rust to it!

I think that chain is relatively easy to find as discussed above. However, where does one find scale sized turnbuckles to go with the chain?

 

I have just been making links, but would rather have turnbuckles.

 

Jim

I just pick up this spool of chain at Hobby Lobby for $5.99 with a 40% off coupon

 However, where does one find scale sized turnbuckles to go with the chain?

 

Jim

 

I wrote an article on how to do just that.  Look at O Scale Trains Issue #63, July/Aug 2012.   Here is a photo.  All the chains and tie downs were made from materials from the Jewlery department of AC Moore as others have suggested.  The jackstands and turnbluckles are made from brass tubing and plastic strips: