Finished chain or loose?....

[katherina1984]

I dont know whether i have posted this in the right place or not....

I wanted to know whether people tend to buy finished chain or loose chain and finish it themselves? I have been buying loose and finishing it myself however some of the finished chains are so cheap it hardly seems worth the extra hassle.

What does everyone else prefer?:confused:

[Dennis]

It depends first on the kind of fastener you will be using Katherina, as finished chain usually comes with a bolt ring. Secondly on whether the chain end will pass through the bail of your pendant. Lastly, the price range of your work and how individual you would like it to be.
It is also worth noting that some bought chain breaks quite easily, so involving you in the hassle of replacement. As a rule of thumb I would say that if you load a carrier bag with 3-4 kilos of goods, pass the chain through the handles and close it, you should be able to lift that off the floor by the chain without breaking it.
I usually have a custom made hook fastener and mostly use snake chain passed through curved tubing for a bail. So I buy loose chain to make up. Also bought chain would not complement my rather heavy pendants.
Kind regards, Dennis.

[Joe]

For the few pendants I make, I buy ready-made chains from Cooksons. If I decide to add a leather thong instead I make it up myself so I know the ends are fitted correctly.

[Kwant]

Depending what it is for I buy some ready made, some loose and make some special ones from scratch. For simple lightweight pendants I usually go for ready made trace or snake chains.