I imagine the wax lubrication method might be right up your alley. I haven't personally tried it, but I imagine old crock pots are as readily available at thrift stores in Vermont as they are here in California if you want to give it a go.
We've been getting really into upcycling bike parts here at Bike Recycle Vermont -- we sell jewelry and fun products at local artists' markets to raise money for the shop. We love making jewelry with the ever-iconic bike chain, but getting it clean is so time and labor intensive. Has anyone found an effective way to clean multiple chains at once, and I mean really clean them out, get them grease-free and bone dry to the point that you'd wear the thing around your neck?
We tried a parts cleaner, we tried bringing them to a car wash... each time we still ended up going at each chain with a tooth brush and some degreaser and spending 15 minutes scrubbing it.
-- Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen http://sacbikekitchen.org/ 1915 I Street, Midtown Sacramento Open Tu 6-9p, We 6-9p, Th 6-9p, Fr 10a-2p (kids 6-8p), Sa 12-4p