Alien 3 chain hook

[Gixxerman]

Just bought an Alien 3 multi-tool.
I am puzzled as to the purpose of the wire chain hook. It is a piece of stiff wire that has a hook on both ends. The picture shows it as hooking round some chain links and making a piece of chain (about 3 links) that is slack. For what purpose I cannot fathom. Any ideas?

 

[Piemaster]

Give you a bit of slack in the chain and hold two ends in place in order to get a pin in? I had a side plate on a chain come loose and jam in the cassette, could have used it to take the broken link out and shorten the chain by the one link to get me home.
I didn't actually do this as I was only 5 min walk from the lbs so just went there and had a new chain fitted. Bike was only a few months old so it was done for free and asking for money didn't even occur to the guy.

 

[youngoldbloke]

"Chain Holder

• For when you need that ‘Third-Hand’.
• Holds the chain in place to allow the joining of chain links."

- does just what it says above, quite helpful device, holds the chain ends together and stops the weight of the loose chain end pulling itself off the chainwheel, or un-threading itself through the rear mech. when you are trying to rejoin it.

 

[kyuss]

I made my own from a bent coat hanger. Totally invaluable, especially if you regularly remove your chain for cleaning using a re-usable link such as a SRAM/Connex/KMC.