Archive for the "hobbies" category

How can I reuse or recycle old musical instrument reeds?

Amber sent us an email asking about reeds from musical instruments:

I’ve got TONS of old alto saxophone reeds lying around, and was wondering if anybody had an idea about how to reuse/recycle them?

I am incredibly unmusical but Wikipedia tells me reeds tend to be make from cane, although there are an increasing amount of synthetic ones in use.

The first idea that springs to mind is turning them into some sort of jewellery – a subtle nod to your musical skills. It might be possible to make them into a statement necklace or chunky bracelet – possibly a bit like this necklace or if you had a lot, this bracelet (they’re made out of shell but I was thinking about the shape more than anything). Or if you’ve just got a couple, dangling earrings?

Any other ideas on how they can be recycled?


How can I reuse or recycle clothes patterns?

Carol sent us an email explaining:

I often see huge bins of clothes patterns at thrift stores. Most helplessly outdated or missing instructions. I have used them in the past as packing material but was wondering if there was any other uses. Seems like there has to be some use for the tissue type paper.

I’ve only just started making stuff from patterns but I’ve already built up a little stack of dressmakers’ tracing paper squares from the excess bits of paper from around the edges of the pattern. If I was more artistic/less clumsy, I’d imagine that I could make an interesting (low-power) lampshade by layering them around a frame or even a privacy shade panel for a window – but since I’m not, I’ll keep them in an envelope pocket in my sketch book for when I need to trace.

Lots of people seem to use them for decorative decoupage projects – for example, decorating little boxes, gift tags or furniture (I can’t find the pictures now but I’m sure I’ve seen a sewing table covered in an old pattern). Just remember to use some sort of sealer so they don’t get wet and/or tear.

They also be used for just about any tissue paper craft – the only “problem” being the somewhat muted colour compared to most bright tissue paper. That doesn’t mean they can’t look great though – pale flowers can still look fantastic whether as a bouquet or as mini fairy lightshades.

More practically, I do like Carol’s idea of using them as a packing material and they could also be used as delicate gift wrapping paper for handmade projects.

Any other suggestions?


How can I reuse or recycle little pencil stubs?

Over on the Suggest an Item page, Kate asked:

What can I do with old pencil stubs, the used ones that are too small to write with any more?

Stubs of old crayons are super easy to reuse – just melt a load down into a new, easy-to-hold shape and off you go – but I suspect pencils will be harder.

I vaguely remember being a kid and taping two together, end to end, to make a slightly longer, double-ended pencil – and it seems you can buy gizmos to help you do that now (although I’m pretty sure I just used tape).

I also know that Jane Eldershaw of JunkJewelry uses the ends of pencils in her work.

Any other reusing or recycling ideas?


How can I reuse or recycle spark plugs?

We’ve had an email from Scott, asking:

Is there any use for old sparkplugs?

As someone who barely knows what a sparkplug looks like let alone does, I’m not really in a position to answer this question. Google tells me that they can be cleaned up again but it’s not recommended (although disclaimer: all the people talking about it are performance/engine obsessives, so they might be pushing for more than the average person).

Does anyone else know if they can be revamp and reused?

Or what about other reuses for them? Anyone incorporated them into any other creations?

And what about recycling? Can they be recycled for their component parts and if so, where/how?

(Photo by Gerald Zuckier)


What can I reuse or recycle to make cheesemaking moulds?

Apologies for not posting yesterday – I was away on an “introduction to cheesemaking” course over the weekend and too tired to type yesterday ;)

I’ve been making super-easy cheeses like paneer for a few years now but before I committed to anything that needed months of effort/ageing, I wanted to learn some core skills from someone who knows what they’re doing. The course, through the Low Impact Living Initiative, was great for that and very very interesting – so now I have a burning desire to make all sorts of cheeses – and that requires moulds.

We saw a selection of stainless steel moulds and (food-grade) plastic ones – and someone else on the course mentioned they’d heard about moulds made from drainpipes. The course leader didn’t exactly advocate that but said that in theory, it would be fine — just drill holes in the rigid sides, making sure the outside of the hole was wider than the inside, and that there was no jagged bits of plastic left on the inside or outside of the holes.

So that got me thinking: what else could cheese moulds be made from? Any food-grade plastic packaging perfect for reusing? Or do any other household/kitchen utensils lend themselves to being used as cheese moulds – either as they are or with a bit of modification? Because it’s just for my consumption, I’m not bothered about them being pretty round cheeses.

If you make your own cheese, what do you use?