Reduce, reuse, recycle - GRM style

Today is a day when many people focus on reducing waste, reusing items so they don't become waste, or recycling waste into new items.  I know that GRMers have done some amazing recycling on challenge cars. I'm talking about things like a gas tank made out of two metal sinks welded together, floor pans made out of clothes washers, or box flares made out of file cabinets.  I'd like to see some of your favorite things you have created out of what other people consider to be waste. It doesn't have to be on a challenge vehicle, it doesn't even have to be automotive.  Just show me something that you've created by reusing parts of something else.

I'll go first. This is a housing I've been working on for a semaphore-style turn signal.  (I guess 1930s datsun folks call them "traffickators")  The guts of it are a 12 volt reproduction of a 1940s VW turn signal, but the front and back sheet metal that sandwich the semaphore are cut from the sides of a broken box fan.

The theater didn't have a turntable pivot, so I recycled a noisy flange-style wheel bearing from an old Toyota FJ, sanded down a piece of schedule 40 pipe to be a press-fit, and welded on a plate which was scavenged from the skid plate of the same FJ.

I'm also building a powered wagon as a sort of powered pallet jack.  It's just a 4' x 8' platform framed in 2x6 and an 18:1 capstan winch that I'll have to rig up to some kind of axle.  I have a few electric motors around, but the 12/24v motors I have aren't big enough to do the trick.  Plenty of 120/240v motors that would do the trick, but I don't want cords.

The winch will make it slow, but it could likely crawl Moab.

I made this DMX remote controlled vomit machine from recycled PVC drain pipe and hose and valves scavenged from an old washing machine.  The hose went through the actor's costume out her sleeve.  The DMX controlled a 1/2" solenoid valve which sent air from a compressor to the Vominator.  Turned out pretty realistic.  Whole thing cost less than $20 (if you don't count the $6000 DMX light console)

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

That does look real!

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

That's awesome!

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

The best part about that whole thing is that it's DMX compatible. 
 

Curtis.  I did not watch your video because I did not want to see someone barf.  Please don't take it personally.  It sounds like you did a really good job on the Vominator!  Have you thought about applying for a patent?  There's bound to be a market for such a machine.

As usual the GRM forum never ceases to amaze me with the variety of stuff we do...... Vominator! 

I reuse things for completely different purposes constantly. Here's a simple one.

I use typical coffee container used to germinate Palm tree seeds in my attic. Set everything up and stick in attic for a couple months, checking weekly depending on type of palm because they have various germination rates and I experiment with different techniques as far as soil, humidity, planting depth, etc.  No need to water because it's a sealed container and the additional heat of being in the attic speeds germination of many varieties compared with community pots outside even here in S FL. This particular palm is native to Vietnam so the additional heat in the attic at night more closely matches the warmer average night temps in it's natural environment.

Once seeds have started to sprout like the ones in the pic I leave the seedlings in the coffee container without the top and cut a drainage hole in the bottom then place outside in an appropriate area for the particular type of seedling. Once seedlings are big enough and need to be transplanted, cut the container with utility knife rinse it off then throw it in the recycle bin.

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1988RedT2 said:

Curtis.  I did not watch your video because I did not want to see someone barf.  Please don't take it personally.  It sounds like you did a really good job on the Vominator!  Have you thought about applying for a patent?  There's bound to be a market for such a machine.

Totally understood.  One night of performances during the barf scene, we heard HUURRRR from an audience member, which just added to the laughter from the audience.  If your vomit is realistic enough that someone sympathetically gags, you've done it right.

I didn't think about a patent.  Not a bad idea.

Haven't built anything with it yet, but I've accumulated a small pile of steel tubing from discarded exercise equipment to use for chassis bracing. Just grabbed some sort of Body By Jake contraption off the curb this morning. Some of the tube is pretty robust.

I made this a while back for my son.

02Pilot said:

Haven't built anything with it yet, but I've accumulated a small pile of steel tubing from discarded exercise equipment to use for chassis bracing. Just grabbed some sort of Body By Jake contraption off the curb this morning. Some of the tube is pretty robust.

If you see bed frame box spring supports being junked, the right angle steel they're made of is stronger higher quality steel so grab them.

NOT A TA said:

02Pilot said:

Haven't built anything with it yet, but I've accumulated a small pile of steel tubing from discarded exercise equipment to use for chassis bracing. Just grabbed some sort of Body By Jake contraption off the curb this morning. Some of the tube is pretty robust.

If you see bed frame box spring supports being junked, the right angle steel they're made of is stronger higher quality steel so grab them.

Good thought. Whenever normal resumes, the town bulk drop-off days are a goldmine for this sort of stuff.

Around 36 years ago my late brother (he passed in 2005) gave me some scraps of wood from an old shipping crate. He knew I liked making furniture from the "Early American" era. So I created this chest. It looks weathered, and fits perfectly with the decor in our "new old house." I would add that the wall clock above the chest I created from leftover scraps of 1 x 12 pine boards from the floor. I did the pine floor and the tile in front of the fireplace as well. (Note the glass of wine on the chest. That would be mine this evening). The Windsor 2-seater bench to the right is by D.R. Dimes furniture maker from NH. (We have several of their pieces in our house, and besides my own creations, that Windsor bench is my next most favorite piece of furniture).

The D.R. Dimes Windsor bench:

Looks nice Gary! I like that the top of the doors on the chest aren't  straight,flat, and horizontal.

In reply to NOT A TA :

It's an ellipse. Very common in Early American furniture design. Considered "Federalist" in furniture design lingo. And difficult to get perfect with an electric jig saw. I can't imagine how the furniture makers of the early 1800's made those cuts.

Gary said:

In reply to NOT A TA :

It's an ellipse. Very common in Early American furniture design. Considered "Federalist" in furniture design lingo. And difficult to get perfect with an electric jig saw. I can't imagine how the furniture makers of the early 1800's made those cuts.

I had to learn with a coping saw.

Made a little trailer from the Ranger tractor project truck bed, and rack shelving beams.

It actually broke when I loaded it with 4,000 lbs of gravel.  lol.  I updated the axle so now the wheels are inside the arches, not 'rat rod'  style as shown in version one here. Don't think I have pics of version two.

This pandemic makes us creative and busy on trying to figure out how to restore old stuff at home. 

Took some angle iron from some old racking we cut up at work and made a front rack for my bicycle to use on a little camping adventure. Always fun to glue steel together with the welder! 
 

All painted and loaded up. Worked great!

NOT A TA said:

02Pilot said:

Haven't built anything with it yet, but I've accumulated a small pile of steel tubing from discarded exercise equipment to use for chassis bracing. Just grabbed some sort of Body By Jake contraption off the curb this morning. Some of the tube is pretty robust.

If you see bed frame box spring supports being junked, the right angle steel they're made of is stronger higher quality steel so grab them.

That is a great idea. I was delaying buying square tubing for my next strange golf cart creation because 2 sticks of 2" x 2" 11 ga. Was $300! I can probably recycle a couple of sets of bed rails to do the job!

Re: box spring frame.

I'm not sure if the steel is "higher quality" or not, but it sure is really crappy to try and drill a hole in. I've actually throw some away because I refuse to work with it. I think it is also very brittle.

Based on what I learned in this thread a couple months ago, I will not be trying to fabricate anything out of bed frame angle.