How to repurpose things

[Glenn]

List the things that can be repurposed here.

 

The automobile battery and light bulbs can create light for an non-electric shop. 

The light switches from the car can turn the bulbs on and off when needed. Do not forget the door contact switch that is normally off, but turns on the overhead light when the door is opened.   It can be a very useful item.

Take a clear water bottle and put the bottle into a hole in the roof, 1/4 to 1/3 on the outside and 3/4 to 2/3 on the inside.  The sun hits the bottle and the water transfers the light to the dark room under the roof.  Seal the bottle to the roof to keep out rain.

Keep a stack of 2x4s or other wood that can be used as cribbing.

The body jack for supporting a vehicle can be placed of a stand, bucket, etc, and be used as an adjustable 3rd hand for holding long pieces of metal. (whitesmith came up with that one)

The side or lid from an appliance (washer, dryer, metal cabinet, etc) can be used as a white board. Just add dry erase markers.

 

[ThomasPowers]

*Everything*.

[1forgeur]

Inner tubes make good rubber bands

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Desk top computer cases, heavy gauge sheet metal are good for small pieces. I made an electrical 200 amp service panel front (that was missing) from one.

[George N. M.]

Dear Glenn:  The idea of using water bottles as skylights is good but I would worry about UV degradation of the plastic.  I don't know how well the plastic used in water bottles resists or is susceptible to UV damage.  If you don't mind climbing up on the roof to replace them periodically it may not be that big a deal.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."  

[SLAG]

Good point George N M ,

I should like to add another consideration to consider.

The water should have a disinfectant in it. (or boil it for a while, before use).

The reason for that is that some micro-organisms can grow in the water, and foul it up, making sit somewhat opaque.*

Just my two cents worth.

SLAG.

I remember, vividly, seeing a culture of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa,  (with a beautiful pink color),

growing on an agar culture that had no nutrients in it.

[rockstar.esq]

5 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

Desk top computer cases, heavy gauge sheet metal are good for small pieces. I made an electrical 200 amp service panel front (that was missing) from one.

Speaking as an Electrician, I feel an obligation to warn you that many insurance policies include a requirement that everything connected to the electrical system be listed for the purpose.  Insurance adjusters have been known to cite such violations as reason to decline completely unrelated claims.

If I lived closer to you, I'd happily help you to get the necessary parts.

 

[Welshj]

So many things can be done... with anything!

I have an older 12" craftsman wood lathe. It has a 48"? (or so) bed on it. Its mounted on an old 1" thick mdf board that's around 3ft x 6ft.

While trying to find something to build supports, legs... etc... I happened to set it on an old antique coca cola cooler shell I bought for the wife to plant flowers in.

Guess who no longer has a flower planter? It works perfectly! 

[BillyBones]

2 soup cans with a string through the bottoms so you can "call" your neighbor. 

Pop, or beer, cans with the tab lifted can be tied to a string and make excellent BB gun targets. Just ask the grandkids. Horse shoe nails make good make shift arrow heads and when we were kids we would use pine needles, the long soft type, for fletching. Keep a couple feminine napkins in the first aid kit, works great as a bandage. Fridge racks can be bent into plier or wrench holders for the tool box, _/\_/\_ side view, helps if one /\ is smaller than the other. Then lay tools in the slots. A piece of wire tied from belt loop to belt loop in the front keeps you pants on for when your belly has grown bigger than your britches and while bending over the button comes flying off. (maybe i should let the uniform guy know i need bigger pants) 

Clinkers can be used to fill in the holes next to the too small of a driveway for the to large of a truck (like there is such a thing) to prevent the mud hole. Just make sure there is no sharp bits of metal hiding in there. 

Just a few thought here, cant wait to see where this thread leads. Seems like most blacksmiths are masters at repurposing. 

[Frosty]

If you live in cold country you need to put antifreeze in your plastic bottle sky lights. I'm surprised I haven't seen this one yet, coil spring make good struck tooling and decent blades. Bandsaw blade makes a good pattern welded bright layer. 55 gl. drum for a forge. 

That's enough plagiarisim for one day. 

Pry or crow bars are a good yard sale source of tough medium carbon steel.

Oh HECK keep everything I'm sure it still good. It'll become invaluable as soon as you throw it out.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

When we changed satellite TV service the old co. took back the electronics but left dish. It's been sitting out by the shop for about 10 years now. Today I finally found a use for it on the prototype squirrel proof bird feeder hanger. One smart white squirrel figured out a way to defeat it by hanging upside down when the pvc pipe would roll him over, then scoot upside down to the feeder. Let's see if he can figure out how to get around the dish as a baffle. oh and they make good bird feeders too.

[Donal Harris]

On 5/14/2020 at 2:10 PM, SLAG said:

I remember, vividly, seeing a culture of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa,  (with a beautiful pink color),  growing on an agar culture that had no nutrients in it.

I’ve never seen it pink, but then I’ve never seen it on media without nutrients. Usually it produces a greenish pigment. It is a nasty bug though. It is a rather common cause of nosocomial infections. It is also commonly the ultimate cause of death for those with COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, or must be on long term ventilation. It is very difficult to get rid of.  Sometimes the colonies will have a very gummy texture because the organism is encapsulated. Horrible bug. 

[SLAG]

Mr. D. Harris.

You are right it is a very nasty pathogen  (bacterium).  It's unofficial name is "pseudo-rouge", among microbiologists and research personnel, (the rouge means red in Latin, and or French, etc.).

It also causes a hospital horror condition called pseudo-membranous colitis. a tenacious hard to treat medical condition.

The bacterium can produce  and secrete a number of pigments, given different conditions of growth. For example, red,  blue,  brown and yellow.

I first isolated the bug from the caulk lining my bathtub, and transferred it to  an agar petri dish, with no added nutrients. I was doing graduate studies in mycology at that time.

I still see it in the same environment to this day. (my bathroom).

I have since read that it breaks down gelatin for a food source.

It is a serious invasive pathogen on human implant materials, and is very hard to treat.

(it is resistant to a great number of antibiotics).

Are you a microbiologist or involved in the medical field(s)?

Regards,

SLAG.

[pnut]

Almost everything can be repurposed. I'm a hoarder only contained by my lack of space. I did just pay a years rent on a 10x10 storage unit though. It's only about a quarter or third full. Mwaa haha.. 

Pnut

[Donal Harris]

I am what once was called a Medical Technologist, but is now known as Medical Laboratory Scientist. It is pretentious sounding and I hate it. NCA and ASCP merged a little over a decade ago. As part of the merger ASCP agreed to change the name to sort of match that of NCA’s. NCA certified techs were Clinical Lab Scientists (CLS). ASCP certified techs were Medical Technologists (MT). ASCP blended the two and came up with MLS for Medical Laboratory Scientist. 
 

Another concession they made to NCA was to begin requiring continuing education. New grads who sit for the exam are able to put MLS(ASCP) plus a little CM as a superscript at the end for Certification Maintenance. Those like me can do the same if we agree to pay the ASCP a bit extra each year and send our continuing education hours to them each year. Most of us do not. I was certified an MT and will die an MT. All of us are required by the labs we work in to turn in so many hours anyway. Going through more hassle and expense just to have credentials I never wanted seems a bit pointless to me.

I have known several CF or COPD patients with it in their lungs. At first they would go quite a while between inpatient stays, but in every case the time between stays would become less and less. Not all strains are multi-drug resistant, but those which you pick up while inside the hospital often are, as you would expect. After all they have been “sent to school” so to speak.

It isn’t important, but I believe you may be thinking of CDiff.  Although I expect using antibiotics to kill Pseudomonas could very likely lead to pseudomembranous colitis. We all have to track and report CDiff cases now.  It is a measure of hospital quality. 

[SLAG]

D. H.,

You are right,

I confounded C. diff,  (Clostridium difficile) the real cause of pseudomembranous colitis, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Was it because of the time of night?

Did you know that pseudo rouge probably started out as a plant pathogen? (which it still is.)

They are looking into bacteriophage treatment for the bacterium.

Cheers,

SLAG.

[pnut]

5 hours ago, SLAG said:

pseudomembranous colitis, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

I'm pretty sure that's what the doctor said I wss experiencing as a side effect of antibiotics destroying the flora in my digestive tract. . It was some sort of psedo colitis. I Icouldn't remember for the life of me what type of colitis though. I was glad to know it wasn't gall bladder issues but it's still unpleasant. 

Pnut

[ThomasPowers]

Let us not forget the ball peen hammer head: used for small hawks, and tons of different tools, punches, drifts, stamps, dishing hammers---forge the flat peen rounded, etc and so on!  Usually medium carbon steel and cheaply found at garage/boot sales  without the handle.