Bags were made from floppy disks, they were placed as coasters under cups, the metal cores of magnetic disks were turned into parts for the administrator's tambourine, and the magnetic disks themselves were used instead of light filters to look at the sun. What happened to me when art and geekiness met in my head is written in this post.
I love to draw. I have a great variety of markers, pens and pencils, and at some point I realized that ordinary stands and pencil cases, of which there are many in office supply stores, would not be enough for me. I wanted something of my own and tailored to my needs. It all started when I read a post on life hacker about a pen stand made from floppy disks. It is done very simply - take five floppy disks and interlock with rings to each other. I improved the scheme and did not interlock them, but glued them together. The stand made using this method was later modified by adding a lid with tape to the eraser box.
One stand was not enough, so I made another one, replacing the bottom floppy disk with a CD, this increased stability, and this thing looks good. Later, I made another stand using the old method and glued it to the new one, additionally adding several partitions from the same floppy disks inside. For two years now she has been faithfully serving me on the table.
But this was not enough, and then I began to make more stands. Another CD was added to the CD, thickening the bottom, making it look nice underneath and further improving stability. A piece of paper was placed between the disks to prevent anything from falling out in the center of the “pancake.” To connect the stands to each other, part of the disk was sawed off on both sides. Then I began to immediately file off the corner of the disk and not use extra floppy disks to connect the two stands, and made them immediately interlocked, the wall between the boxes was shared by two. The partitions were designed for different markers, from thick to thin. This is the train that now sits on my desk.
But there were more and more handles and I wanted to make an even more convenient stand. Having taken out a specially purchased box of floppy disks, I decided to make a stand standing at an angle. The technique was the same as the very first time - a box with a bottom made of floppy disk or cardboard (for the original look), separators made of floppy disks, but two more disks were attached to the side, which hold the stand at an angle. The first time I used small self-tapping screws, but even with them I had trouble, the second time I glued them. The stands turned out to be incredibly comfortable and take pride of place near the laptop.
At an angle, the ink deteriorates less and it is more convenient to take out drawing sticks, and the color or thickness is immediately visible.
Now I’m thinking about where to use the old CDs and DVDs, of which I have accumulated a great many. Why not make that same tambourine?
Enough interesting application old floppy disks were found by Ana Buigues from Spain.
She makes notepads from old floppy disks and sells them in an online store for $5 and $7 depending on the number of pages.
It looks pretty nice.
Like this original idea for a homemade notepad.
Another use for old floppy disks is a bag! Such a bag does not seem too convenient, but design, as they say, requires sacrifice.
Nowadays, information carriers such as CDs are gradually fading into the background. Don’t rush to throw away iridescent circles that have become unnecessary; they can become an excellent material for creativity.
Second life for discs?
There are many ways to give a second life to old CDs, in this article you will see some of them. Crafts made from CDs can become great solution for the interior and garden, or just to help you have an interesting time, simultaneously developing creative thinking.
Creative people have long invented a huge number of options beautiful crafts from discs for children and adults, you just have to reproduce their ideas, and maybe come up with your own.
Throwing away such wonderful and interesting material - huge mistake. Using CDs you can make unique interior items, original and stylish gifts, decorations for your dacha and garden: whatever your heart desires and whatever your imagination and perseverance is enough for.
Check out some ideas unusual use old computer disks and create new wonderful things with your own hands!
LED lamp
If you urgently need a new original lighting device, old disks will come to the rescue. This craft can be used both in the home interior and in the country.
You don’t need any special materials for this work: the main condition is just to use a little imagination and patience.
Be sure to follow our detailed step-by-step instructions:
You will need 12 scrap disks, a protractor, metal staples or paper clips, a lamp socket and a thin drill bit.
First, we divide one of the disks into five identical segments. For these purposes, use a protractor: the angle between the segments should be approximately 72 degrees. This disk will serve as a stencil for the rest.
On the segment line, approximately 3-4 millimeters from the edge, drill five small holes. Next step: put the remaining disks in a stack and using the first disk (placing it at the very top of the stack) make exactly the same holes in the others.
In order for the craft to be strong and hold well, you will need support rods. Ballpoint pen rods are ideal for this: insert the rods needed to act as guides into the holes you just made.
If you used a really thin, proper drill bit, you won't even need to fix the holes: they'll fit perfectly.
The lamp is almost ready, now we attach the remaining disks to the structure with brackets.
Now all that remains is to work with light: the last stage you need to screw the required lamp into the socket.
Flower
If you've been sorting through old boxes at your dacha and found a lot of unnecessary discs, there is a great way to use them to benefit the beauty of your yard. Crafts made from disks for the garden look very original and interesting, in addition, they are incredibly easy to make.
In this mini-lesson, I suggest making small flowers from discs to decorate a garden, vegetable garden or yard at the dacha.
Note!
The tools for this craft do not require anything unusual: the right number of disks (it all depends on how many flowers you are going to make), a candle, scissors and paints to make the flowers more vibrant.
The manufacturing process does not require special skills, it is very fast, but at the same time it will captivate you from the first second.
All you need to do is carefully melt the disks over a candle (remember safety precautions: it is best to do this indoors and have some water nearby to put out the fire in case of danger) so that the plastic goes into beautiful waves, similar to flower petals.
I suggest step by step instructions manufacturing beautiful rose from disks:
- First you need to cut the disk evenly along the entire length of the radius and heat one edge of the cut over a candle.
- Once the plastic is warm and soft, take a pair of pliers and use them to turn the edge slightly to the side.
- Slowly turn the disc over the flame and continue bending the molten fragments.
- At the end you should get a small spiral, which will become a rosebud.
- You can paint it any color, attach a wire stem, cut leaves from other leaves and form a whole flower bed! It all depends on your imagination.
So today you learned how to do a few simple crafts from old disks. I hope you found this lesson useful and learned a lot from it.
Note!
Photos of crafts made from disks
Note!
Technological progress is displacing once much-needed items from our lives. Thus, 3.5-inch floppy disks have long outlived their usefulness as storage media; they have been replaced by disks, flash drives and other storage devices with an impressive amount of memory. Now, perhaps, finding old floppy disks will not be an easy task, but in a few decades, floppy disks will become a real rarity. But if you still find a few, we recommend that you do useful crafts from floppy disks with your own hands.
How to make crafts from floppy disks with your own hands?
Before looking at what exactly can be made from floppy disks, let's look at the basic method of connecting floppy disks to each other, which will help you figure out how to make this or that craft.
Pull down the cover - overwrite protection.
We heat the awl and pierce the existing holes on the top and sides.
It turns out four holes with which you can connect floppy disks to each other.
To connect, use clamps, wire, cord, metal rings. You can also additionally secure the shape with glue.
So, what kind of crafts can be made from floppy disks?
Stands for pencils and pens
It is convenient to make square stands for pencils, pens and other office supplies from floppy disks.
Connect the floppy disks together with clamps; the bottom can be glued or also attached using clamps.
And here is a version of a convenient inclined pencil holder. This model used screws to secure the floppy disk box in an inclined position.
Boxes and boxes made of floppy disks
What is the difference between a box and a pencil holder? Only by the presence of a lid. Place the floppy disk for the lid on small hinges or use the same clamps, cord or wire.
Notepad made from floppy disks
Floppy disks make an excellent hard cover for a notepad. Connect two floppy disks and a stack of white sheets between them using metal rings.
A more stylish and labor-intensive option is to use the floppy disk as part of a leather notebook cover with a magnetic clasp.
Mirror or photo frame
A frame for a pocket mirror or a photo frame for an Instax format photo - in case you found just one floppy disk and don’t know what to do with it.
Floppy bags
Very interesting and unusual idea use old floppy disks - make bags out of them! Of course, such a bag is not very convenient, and, frankly speaking, it looks strange. Nevertheless, such an accessory design has the right to exist! But a bag made of floppy disks will not wrinkle, will not tear, and will even keep fragile and glass objects inside intact!
Lamp made from floppy disks
Clock - crafts from floppy disks
Flower pots or flowerpots made from floppy disks
Retro flash drive
Portraits on floppy disks
English artist Nick Gentry has turned floppy disks into canvas for his large-scale paintings, which mostly feature portraits of people. The image is applied with paint, while the holes and details of the storage media fit organically into the overall picture.
Tags: crafts from disks
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The article gives several ideas on how to make many useful things from CDs: a box, a candlestick, a photo frame or a roof covering.
Many people have accumulated old CDs that become obsolete or become unusable. Of course, you can throw them away, but it’s better to store them and at some point use them for a global project, for example, to cover a roof. And from small quantities you can make interesting crafts.
Original disc roof covering
If you have accumulated a lot of such material, then you can make a roof covering from old disks. It will look literally brilliant, and will also not let moisture into the room due to correct location elements.
First, the discs need to be attached to a wooden base, for example, to plywood, and then to the roof. For laying one square meter you will need 120 pieces. They need to be fixed using this technology.
Place the discs end to end in the first row so that there are no gaps. In the second place relative to this in checkerboard pattern so as to block the holes of the first. The third row will also be located relative to the second in a checkerboard pattern, with the holes overlapping. This is how a scaly roof is made from old discs.
Those who have accumulated a lot of unnecessary vinyl records can also implement a similar technology, but using them.
However, let's return to the idea of what can be made from old disks. When laying them, make small holes. Secure parts using small nails or screws.
Come up with a pattern, following which you will lay such an improvised tile roof. You can place the discs either matte or glossy side up.
If you have an insufficient amount disks or records, then you can put them not on the roof of the house, but on the canopy.
See how English artist Bruce Monroe came up with the idea of using old disks. According to him, he wanted to strengthen natural beauty garden like this. It took him 65,000 discs to make water lilies.
You're unlikely to have that much on hand, so you can make small water lilies or home decor items.
DIY rigid curtains made from discs
You won't need to wash them, just brush off the dust occasionally. Such curtains will decorate the room and add positive notes to it.
The manufacturing process is extremely simple. For it you will need:
- CD disks;
- paper clips;
- drill.
Such curtains can be easily fixed to the cornice; for this you need a sharp stationery knife trace the markings of the larger inner circle and then press it out with your fingers to enlarge the hole. You can also use a drill for this purpose. Bathroom curtain holders are made using the same technique from old discs.
You can also make curtain ties using the same material.
Place a smaller round object on the disk. While holding it, trace it with a knife, then cut along the markings with scissors.
The resulting ring is decorated with a satin ribbon, which just needs to be wrapped around it.
You can decorate curtain tiebacks with satin flowers made using the kanzashi technique, and attach rings to curtains using sushi sticks. They can be painted or also rewound with satin ribbon, gluing it.
Beautiful crafts from CDs
Even from very old disks you can make a New Year's toy using fragments untouched by time. Cut out pieces from this material, which then glue to the Christmas ball like a mosaic. Wipe off excess glue with a cloth.
Using the same technique, you can decorate the collar of a blouse. For this purpose, discs are also cut into fragments. Then they need to be glued to the fabric.
To make a photo frame with your own hands, prepare:
- thick cardboard;
- PVA glue;
- CD disks;
- scissors;
- black paint in a tube with a fine tip.
Use scissors to cut the disks into individual elements. Apply PVA to the photo frame - it small area, attach the resulting pieces here.
Let your artwork dry, then fill in the gaps between the pieces with tube paint. When it dries, then you can use the frame for its intended purpose.
And from just one disk you can make a candlestick. For it you will need:
- glass balls;
- 1 disk;
- super glue or another one designed for working with these materials;
- candle.
Cover the outer contour of the circle with balls. Glue the second row on top of these, arranging its elements in a checkerboard pattern. This way create 4 chains. All that remains is to attach the candle using hot wax and you can plunge into the romantic atmosphere.
Homemade jewelry box
It is made of the same material. Here's what it took to create this necessary thing:
- 3 disks;
- textile;
- padding polyester;
- needle with thread;
- scissors.
Divide both circles into 16 equal sectors. To make your task easier, first divide in half, then into 4 parts, then into 8 and into 16.
Transfer the pattern to the fabric or immediately draw on it. You need to make 2 such blanks from canvas. Now sew along the markings, making 16 stitches from the outer to the inner edge. Place padding polyester in the resulting pockets. Sew up the top of the disc box.
If you want to make handles, then weave a braid from three strips of fabric.
To make a lid for a box with your own hands, fold two pieces of fabric in a pile, place on a disk, outline with chalk, cut out with a seam allowance of 7 mm on all sides. Cover the disc on top and bottom with these fabrics. If you want the lid to be soft, then cut out two circles of padding polyester and cover the disk first with them and then with fabrics. Sew along the edges with a blind stitch.
Here's how to make a box.
How to make an owl from old CDs?
Try making this funny owl from this material. It will become a room decoration or an original gift.
To get started you will need this:
- several disks (10–12 pcs.);
- a simple pencil;
- scissors with soft finger rings to avoid rubbing calluses;
- scotch;
- foil;
- strong glue;
- yellow and black cardboard;
- ball pen.
Cut out 2 circles from yellow cardboard; they should be larger in size than the holes in the disks. Cut out 2 smaller black circles from thick black paper and glue these bird pupils onto the yellow ones as shown in the photo.
From the dark areas of the disk, cut out the beak, 2 eyebrows and 2 paws of the owl.
Do not throw away the remaining pieces. You need to draw leaves on them and also cut them out. These elements will be useful for decoration.
Glue an eye to the center of each disc. Glue these two disks together and attach the beak to them. Take another light disk and cut fringe on it only on one side and the opposite side. This is the head of an owl. Glue the blank eyes and beak onto it, based on the photo hint.
To make the owl further, take 5 light disks.
To save energy, do not completely decorate their edges with fringe; do it only where necessary. The photo shows this moment.
Start gluing them together as follows.
Cut out two wings from a dark disk, decorate them with fringe and glue them, eyebrows, and paws of the bird into place.
Place the pencil on the foil and wrap it in this shiny sheet.
Glue pre-cut leaves from disks to the perch. You have such a wonderful owl that will certainly bring good luck to your home.
Coasters for cups made from CDs
These kitchen utensils will prevent the tablecloth from getting dirty with drops of tea and will decorate the table. They are made extremely simply.
Take:
- disks;
- textile;
- ballpoint pen;
- padding polyester;
- needle and thread.
Now place the padding polyester on the wrong side of the fabric and sew the two layers together using a basting stitch. Place the padding polyester on the SD, tighten the thread, tie two knots. Place another circle of padding polyester and fabric on top of the disk, sew the blanks together as shown in the photo. You can put a loop on the side to hang your DIY cup stand from it.
Interesting country ideas from old CDs
You can read how to make such a peacock from a tire in the corresponding article, and its tail is made from the material that this review is devoted to. For it you will need to cut metal mesh in the shape of a large fan, attach disks to it with wire in rows or by laying out a pattern for the tail from them.
But others country ideas. To create one of these brilliant fish, you will only need two CDs, as well as colored cardboard. If these figures will not hang under a canopy, then it is better to use rubber or other synthetic sheets instead. From these you will cut out the fin, tail and mouth of the fish.
Place these parts between two disks and glue them together. Don’t forget to first put a fishing line or thin cord inside to hang the craft.
It’s also not difficult to create a funny caterpillar by first painting 5 disks, attaching legs to four, and gluing eyes, mouth, nose and hair from threads to the fifth. You can easily attach the caterpillar itself to a chain-link mesh or to a picket fence using wire.
You can also make something like this from disks for your dacha windmill or street lamps.
Choose your favorite idea and bring it to life. If you want to see how to make these and other things from old disks, we suggest watching the videos:
Things that fail are not always trash. You just need to figure out how to replace their intended purpose and use it in a new way. For example, an old hard drive. At first glance, it is a waste material that must be recycled. But if you look closely, you can find many creative ideas its further use.
Watch
If you get creative, you may end up with a table clock that resembles a classical mechanic. You only need to spend very little for all this beauty. In addition to the hard drive, you need to stock up on screws, a screwdriver, superglue and a heat gun. You will also need a drill and a drill bit. The hard drive is disassembled and all elements are removed from it.
To make the product not only functional, but also beautiful, surround the plate with LEDs. Strip LED strip attached to the chamber wall using super glue.
Grinder
In order to do grinder, you need to take a screwdriver and sandpaper. The manufacturing method is really very simple. All unnecessary components, represented by magnets, are removed from the disks. This is done using a screwdriver. Afterwards the disk is removed, and a circle is cut to its size.
Important! Power is not provided by a regular outlet. You will need a power supply. In order for it to start without a motherboard, you need to cut off copper wire and plug it into the connector, connect it to the black and green wires.
At the end, the emery wheel is glued to the disk, fixed and connected to the power supply.
Portable storage
A portable storage device is simply made from a hard drive. To do this, take a container and place a hard drive in it. For designs larger than 2.5 inches, you will need to buy a power adapter.
A working hard drive can be used as a cloud server. This requires a single-board computer and the skill of even a novice IT specialist. The end result will be a device that will provide access to all computer data from gadgets connected to one Wi-Fi router.
Hard drives have an element called Neodymium magnet. It is quite large, so it can attract a lot of different things. With its help, you can create a stand that will hold knives in the air. To do this you will have to take a strip, a magnet, glue and simple tools like a screwdriver and a knife.
Wind chimes
One of the cute things you can create from a disc is a doorbell. Before this, you can take the disks, the case, the usual fastening ring made of metal, and also the cord. Put all this together and you get a real work of art.
Secret safe
In standard small apartments There is not enough space to install a secret safe for jewelry or money. But similar useful thing You can make it yourself from an old hard drive. It is necessary to remove the components from its body, and then attach the cover with a small bolt to the corner. The container will open by turning.
For this device, in addition to the hard drive, you need to take a basin, make a hole in it, stock up on a lid from a tin, the tin itself, and bicycle spokes. First you need to make three holes in the disk on the lid. Next, the bicycle spokes are soldered to the resulting device, and a kind of box is made from the can. The lid is connected to the structure, the middle is removed from it. You can pour fuel into the hole. All this is placed in a basin and sugar is added. At the end, the alcohol is ignited and the disc is turned on.
Flash drive
If you want to surprise your friends with an interesting and unusual gigantic flash drive, you can use an old hard drive. First you need to remove the mounting screws with the disk and cover. Next, select a USB splitter that is suitable in size. It is attached to the place of the central disk, and the connection is lubricated with superglue. At the end, a flash drive is attached and the lid is assembled.
