Repurposing -- everything old is new again

[CS1983]

Thought it might be neat to have a thread dedicated to repurposing items.

Example: We use electric sonic toothbrushes. The heads get worn out enough that they are not suitable for dental hygiene, but do have the usefulness of gun cleaning left in them.

Interested in reading what all people have done to re-use items -- particularly in a unique manner.

[GilpinGuy]

The toothbrush for gun cleaning is a damn good idea.

[StagLefty]

Old toothbrushes are great repurpose tools. They're great for house cleaning like around faucet bases and all cracks and crevices plus gun cleaning !!

[Erni]

Old tooth brushes are also great for getting dog poop out of kids sneakers. A friend said so, ya thats it.

Old shirts are perfect oil rags.

Small bigelow tea containers fit nicely in a tool box drawer for fastener "sorting" by type.

[ACE2GOOD]

Old shirts are great for garage work and for removing wax on the cars.
Also use containers from bulk food Costco items for garage storage like light bulbs, rags, and even to separate brass out.

[gnihcraes]

Old toothbrushes tend to melt with the gun cleaners though. I use them for other garage stuff.

Lunch meat containers for sorting brass and other reloading functions. Dish pans too.

Old cat litter box lid is large enough to drain engine oil into. (2 gallons or more)

Plastic sheets from the shipping pallets, make a great driveway slider for working under cars. (much like having a creeper) easy cleanup too. Wipes clean of oil/grease.

Tons of other things I can't think of right now.

[crays]

The dividers from 30 packs make great torso targets. Put the word out to your beer drinking buddies, and you can accumulate a nice stack fairly quickly (especially if you know/work with any Pabst guzzling hipsters, or live near any college housing).

[Great-Kazoo]

Toothbrushes are used to clean gun items in the sonic cleaner and small chips while using the lathe.

Old medicine bottles for small hardware

Soup or juice / broth cans get used in the smoker and grill for liquids.

Bacon grease.


The EX who it seems, is still re-purposing my money ;)

[fly boy]

Plastic Coffee containers for Brass. I have them separated out for different ammo. They stack well, have sealable lids, and easy to dump into a tumbler

[DangerLee_Industries]

I use one of the 80 million pine cones in the yard as fire starter for the stove when out of packing paper from deliveries and I'm also really good with old pallets see attached.

[newracer]

My wife and son drink a lot of Nesquick, both the small and large containers are great for storing various items, like brass.

http://www.tlloh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/nestle-quik-nesquik.jpg
http://img.zanda.com/item/84080720000033/1024x768/Nesquik_Chocolate_Powdered_Drink_Mix.jpg

So are Blue Bunny ice cream containers
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uukqgukKdzc/UEFzMTnO5dI/AAAAAAAAEw8/crfwlztbqEE/s1600/blue+bunny+premium+neopolitan+ice+cream.jpg

[ray1970]

I've cut up old shirts and socks and used them for cleaning patches.

Like fly boy mentioned above, I use the plastic coffee cans for sorting brass.


Not really repurposing I suppose but I once took the antenna off my vehicle at the range and used it as a makeshift cleaning rod to clear an obstruction from a rifle barrel.

[jmg8550]

I use the cheap one gallon ice cream pails to store ammo brass in.

[brutal]

My wife and son drink a lot of Nesquick, both the small and large containers are great for storing various items, like brass.


So are Blue Bunny ice cream containers


Coolwhip containers on the workbench, lunch meat tubs used instead of tupperware for small leftovers (as another mentioned).

I should probably start using all the powdered creamer tubs for something too instead of tossing them.

[brutal]

I've cut up old shirts and socks and used them for cleaning patches.

Like fly boy mentioned above, I use the plastic coffee cans for sorting brass.


Not really repurposing I suppose but I once took the antenna off my vehicle at the range and used it as a makeshift cleaning rod to clear an obstruction from a rifle barrel.

Someone used mine (without my prior consent) to break into their vehicle.

[Irving]

I've got various brass bags that I don't like that I'm going to repurpose into extremely durable trash cans for all my vehicles.
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[encorehunter]

I've used plastic coffee cans for chicken later boxes, screw and bolt holders. Also for feed and grain scoops. I've used pallets for building sheds and a barn now. I also used drill stem for the for the poles in the barn. I have been using hog fence panels to build Gideon walls. 90 lb roofing felt works great for shed flooring, after a couple coats of latex paint are applied to it.

[SideShow Bob]

I just repurposed part of an old belt to make a belt clip holster hanger in my work truck.
4 1/2" piece of belt, a couple of #8 machine screws and a few fender washers & nuts.... And now I have a place on the drivers side of the center console to put the holster, and of course what goes in it.

[SideShow Bob]

I've got various brass bags that I don't like that I'm going to repurpose into extremely durable trash cans for all my vehicles.


Irving, do you have mesh on the bottoms of those brass bags to allow dirt & debris to fall through ?

[Irving]

Irving, do you have mesh on the bottoms of those brass bags to allow dirt & debris to fall through ?


What kind of chump do you take me for?! ;)
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[SideShow Bob]

What kind of chump do you take me for?! ;)


Do you really want me to answer that ? [LOL]

[Irving]

I once repurposed a dog house to use as a chicken coop, but we all know how that turned out...

[brutal]

Windshield washer bottle, milk jug, what have you, for an ice melt bucket scoop.

[theGinsue]

While I repurose used coffee cans for smaller amounts of brass, I use the square base cat litter containers for larger amounts of brass, to hold sand for my driveway (use during the winter), as a car wash bucket and to hold water for putting out camp fires. They stack together better than round 5 gallon Home Depot style buckets because of the square base. When I get back to mylar sealing bulk food stores I'll be putting multiple bags of the same food (like rice or flour, etc.) into these as well because they'll fit well into the square shape and, again, stack together well.

68363

Oh, and the sand I use on my driveway comes from deteriorated sand tubes I use in my truck during the winter. At the end of Spring, when I remove them from my truck, the tubes burst open. I collect a couple of cat litter buckets full of sand and pour the rest in a part of my back yard where I store my utility trailer to cut down on grass growth. I'll be putting future sand tubes into halves of large truck/tractor inner-tube's I picked up for free from a tire store because they were damaged enough to not be able to hold air. I just cut the inner-tube into 2 tubes, wire tire (like fencing wire) one end, slide in a sand tube & wire close the other end. After that they'll hold up for a good 10 years.

[jmg8550]

I get sand collecting in the gutter at the end of my driveway. I use it to fill low spots in my yard. Sanding the driveway is also a good idea.

[encorehunter]

Old jeans I cut up and have made sand bags for shooting from a bench or prone. Also, for exterior of home made animal beds, then stuff them with other old clothes for padding. The dogs love the beds. I have used wooden battery shipping boxes for cabinets and outside toy boxes. I cut one up and made a goat hay and grain feeder.

For a large capacity SS brass tumbler, I screwed some 2x4s pieces into my concrete mixer, then screwed a 5 gallon bucket inside the mixer to the 2x4s. Now I use a second 5 gallon bucket with a gamma screw lid. I glued and screwed some 1x2s in side with gasketed sheet metal screws for paddles. I can clean about 500-800 rounds of .308 with 5 pounds of media. The paddle bucket just slides into the bucket that is screwed into mixer. Simple and easy.

[GilpinGuy]

Empty and rinsed laundry detergent bottles are good for sand in the car in case you get stuck. Some are even orange and good as "caution" cones.

[Wulf202]

Waste motor oil is diesel fuel when I get done with it

[Irving]

I turn a lot of tasty beer into PBR...

[brutal]

When I saw my son drinking PBR because it was cool...

68367

[brutal]

If Irving and Baily Guns got together.


https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?attachmentid=68368&d=1481854704

[fly boy]

Old jeans I cut up and have made sand bags for shooting from a bench or prone. Also, for exterior of home made animal beds, then stuff them with other old clothes for padding. The dogs love the beds. I have used wooden battery shipping boxes for cabinets and outside toy boxes. I cut one up and made a goat hay and grain feeder.

For a large capacity SS brass tumbler, I screwed some 2x4s pieces into my concrete mixer, then screwed a 5 gallon bucket inside the mixer to the 2x4s. Now I use a second 5 gallon bucket with a gamma screw lid. I glued and screwed some 1x2s in side with gasketed sheet metal screws for paddles. I can clean about 500-800 rounds of .308 with 5 pounds of media. The paddle bucket just slides into the bucket that is screwed into mixer. Simple and easy.

*** pics or it didn't happen!!****

[GilpinGuy]

Been drinking PBR for 20+ years, before the craft brew $10 a six pack craze. I guess I'm a redneck hipster.

[Hummer]

*** pics or it didn't happen!!****

Yeah, I want to see that too, please.

[encorehunter]

I dont get off work until tomorrow, so Ill try and post pics then. It was pretty simple to build. The wood paddles on the inner bucket have held up quite well, even after tens of thousands of brass.

[rondog]

Man, I use all kindsa shit for all kindsa shit. If I'm nothing else, I'm resourceful about repurposing stuff. My Depression-era parents infused me with packrat genetics and tendencies. It's all good until ya find me nose down over the edge of a dumpster with my ass in the air.

[stodg73]

Uploaded for encorehunter.

[encorehunter]

Thank you. My phone hates posting pics. Thw paddles work great this way. We had a minor breeze that blew the mixer over last night. Normally the bucket inside is round.