Bicycle Tube Pouch/Case - Upcycling

In this upcycling activity, we're going to transform old bicycle inner tubes, whether punctured, torn or patched, into creative bags/cases that serve to store tools, colored pencils, pens or even as a cover for your cell phone.

You can quickly make a great ecological product made from the reuse of used bicycle parts that become beautiful gifts for friends.

This INSTRUCTABLES was inspired by a great tutorial posted a few years ago in "Etsy Journal" with the difference that I tried to explore other possibilities for the types of closure of the bag without using buttons, Velcro or other materials that were not the rubber itself already used.

The result was so good and practical that I created other design alternatives. I hope you guys enjoy doing as much as I had fun making these Instructables.

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Material list:

1-An old bicycle inner tube that may have many patches or holes that can be obtained for free at the bike shop near your home. Choose the widest bicycle tubes over the narrower ones, and the flat over the tubular ones.

List of tools:

1-A scissors, stylet or rotary cutter

2-leather punching pliers or leather punch

3-Quick-drying super glue or rubber contact glue

4-Steel ruler

5-light-colored permanent pen

6-binder clip, or pegs or paper clips

1-Using scissors or a knife, cut near cut near the valve to have the maximum use of the material

2-Cut one of the side folds to open the entire length of the bicycle tube.

3-Wash the inner tube with soap and water

4- Evaluate the dimensions of the open air chamber to see what bag size you can make

1-Take the objects you want to keep in the bag and check with the folded rubber if it is the proper size

2- In the width we consider the seam

3- In the length consider the closing flap

4-Use a light-colored permanent pen to mark where the side seam ends and where the closing flap begins

Use a binder clip, or pegs or paper clips to hold the rubber while marking, punching and sewing

5-Secure binder clip so that it already maintains a distance from the edge of the rubber so that the holes are well located

6- Use a ruler to mark where the holes will go. If using 1/8-inch holes, drill the first hole from the bottom and the last hole from the top no more than 1/4 inch from the edge. Between the other holes you can adopt a spacing greater than 1/2 inch

7-Remove binder clip little by little while making the holes so as not to lose the position record

8-Keep a binding clip in the rubber crease at the bottom of the bag, this helps keep track of holes lined up for stitching.

Cut 2 rubber strips with at least the same total length as the bag's rubber when opened. These strips must have the same width as the hole you adopted.

To sew , you can either use a large needle or simply sharpen the ends of the rubber bands to fit easily through the holes.

9- Start sewing from the bottom near the fold of the rubber

10-Make a double knot, either at the beginning or at the last hole

11- Join the sides of the flap to round the corners cutting evenly

12-Mark the position of the hole where the bag's clasp will be located so that it is centralized

13-Glue a circular-shaped rubber reinforcement to the back of the flap at the point where the hole in the clasp will be

14-With the leather punch, drill the hole in the rubber for the clasp

15-To make the strap of the clasp, take a rubber band and tie a knot in a loop that is the same measurement as the envelope of the bag.

16-Now take the finished rubber strap and thread it through the hole in the flap from the inside

17-to close the bag flap, simply bend it over the bag and holding with one finger in the center of the clasp, wrap the bag using the rubber strap