Crafting Tools Using Trash

I have a lot of old pens that don't work anymore. It feels wrong throwing them away so I started transforming them into useful tools for sculpting clay, quilling and dotting.

• Old pens, markers, lids, brushes and even toothbrushes.

• Different kinds of trash like old bobby pins, metal coat hangers, wire, pins, needles and anything you find that could be used for your purposes.

• Epoxy clay, hot glue or super glue.

The first thing to do is to remove the ink cartridges from pens. These empty ink cartridges could also be used to make tools.

Then we can remove the felt tips from the markers. The easiest way is using a pair of pliers.

Using a box cutter or an x-acto knife we can remove the backside. Be very careful.

Using the materials you have try different combinations to see which thing fits better with your pens.

Think about what type of work you want to make and what result would that combination yield.

• For modeling tools I use wires to make loops or materials with interesting patterns to make stamps.
• For dotting tool I look for materials that have flat bottoms to make dots with.
• For quilling I use sewing needles.

Hold it in your hand to see if it's comfortable, easy to use, and if you like how it looks.

After you have decided the combinations that you like, it's time to glue it together.

The method I like the most is using epoxy clay since it's really strong. The downside is that you have to wait a long time for it to dry and harden but it's worth it.

Using the clay I join the materials and position them in the ideal way, then I let it dry.

If you are using epoxy clay and you have some leftovers you can use it to make different tips with certain shapes.

Enjoy your new tools!

In these pictures I have:

• a quilling tool made with an empty pen cartridge and a sewing needle.
• modeling tools:
• a bobby pin shaped like a loop.
• the tip of an old mascara brush
• leftover from laser cutting acrylic
• a plastic gear
• dotting tools:
• modeled from epoxy clay
• a pin
• a syringe cap
• a marble