Inspiration, improvisation and creativity required
I was raised not to waste stuff, which means I never throw anything away I might be able to repurpose in the future, even if I have no real ideal what that might be! This means I can often find a solution to my DIY problem, by looking at stuff I already have. It just requires a little inspiration and creativity to devise something workable. This saves me real money as well because these small things are often relatively expensive in relation to the material in them. Plus it helps reduce my ‘consumption’; a result for the environment as well as my pocket.
Today for example, I needed a way to secure a door on a chicken coop I’m building, but I couldn’t find any proper “hook and eye” or lock hasps in my bits and bobs drawer. But I did find a couple of cup hooks, one small and one large along with a length of long linked chrome chain. An idea began to form…
I pressed the large cup hook closed in the vice to create an eye and cut away a single link from the chain. I popped the chain link onto the small cup hook and pressed that closed as well. This is what it looked like after installation……
A simple karabina holds it closed, or you could use a small padlock for more security.
You could use more links if you needed a longer hasp, but the point is to look at what you already have and to be creative in finding a solution for your particular job.
What have you made from stuff you had to hand? Or have you re-purposed anything from your junk pile lately to get you out of a tricky spot? I’d love to hear about it in the comments…
Stay well
Ian
