Simple and really reliable clamps from plastic bottles: what are they for and how to make them

click fraud protection

In everyday life, it is often necessary to connect several items for a while - a stack of papers, parts to be glued, laundry when drying on a rope. If a person is engaged in homemade products, then such a need arises quite often. When performing serious work, the master uses various vices and clamps. For small things, there are enough paper clips, sometimes stationery. They are also very diverse. Here we will consider the question of how to make simple and really reliable clamps from plastic bottles.

Read in the article

  • 1 Idea
  • 2 Tools and materials
  • 3 Manufacturing process
  • 4 Result
  • 5 Conclusion

Idea

In fact, we will not talk about a clamp, but about a kind of paper clip, although the term "clamp" fully describes the function performed by a homemade product. Clamps look more solid and are designed to hold larger objects with more effort.

Reliable plastic bottle clamps
PHOTO: Leonid Shalman
Locksmith clamps

The created product will be able to firmly hold several pieces folded together. The main value of a homemade product is that it is made by hand in 20-30 minutes from a PET bottle that has been prepared for disposal.

Tools and materials

From the tools you need a hacksaw for metal, sandpaper with a larger grain, a hot nail and pliers to hold this hot nail. You will need a clerical knife and scissors. A hand or electric drill will come in handy. And from the materials you need a PET bottle itself with a neck of the desired diameter and a pair of screws, self-tapping screws or bolts with a diameter of about 5-6 mm and a length of about 40-60 mm.

Required tools
PHOTO: YouTube.com
Required tools

Manufacturing process

While the bottle is intact and comfortable to hold in your hands, you need to do the following. But some craftsmen immediately saw off the top of the bottle and work with it. Whom it is more convenient.

Neck of different bottlesPHOTO: YouTube.com
Neck of different bottles

In the middle of the height of the neck of a bottle with a cork thread, you need a hot nail, the diameter of which is slightly smaller than the prepared self-tapping screws, burn through two holes, the axes of which are located in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the bottle, and make up an angle of about 90 °. While the plastic is hot, screw the prepared screws, screws or bolts into these holes to a depth of 10 mm.

You can use a drill and drill holes. Self-tapping screws can also be screwed into cold plastic.

Drilling holes for leversPHOTO: YouTube.com
Drilling holes for levers
The neck of the bottle with screwed-in self-tapping screws that act as clamp leversPHOTO: YouTube.com
The neck of the bottle with screwed-in self-tapping screws that act as clamp levers

After that, with a hacksaw, you can saw off the neck of the bottle with these screwed-in handles - levers from the bottle - and clean out the burrs. Now you need to clamp the sawn-off part in a vice and make a longitudinal cut on the other side of the side levers.

Bottle neck with screwed handles and a cutPHOTO: YouTube.com
Bottle neck with screwed handles and a cut

When the levers are brought together, the clamp opens, when the force is removed from the levers, the jaws come together and clamp the part.

Result

That's it, the clip-clip is ready to go. She holds it pretty tightly. You can make such clamps in different sizes from bottles of different diameters and colors. The length of the levers should be related to the diameter of the plug and the required force to unclamp it.

Homemade clamp at workPHOTO: YouTube.com
Homemade clamp at work

Conclusion

It is always pleasant to do something useful for yourself with your own hands. And such a simple thing as a clamping clip will often be in demand from an active master. And many thanks to the one who came up with this thing.

Discuss0