Do you find yourself with a ton of extra copper wire? Whether you have it left over from a construction job, bought it on a whim and realized you can’t use it all, or found it in your garage—you need to find something to do with all this wire! Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do other than toss it in the trash, recycle it, or sell it to scrap metal buyers. In fact, you can use that “trash” to express your inner artist. If you’re suffering from a scrap attack, here are four alternatives to recycling copper wire.
Build Art/Sculptures
Wire art hit the scene in the modernist period, and never really left us. There are some incredible wire sculptures in museums like San Francisco’s MOMA, the Louvre, and the British Museum. Pieces of wire can be used to create functional art, like phone cases or carriers, or purely artistic pieces like miniature sculptures you place on your kitchen table—even a fruit bowl is a possibility. Try your hand at your own piece of art and use up some (or all) of that wire to boot!
Create Bins or Containers
Tightly wound wire can be used or molded to create bins or other containers for storing items, or simply for decoration. Wire-based containers are particularly popular in gardens and outdoor settings like patios and porches. The design of the bins tends to be molded around a starter shape, which can then be fused using a torch or other heat source. (Note: Make sure to use proper safety equipment when handling fire.)
Make a Garden Trellis
Similar to bins and containers, wire sculptures make excellent garden trellises. The nice thing about wire is that it can be molded to fit any outdoor fixture. That means your trellis can be as high or wide as you need it to be. Copper wire also has anti-rust properties, which make it excellent for outdoor use—even in the rain or snow. Most plants will have an easy time growing around a trellis made of copper due to the thinness of the wire—this is especially true of fast-growing plants like ivy.
Fashion Jewelry
Who doesn’t love a nice piece of jewelry? Scrap wire can be used to create bases on which precious gems or metals can be fastened or adorned. Creative minds can also come up with fantastic designs for wrapping around arms, ankles, even your head! There are also methods for creating copper wire beads, which you can use to craft other jewelry. When you make your own jewelry, the sky is the limit. You might even try selling your creations on an e-commerce website like Etsy.
While you may feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of scrap in your house (especially if you just finished a renovation project), there are worse problems to have in life than having too much copper wire. Hopefully after reading these tips, you will come up with a better solution than simple tossing away your excess copper wiring. Making copper wire creations is an activity you can enjoy with your friends, partner, or family.
