/r/SurplusEngineering

Photograph via snooOG

Surplus Engineering is all about taking things that are already manufactured (surplus), and engineering them into something useful.

Ideas for projects and sources for materials are encouraged to be shared!

Do you know of an industry that has a useful byproduct others could benefit from?

Surplus Engineers are often inspired by permaculture concepts.

“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.” – Bill Mollison

/r/SurplusEngineering

3,938 Subscribers

6

Lumber wraps

I have a couple different lumber stores in my area and have been going regularly and harvesting the wraps out of the dumpsters. Often they have small holes or tears in them. I’ve had great success tying a deadman (Just a small pebble or pinecone bunched into the corner with a line wrapped around ) each the corners and suspending them from trees to make shelters and just typically do a couple layers if it’s some thing I’m really worried about staying dry.

I have also had great success using the pallets which also they are happy to give away. I like the boards on top, I take those off and I can wrap the tarp a couple times around it, and nail it into the siding and have a great very fast cover for firewood.

1 Comment
2021/11/11
02:15 UTC

8

Get Your Surplus Parts Here

Check out eTech Surplus at www.etechsurplus.com for all your surplus equipment and parts needs.

2 Comments
2019/02/02
20:05 UTC

8

The best ever gas bottle wood burner

0 Comments
2019/01/14
02:20 UTC

8

some useful handmade Clamps

0 Comments
2018/11/08
14:39 UTC

5

Diy die casting!

0 Comments
2018/09/06
12:11 UTC

2

Need some help with old displays.

Hey guys, for some good cause i'm involved with i need bright screens to display video's on. I have a bunch of laptop screens, old good laptops with just bad batteries, and a good laptop with too weak backlight.

I don't know much about interchangeability of these parts, or where else to get started on learning some basics or getting help to get some functioning screens out of the pile. I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction/to the right sub or knows of another good way to get cheap screens.

thanks

2 Comments
2018/06/15
12:55 UTC

7

tape measure marker

4 Comments
2018/05/01
16:32 UTC

0

an easy thread chaser for bunged up bolts

1 Comment
2018/04/01
16:28 UTC

13

Measure twice, and never cut anything that ain't already busted.

2 Comments
2017/10/08
22:11 UTC

8

how to make a chain wrench

1 Comment
2017/10/07
14:15 UTC

25

Truck spring+scrap oak= 1000ib crossbow

0 Comments
2017/02/22
12:29 UTC

1

HOME MADE WOOD CARVING BLADE FOR GRINDER

2 Comments
2017/02/13
14:06 UTC

2

Simple half-drunk tips for a professionally jerry-rigged ice free driveway and using that water for plants.

0 Comments
2017/02/05
23:22 UTC

1

Inertia belt dismantling for next project

0 Comments
2016/10/13
09:21 UTC

4

Airbag dissection with several explosions and massive shotgun

0 Comments
2016/10/12
22:45 UTC

3

seat belt pistol gun!

3 Comments
2016/10/12
21:55 UTC

9

Are refrigerator radiator pipes the right kind of metal to be used as ammonia condensers and evaporaters at environmental temperatures?

2 Comments
2016/10/08
18:34 UTC

7

What should I do with dozens of pallets of surplus electronics from the early 2000s?

A bit of a long story, but I've got around 20 to 25 pallets of surplus electronics from a big school system.

I was wondering what interesting projects I could do with such objects as:

  • old handheld camcorders
  • point of sale systems and keyboards
  • old CCTV cameras
  • a bunch of random electrical switches
  • industrial label printers

What do you guys think?

5 Comments
2016/08/11
00:26 UTC

1

Cardboard bike by Izhar Gafni

0 Comments
2016/06/01
16:09 UTC

3

What is the right way to dispose a computer?

Hello, engineers!

I have a problem with an old laptop personal computer that was bought in 2010. I first stopped using it because I needed a more powerful computer. Then, with the years passing, it became a valuable supply of computer spare parts (I used its RAM, HDD and brushless motor, that I can remember) , however, everything else remains almost intact (including the battery), besides the dust it grabbed in its life.

How can I propperly dispose it or its parts?

1 Comment
2016/05/27
00:33 UTC

6

Pringles Cans

They're light, They can handle over/underpressure enough for hermetic sealing, they are larger diameter and more structurally rigid for their weight than cardboard tubes, they might make good candidates for honeycomb structures, and they ship internationally.

Try as I might, I can't quite figure out how to make them as ubiquitous as duct tape. I can't imagine a single thing yet to do with them, yet I'm sure there is something out there. Any success stories?

10 Comments
2015/09/29
01:59 UTC

7

I'm building an open-source Al-ion battery and Al-air battery, and I'm looking for people interested in helping iron out the bugs. : [xpost /r/solar]

1 Comment
2015/08/18
21:46 UTC

2

Processing Canned Food For Use As A Building Material

2 Comments
2015/04/07
07:42 UTC

27

My salvaged motherboards repurposed into birdhouses ready for spring.

7 Comments
2015/01/29
21:55 UTC

7

Has anyone messed with melting and reshaping plastic?

I've been looking into how to (re)use plastic. There's so much of it around that's basically just lying around ready to use.

I've found several tutorials about melting and shaping HDPE into shapes so I'm pondering the idea of HDPE bricks.

Has anyone else messed with reforming plastic much?

9 Comments
2014/12/29
07:48 UTC

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