Page 130 - Robot Builder's Bonanza

HOUSEHOLD PLASTICS FOR BOT CONSTRUCTIONS 99

• Used compact discs (CDs). These are the denizens of the modern- day landfill. CDs, made
from polycarbonate plastic, are usually just thrown away and not recycled. Exercise caution
when working with CDs: they can shatter when you drill and cut them, and the pieces are
very sharp and dangerous.
• Used LaserVision discs. These are “grown- up” versions of CDs. With the advent of DVD,
12- inch- diameter laser discs are now relics for the collectors. But you can sometimes find
them online and at resale stores for just a dollar or two each. As with CDs, use care to
avoid shattering the plastic.
• Old phonograph records. Found in local thrift stores, vinyl records can be used in much
the same way as CDs and laser discs. Resale stores are your best bet for old records no one
seems to want anymore (who is that Mantovani guy, anyway?). Note that some old records,
like the V- Discs made during the 1940s, are collector’s items. Don’t wantonly destroy a
record unless you’re sure it has no value!
• Salad bowls, serving bowls, and plastic knickknacks. They can all be revived as robot
parts. I regularly prowl garage sales and thrift stores looking for such plastic material.
• PVC irrigation pipe. This can be used to construct the frame of a robot. Use the short
lengths of pipe left over from a weekend project. You can secure the pieces with glue or
hardware or use PVC connector pieces (Ts, “ells,” etc.)

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