creative reuse

Insulated Canteen From No-Refill Propane Bottle

Insulated Canteen From No-Refill Propane Bottle

Cool Instructable from user hpstoutharrow. Of course these propane bottles are not meant to be opened, so you have to be careful to follow a sensible procedure, but it seems to me like hpstoutharrow has done a good job in providing that. Commenters there seem to agree.

Once any residual flammable gas is safely vented, both valves are removed by drilling, and the bottom of the bottle is cut out to insert a 20 oz plastic beverage bottle, which has been shrunk slightly by exposure to boiling water. The neck of the soda bottle protrudes where the tank’s center valve was, and is secured there with an o-ring. Spray-in foam insulation holds the liner in place and insulates its contents from the metal bottle, and the bottom of the tank is reattached for appearance’s sake. [via Hack a Day]

Solar concentrator from old satellite dish

Solar concentrator from old satellite dish

Made from an ordinary fiberglass satellite dish, it is covered in about 5800 3/8″ (~1cm) mirror tiles. When properly aligned, it can generate a spot the size of a dime with an intensity of 5000 times normal daylight. This intensity of light is more than enough to melt steel, vaporize aluminum, boil concrete, turn dirt into lava, and obliterate any organic material in an instant. It stands at 5’9″ and is 42″ across.