| Project by sonnyr | posted 120 days ago | 916 views | 13 times favorited | 6 comments |  |
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My wife and I got the idea for these pen/pencil holders while waiting at the tax office for new license plates. They used 2 plates folded in half to form a countertop waste container. I typically try to get plates that were used in the year someone was born to make birthday presents but have made them for other occasions. The plates are 12” long so they can be bent into a 3” square. The wooden bases are 3 1/2” X 3 1/2” made out of 3/4” X 3 1/2” stock easily gotten from a big box store. The black inner block is 3” X 3” white pine trimmed down from 3/4” 3 1/2” stock. The hardest part of this project is bending the plate. I made a template and am able to consistantly bend them to the 3” square. I use two 1 1/4” drywall screws to attach the wood together, #4 pan head screws to attach the plate to the wood base, 3/8” felt circles on the bottom (recessed) and a little wire to secure the loose ends of the plate.
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6 comments so far
clieb91
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2674 posts in 2104 days
#1 posted 120 days ago
Nice use of a recycled item. I recently saw some dustpans made out of old license plates. I like this idea and the concept of the dating it for years.
CtL
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JL7
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#2 posted 120 days ago
Very cool…..like them….
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joein10asee
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#3 posted 119 days ago
Neat idea. You can also use them to make bird houses. You can see a couple in this pic
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DouginVa
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#4 posted 119 days ago
Interesting…nice idea. I’ll have to try that. Now to find a flee market or antique store with old plates.
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sonnyr
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#5 posted 119 days ago
DouginVa—- I have tried going online for plates and have found some websites where you can buy in bulk. The problem is alot of car rebuilders use the plates to put on their “rebuilt cars” and the price for a good matching set can range from $35 – $70. I was fortunate that my neighbor had 8 sets from 1970 – 1973 (her dads) in perfect shape. I got 3 plates for the years my kids were born and the rest I made pen/pencil holders for her to give out to her relatives. The 2 rusty, old plates in the pictures are from 1966/67 (more kids), I got those off Craigslist. The rest of the plates that I have I acquired by asking friends and relatives for them or taking them off my own cars.
-- I may be slow, but I'm easy to stop!!!
Fishinbo
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#6 posted 119 days ago
Cool pencil holders! Great thinking and use of scraps.
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