Bowl with paper cake 3D pen art

Transforming Leftover Plastic Into Beautiful Jewelry And Decor Items

If you’ve been Doodling for a while and wonder how you could repurpose leftover plastic scraps, here’s a project for you!

Watch the video above to see how Grace Du Prez makes a colorful ring, coaster and bowl by repurposing leftover plastic pieces.

This project idea came from one of our brilliant 3Doodlers, Grace Du Prez . Grace Du Prez runs workshops teaching people how to use the 3Doodler to make jewellery, wearables, hats, and other unique creations. After each class, she’d collect the leftover ABS plastic filament and put them into a jar. As the jar filled up, Grace was keen to find a way to repurpose the filaments and transform them into something she could use. The process she shared in her video tutorial is one of her favourite techniques. Grace hopes that by sharing this with the 3Doodler community, it would inspire more people to give it a go!

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  • Creating circles and rings with a 3D pen for small paper.

We love Grace’s process because it’s easy to do, it uses materials you can find at home (or easily find online), and it allows you to create all sorts of display-worthy and giftable end products.

As seen in these photos, you can create and repeat simple shapes to make anything from a decorative bowl to a stylish cocktail coaster. You can even go a step further and separate your Doodled scraps to play with different color combinations for your own truly unique recycled creations!

Helpful Tips & Tricks

The tin moulds used in Grace’s process are called Petit Four Tins, which are used to make small tarts or cakes. You can find them easily from cookery shops or online. They are thinner than cookie cutters, so the plastic can melt faster. They are also non-stick, so you can remove the plastic easily from them.

If you are using a grill with temperature control settings, we recommend the following temperatures for the different plastic types*:

Temperature Settings:
  • ABS plastic: 220°C

  • PLA plastic: 180 – 200°C

  • 3Doodler Start plastic: 80°C

  • *Not recommended for FLEXY plastic

Safety First:
  • Work in a well-ventilated area.

  • Wear a dust mask at all times.

  • The equipment gets very hot so please wear oven gloves or something similar.

  • This process is not suitable for children to try on their own.

  • Once you have used the tools and equipment for recycling, do not use them again for food preparation.

Give this project a go and make your own jewelry, coasters, bowls, plant pots, photo frames, tiles, book-ends, keychains, and the list goes on! We’d love to see your creations, share your photos with us on Instagram or Facebook by tagging us @3Doodler.

Share this project with your friends and family!

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