Free Geek Glam

Since October I have been regularly volunteering my time with Free Geek as the (unpaid) "Recycling Intern." Free Geek is a non-profit first established here in Portland, Oregon that is dedicated to computer reuse and responsible recycling. At the facility in SE Portland, computers are either re-built and given away or deconstructed into their various components and packaged for further recycling. It is namely the latter part of the Free Geek system that I contribute to. I assist with the breakdown of computer systems and other electronics, separating parts based on its bulk or valuable material content: plastic, steel, aluminum, copper, brass, gold, and etc. It was while spending time checking out the cool components that make electronics work, that I thought, "Hm, this doohickey would look pretty fly as an earring." And voila! Inspiration took it's natural course as Free Geek became my muse for transforming obsolete computers into jewelry.

So, take a look at what I have so far. This isn't all the pieces I have created these last few months, but it is a wide selection of them.

If you're curious about anything, leave a comment or send me an email. I'd be happy to talk about how I acquired these precious gems, how I assembled them together, or how you might be able to purchase some or several.

First, earrings:

Gold washer with gold nut. Red colored copper wire once wrapped around an iron core, found in a stereo speaker. Small springs likely came off of a motherboard. Earring about 1.5" in length.

Three silver nuts in increasing size attached by thin copper wire. This wire was once the insulating material around an iron core, also from a motherboard. Small steel springs surround the length of the wire between each nut. About 2.25" long. (I wear this pair all the time.)

This is super reuse. Each earring contains a button, a washer, a pink metal heart, and a pink plastic rhinestone. These aren't Free Geek materials, but the are my first pair of earrings using salvaged materials. Buttons were extras for some piece of clothing; washers were found in the street (I like to pick up shiny things); hearts and beads from old children's jewelry; silver rings are unused wine charms; metal wire is from a bike brake cable. Approximately 2.5" long.

Simple yet elegant. Wine charm clasps, large steel nuts, and felt green leaves (that were once ornamental packaging for a bathtub toiletry kit). About 2".

These are fun 2 color coated thin wires: black and light pink. The wires are malleable and so can be worn in any suitable shape (circular, straight, curled, etc.). Simple posts are glued into one end (from never-worn-anymore earrings). A single steel cylinder (found inside VHS cassette tapes) is slipped around the wires. Each end is capped with a rubber-thingy... Strethched out the wire is 7" long; when looped, it hangs about 2.5" from your ear lobe.

These are my favorite style thus far. Can be everyday fun and casual, or they can look super hot with a fancy dress. These are made from a black-plastic coated wire that is malleable and can take on any desired shape. Bottom end capped with a small screw. Around the wire is a moveable spring and small steel nut. About 4" long when wire is straight. I intend to make several more pairs of this type, in variations.


Now, necklaces:

A colorful multi-wire chocker clasped with velcro. Pendant is a series of three dangling washers (in slightly increasing size) linked together by even tinier washers! Chocker 14.5" in length, pendant 1.25".

This is a favorite of mine. This pendant is a uniquely shaped steel washer inside a small black aluminum heat sink, all wrapped in thin copper wire. The pendant is 0.75" in length.

This is a longer two-wire necklace: black and red. The pendant is a simple steel "dog tag," attached to the wires by a series of tiny linked washers. Two delicate steel springs also are wrapped around the wires on each side of the pendant. The wires clasp together by screwing together a small nut and bolt in lieu of a traditional necklace clasp. Wire is 19", pendant is 1.5".

Another plastic coated wire necklace: bright pink! The pendant is a black and clear plastic button inside of a steel cover. Clasp is also a nut & bolt set up as the previous necklace. Wire is 16", pendant is 1.5".

This pendant is a very simple design. A steel hexagon nut interlaced with delicate copper wire. Nut is 1" in diameter.

This last piece is not made from salvaged computer electronics. But, it is made from a guitar pick I found on the street (this time it wasn't shiny, but still attracted my attention), a yellow metal ring from a broken earring, and bicycle brake cable wire. Pendant is 1.65" in diameter.



You'll notice from the photos that this reuse jewelry photo shoot also included an overhead projector - a working piece of equipment salvaged from the Free Geek recycling warehouse where it was anxiously awaiting deconstruction. Yoink!

This photo shoot was also an experimental process to help me get used to a new digital camera I was given a few months ago, a Sony Cybershot DSC-W150 8.1 mega pixels. At first I thought it took lousy macros, as you might notice from some of the pictures. However, I eventually figured out (pretty late during this shoot) that a combination of (1) macro setting, (2) significant distance between camera and object, and (3) sufficient use of zoom, results in a crisply focused macro pic.

Ta da!