Soda Rope Stripper

Strips of plastic from a soda bottle can be used to lash poles together, and if you hit the lashing with a heat gun, then it shrinks a little bit, making for a super tight hold.

Why strips from a soda bottle? Because upcycling material is better than recycling. Additionally, plastic bottles are practically free, and if you are in a resource scarce part of the world, then this can be a great value.

There are lots of instructables out there documenting how to make PET soda bottle strippers, but I made this one up using only simple materials, and it might have a few novel features.

The goal was to build this using only scrap material and basic hand tools. You will need approximately the following:

-Scrap of ply wood

-Pipe or dowel rod.

-Drill bit that is the same size as the pipe

-2" long bolt and nut

-Drill bit the same diameter as the bolt

-Stack of washers

-Xacto blade

-One Screw

-Screw driver, wrench

-Drill

-Heat gun

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll just let the photos speak for the assembly process.

Some things to keep in mind:

-The stack of washers between the wood and the xacto blade will determine the thickness of the Soda Rope.

-The big hole for the pipe should be as close as possible to the washers holding on the xacto blade.

-The screw serves two purposes 1) to hold the xacto blade in place and 2) to put tension on the plastic bottle when you are pulling on it.

Why is it important to put tension on the bottle? Imagine you are cutting a piece of fabric with scissors. If the fabric is limp, it can be difficult to cut. But if you have a friend pull the fabric tight, then it is much easier to cut. The screw is like a friend helping hold the bottle tight.

First, get the bottle started with scissors. Cut a thin strip that is a few inches long. Consider that there is a clockwise and counter clockwise way to do this, and cut accordingly.

Put the bottle on the pipe, thread the cut strip in the tool, and start pulling.

Easy as Pi

Lash two things together using the Soda Rope.

If you hit it with a heat gun, the plastic will shrink a little bit, making for a tight hold.

This instructable by Von Malegowski suggests that you can braid multiple strands together to make a stronger rope, and also that the rope can be woven into different shapes.

Enjoy!