UKC

I have some nuts where the wires have started to fray and it's time to retire them. What can I do with them? Could you give me your advice on what you would do with yours? i.e alternative uses, recycling etc? 

Thanks.

Incorporate them into unnecessarily large and bulky versions of household objects and sell them at an arts fare at inflated price. Thus allowing you to buy that number 6 cam or Huge Big-Bro you always wanted.

Give them to a winter climber.

Give them to someone wanting to do destructive testing on them, perhaps the manufacturer?

Give them a seat in the House of Lords.

Use them as 'tent pegs' on rocky hard ground. 

I find that if you strip the wires off, file them into hexagonal shapes, drill a hole in the centre and tap the hole with a screw thread, they can be used in conjunction with rods with a complimentary thread to make strong and robust fastenings with a myriad of uses. Just a thought.

Club I'm in has retired nuts on the ends of the light switch cords in the loos.

Use them for many DIY applications. Notably slide wire under lowest roof tiles clipped to sling larksfooted round rafters and use for securing ladder and cow's tail while working on/near roof edge + securing duckbords on leanto for ladder to upper roof. 

PS Just thought: could saw through wire and put nuts on strong cord...I miss being able to use cord on larger nuts which are now largely sold on wire.

PPS Forgot bit about wires being already frayed....have to be careful with these for bodyweight applications.

Sew them into an old sock, then start a thread on here asking if you can take it through security at Gatwick as hand luggage?

No, I think he could start a job/firm as a security consultant, just think of the impression he'd create when he produced this "tool" at a client interviews.

Send them to these people to be recycled/upcycled....

http://www.madebyscavenger.com

If you struggle to find where to send them on their page, I could find out for you as I know a relative of one of the people involved.

Most of the retired nuts I know end up going to Kalymnos!!!!!!!

......or on a wet winters days the Climbing Wall!!

Local scrap dealer or visit the council's Household Waste Recycling Centre when you are passing. They all have a skip for scrap metals as there's a ready market for them.

Sizes 7 and above, you might be able to re-sling on cord or tape (& maybe even save a little bit of weight). Not worth re-wiring unfortunately, unless you had capacity to swage them yourself.