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stella1751
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I like the germ of this idea, smokensqueal. I hadn't thought about drilling. "Bolt and Nut Contraption" might be beyond me, though. You know, going with the drill idea, I wonder whether I could hinge just one side.

For a DIY latch on the other side, something I can open quickly to dump goodies inside, I was thinking--and this might be dumb--about a heavy duty rubber band with a short piece of pencil on each end. There really is quite a lip; it's about 3/4" deep.

What do you (or anyone else) think? Can this be hinged on one side?

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smokensqueal
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For a hing on my compost barrel I use an old seat belt. Actually two strips of seat belt about 1ft long and screw them to the top and bottom containers. The only problem I have is after a while the screw seems to pull through the seat belt. I'm going to get me some rubber washers to put over the screws to see if it stops that. I tried an old leather belt but that seemed to rip fairly quickly (must not of been real leather).

Problem I see with a rubber band is that it will dry out in the sun.

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applestar
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For hinge, I would drill two holes through top and bottom of the lips a few inches apart, then use nylon cable ties/tie wraps to hold them together. They come in "once you put in the other end, it'll never come out" kind and releasable kind of various strength. Electricians use them to tie cables together, but they're fantastic for variety of jobs around the garden and in the house.
[img]https://www.ziptape.com/Images/SiteImages/cable_ties_color3.jpg[/img]

Now, if you don't need them to hold closed securely while you're turning them over, I would just use spring clamps in two or three places. These are like extra heavy-duty cloths pins. I *think* there are locking kinds too.
[img]https://www.alzodigital.com/images/equipment/spring_clamp.jpg[/img]
[img]https://www.fine-tools.com/z303418a.jpg[/img]

If you DO want the top and bottom to stay together while you flip, nut-and-bolt idea seems to be the best. You can always use a wingnut to make unscrewing easier.

p.s. Sorry these images are so huge. They're what came up in Google Image.
Last edited by applestar on Tue Aug 25, 2009 4:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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smokensqueal
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Good Idea Applestar. I may have to try that on mine.

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stella1751
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Applestar, I am going to experiment with one of those cable ties for a hinge on one of them. That would be perfect for opening and closing. If I am able to turn the entire apparatus at one time, that would be my best bet for a hinge. If it works, I'll do it on both. For the other side, I think I'll try a bungee cord for my latch. It occurred to me that the hole at the top of the container and the lip at its mouth would secure bungee cord hooks.

Thanks! I think the nylon cable tie is the best idea for a permanent, secure, easy-open hinge :D I will hit Home Depot tomorrow.

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smokensqueal
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Stella, you might want to see if you can find one made for outside use. Some of those cheap ties will get brittle and break right off after a few weeks in the sun and rain. I tried to use some cheap ones to secure some lights outside and they started breaking in no time.

I think I'm going to modify my bin too with some of these as my hinge and see how that works.

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stella1751
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I experimented with flipping them, using bungee cords to secure them, and they're just too unwieldy, so I am going to go with bungee cords instead of a hinge. I love dumping the material into its top, too, watching the compost pour out :) Now that they are starting to fill, I'm going to dig out one of my dog's old Queen Anne collars to use as a funnel.

Lots of heat in both of them this morning, by the way. Oh. I also learned that pine shavings alleviates most of the odors on the tuna fish bin 8)

I love composting on a small scale. This is fun. Each day is a treasure hunt as I dig through the fridge, window wells, and back yard. Today they get boiled eggs, sliced with the shells on. I also need to prune some leaves off my front squash so the gas man can read the meter.

Once I've filled these two, I'll have to combine them somewhere so they can finish cooking while I start some new batches. I wish I hadn't given my new neighbor my dog's old wading pool to plant her radishes in :x

cravej
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Here is a pic of the one I made in March. It's 3'6"T x 5'W x 3'D.
[img]https://img99.imageshack.us/img99/1297/0315091223.jpg[/img]

I'll have to get a recent pic to show the progress. I started with too many leaves, but I've been putting all of my summers grass clippings and the apples that my tree has dropped, so now I'm anxious for the fall leaves to rebalance it.



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