Use Coins as Washers

If you don't have washers on hand and just have to finish a project, you can drill holes into coins and use them instead. Use a dime or a penny for a small washer, and a quarter or half dollar to simulate a larger flange washer.

I wanted to finish building the brakes on my bike and I was no where near a hardware store so I just drilled through pennies. It worked great then, and the bike is still going strong!

Comments

[imonsei]

This would be a great instructable if it were not for the fact that destroying a coin is illegal. (at least in Denmark it is) Sorry tho, cause it's for a good use.

[kristi_marcus]

not illegal in the united states

[hansonsux]

Be nice.  Don't destroy money.  The moral of the story is washers cost a tiny fraction of a cent wholesale.  Now look what Home Depot charges. 

[kristi_marcus]

lol at the nickname hanson sux they sure do suck. there is nothing not nice about putting a hole in a penny. they have no nerve endings. i make beautiful rings for protection and luck from pennies and dimes. i do not put holes in them but i heat them up which if they could feel which they can't would hurt. i am actually being very nice buy making myself lots of money selling them and getting them lots of love and attention!!! of all the silly things i have heard being nice to a coin is the craziest. adopt a tree or a dog they do have nerve endings.

[junits15]

In the U.S it is illegal to destroy any coin worth $0.25 or higher. So no quarters or half dollars, only dimes penneys and nickels :)

[kelseymh]

I presume you've (all) seen the "MAKE Money" projects "it's cheaper to make it out of money"? Such as the wonderfully ironic piggy bank?

[Mr. Rig It]

This one is going into my mental toolbox. Nice, very nice. You get a +

[BicycleTutor]

Great tip... and so simple, it's genius!

[Patrik]

They're cheaper too - when's the last time you were able to buy a washer for $0.01?

Reminds me of "penny-weighting", a technique to make cardstock buildings more stable, by gluing a strip of pennies along the bottom. I've yet to hear anyone come up with a chaper and more convenient solution...

[Davvik]

The hardware store I work at we have some washers for $0.01. Mind you they aren't really good metal like copper, and if you buy them in bulk they turn out ot be like $0.008 unit price

[LinuxH4x0r]

I do the same thing, except i usually grind them down with an angle grinder to the right size. I'm not sure if i like the new slideshow thing.

[camp6ell]

uh, yeah, a slideshow for one picture?

[MustangChris429]

Why wouldn't you just buy the correct washer? They cost next to nothing and are available pretty much anywhere.

[Zeroth Labs]

I use this a lot, but you might want to suggest to use pennies minted BEFORE the year 1982. Pre-1982 pennies are mostly copper (95% copper and 5% zinc VS 97.6% zinc and 2.4% copper) and copper will not rust like zinc.

[trebuchet03]

Zinc makes great sacrificial anodes ;) In some cases, something has got to rust -- I'd rather it be the penny :p

[GorillazMiko]

wow, smart, and cheap! :-)

[zjharva]

that's a cool new feature and a good idea for coins. woot!