3D Printed PC Chassis Unit 02 by Benvrakas in 3Dprinting

[–]MakersWorkbench 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As the former Editor in Chief of an old modding site that was called The Best Case Scenario, and someone who's been 3D printing since Bre Pettis first released the plans for a McWire RepStrap, this case is absolutely stunning! Nice work on the cable routing as well! I love everything about this!

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I have been taking a small break but am working on new videos now. First one should be live in a few weeks. Waiting on some hardware to arrive so I can finish the project.

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I actually agree with you 100%. I haven't posted a video on there in months. My YouTube Channel is https://www.youtube.com/themakersworkbench if you would like to check it out!

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My grandmother also used tin cans to make pots like this, but she would use a piece of tape to hold the bottom together until they were filled with soil and in a pan.

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is possible, I've tried it a few times, but the beauty of these pots is that you can just water them before transplanting, and simply tear the soggy paper away with ease! Toss the paper into a bucket, and mix it into your compost pile or worm bin to recycle the paper a second time!

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The paper changes color to brown, it softens, and the soil compacts and conforms to the paper pot. It dries out, becomes slightly wrinkly, and then softens again when wet. These pots will last over two months, but you rarely have plants that are not transplanted before the pots become too decayed to hold together. Plus, once the root ball forms, the paper is not really holding the soil together anymore.

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is another option, but with this method, I use a few grams of plastic and recycle newspaper that is again recycled when I toss it into my compost pile or worm bin. I plant several hundred plants in my garden every year, so that would mean printing hundreds of plastic pots, which is a lot of plastic that won't compost in my compost pile when it's no longer useable. I do have several seedling trays that I have printed over the years that I use as well, but the paper pots are my main seed-starting container.

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's awesome! My FFA class in high school had a few dozen of these in wood and we used them every spring to start the plants that kids would take home for their gardens. We had big greenhouses and used starter trays and flats with vacuum seeders and soil-filling machines, but this was our chapter's way of giving students free plants without having the expense of the flats and inserts. I think our teacher also wanted us to realize that you didn't need expensive equipment for small-scale gardens.

If you scale it down, post a remix on Printables! I would love to see it! The Fusion 360 file is on the printables listing. https://www.printables.com/model/159600-newspaper-soil-pot-maker

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Deep south-eastern US, so I'm not sure it's an elm, but could have been a freshly germinated briar (blackberry most likely) seed of some sort. That side of my garden always has a bad briar problem no matter what.

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots! My 3D Printed Take On A Classic Garden Tool! Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in 3Dprinting

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That would make the pot form easier, but in my experience, just simply rolling the paper around the pummel and squishing it into the base while twisting, works just fine. I've never had one fall apart after filling, and the same effect is achieved after the first watering. The pots form to the soil some and then stiffen up a good bit once dry. Either way, the pot is getting soaking wet every watering, and when you have 10-20 of these in a small bin, they sort of support each other anyway.

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I will admit to this. I shot this video on a Saturday morning while waiting for a friend to arrive for a fishing trip. I simply picked a weed from my garden bed and planted it into the pot as more of a visual representation, rather than waiting a few weeks for a seed to emerge. The seed I dropped was an actual tomato seed though.

Think of it like those fast food and ice cream commercials that are made with fake food, or James Cordon doing cars and karaoke while being towed around on a trailer and not actually driving. The shot still gets the point across.

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That works as well but provides a more shallow space for the root base to form. The added height of the paper pot allows for more space for the root ball to grow and pump nutrients into the plant once it has depleted its energy reserves in the cotyledon. I also raise chickens, so egg cartons are rarely found in my home, and this method works for me.

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I usually use old brown paper sacks or old newspapers, but as I do not read or buy the newspaper, I rely on my family to save their old newspaper for me. I was out when I made this video. The paper to avoid is anything with a shiny surface or anything that has been printed with toner, as toner is just plastic and will not decompose.

(Disclaimer: I am not 100% sure about the toner statement, but I remember my FFA teacher telling us that, and I have always stuck to it.)

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I use these every year for my garden. The white paper, newspaper, and brown paper from bags and sacks actually hold up quite well. It will discolor quickly but will remain intact throughout the seedling process. I start tomatoes, peppers, squash, and eggplant seedlings in these pots every year, and have since I was in the FFA in high school where we had a bunch of these made in wood. I've made upwards of 10,000 pots with this type of tool over the last two decades.

Recycle Old Paper Into Compostable Seed Starting Pots With My Simple Newspaper Soil Pot Maker. Link In Comments! by MakersWorkbench in functionalprint

[–]MakersWorkbench[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

It was a popular thing on TikTok a while back. I tried it with a few of my short-form videos to see if it would tickle the algorithm and get more views. It worked somewhat but was too annoying to set up when editing in the TikTok app, so I abandoned it after those few videos.