Get inspiration for a junk drawer upcycled metal robot craft!

I’ve run this craft project with my kids & their friends twice now over the years, most recently as a part of a whole week of upcycled trash crafts, and then recently ran it as a free class at my local creative reuse center! I think I’m ready to pass along all my metal parts but wanted to share the idea and some tips with the internet in case anyone else felt inspired to start collecting metal junk drawer stuff and making some robots with friends.

My highest hope is that no one going online and orders a bunch of metal pieces — this is designed to not only bring community together and craft but to source within your community! I collected all the supplies for this over a year, mentioning to friends and family what my vision was in addition to looking at thrift stores, deep cleaning my own house, and asking on my local Buy Nothing group!

If you like this post, check out these others while you’re here!

I think if you organize or participate in crafts like this enough, people will start asking you before they get rid of things, which is the best feeling. “This looks like it could be something cool and I thought of you… do you want it?” is such a fun question to get! I’m going to share a few examples of robots I & other people made for inspiration and so you can see what types of bits and bobs were most popular!

The first two times I did this, I kept it strictly metal and then the third at a creative reuse center had more open-ended supplies. It was fun to see the differences in the finished projects!

My daughter made this one and somehow found magnets, so the queen actually connects to the chair, isn’t that clever?

Tiny robots are fun too, my daughter made this one on the left and it surprised me! Minimal supplies but super cute.

Most people were drawn to square-like tin containers as the base like this hot chocolate, a tea container, or a spice jar.

Regular old cans work too and jar lids are both easy to find and fun looking!

I don’t even know what some of these pieces were intended to be but I do know that they were otherwise garbage-bound.

Mixing in random plastic bits and toy pieces is an easy addition, especially if you can’t find enough metal pieces to have a decent selection.

Another thing to consider is having a wood or metal ‘base’ as shown above! They add a layer of creativity and stability, which really appeals to some makers.Pin this junk drawer upcycled metal robot craft tutorial with this link or photo::

Junk drawer upcycled metal robot craft

Supplies:

An awl makes it easy to punch holes and thread wire through or add arms
Glue gun
Hot glue sticks
Wire cutters if you have wire
Sharpies
Googly eyes
Metal/plastic junk! Think: screws, allen wrenches, bottle caps, zippers, paperclips, sewing hardware, clips.
Long, thin trays help corral pieces while folks craft
Small baskets or bins help folks “shop” their loose parts and keep them contained

Tips:

If you’re worried about people getting cut when sifting through, use a plastic scoop or utensil to help move things around.
Magnets are a fun add-in if you aren’t concerned about them ending up in anyone’s mouth.
After a weird popping/crackling incident at home, I deliberately removed anything with a motherboard/computer chip situation, for safety fears.
Emphasize hand washing and don’t mix snacks in – some metal building parts could have lead or other trace ick on them that shouldn’t be ingested.
Make at least one or two examples before leading others in doing this- people benefit from seeing what they’re building towards and it will help you spot any potential issues/brainstorm supplies to collect! I also printed some photos for more inspiration.

If you have any questions, leave them below and I’ll be happy to answer them!