Dollar Store Finds

PlGHEADED · November 27, 2016, 6:36pm

With so many 99 cent only and dollar tree stores in town, i’ve been finding led lights, glass items,etc to use with my glowforge. (glass to sand etch using forged or cut masks). The other day I found this:

Not sure if stainless or some sort of alloy, but with some cermark(or molly) and a laser, it would make a pretty nice personalized stocking stuffer ( for 99 cents!!!) It is about 3.5 inches long closed. Anyone else picking up dollar store “laser add ons” ?

smcgathyfay · November 27, 2016, 9:35pm

If these are not clear coated, they should work with cermark…good find.

jimstock60 · November 27, 2016, 11:50pm

No, but it is a good idea to look, now I’m curious as to what I can find

pomwah · November 28, 2016, 2:23am

I wasn’t but I will now.

PlGHEADED · November 28, 2016, 4:46am

They also have the cheapest price for the craft foam (laserable), I also have picked up wooden shapes about 1/8 " thick - 10 pack about 4 inch round. For 10 cents a pice good for testing or making small coster sized laser cut outs. (They have $2.99 cutting boards there again - and wooden sppon - both would do fine in a laser). Seems every store I visit now I look for “things” that may be laserable - or trash like cardboard, hardboard, pallets that stores are getting rid of.

smcgathyfay · November 28, 2016, 5:40am

So jealous of your dollar stores…and your thrift stores for that matter…I always bring an extra bag when I visit my mom to bring back all those goodies…lol

jrnelson · November 28, 2016, 2:46pm

Even if they were, I bet you could take it off with a melamine foam like those magic erasers…

macphee · November 28, 2016, 4:21pm

cork coasters work pretty well too and are often found in dollar stores I see bamboo ones sometimes too.

johnwills · November 28, 2016, 4:35pm

I bought some bamboo cutting boards and a wooden pizza peel at a discount store yesterday to put in the Glowforge experiments pile.

paulw · November 28, 2016, 4:35pm

Today while walking I saw someone had put several triangular piece of window glass out with the trash/recycling. Shoulda grabbed them. We have a couple of dollar stores, but usually just chachkes.

hansena · November 28, 2016, 7:11pm

I’ve been picking up the plastic and wood cutting boards from the dollar store.

marmak3261 · November 28, 2016, 11:34pm

Lots of these for small led projects with battery.

violettatalley · November 29, 2016, 3:58pm

BRILLIANT!!! OMG… the possibilities!!

PlGHEADED · November 30, 2016, 7:14am

Some more “finds” for ideas once I get my GF:

The led “sticks” - the black is assembled, I opened the teal one. bright leds with the button and the batteries, blink off or on mode. Make a base and you already have battery powered lighting for one of the acrylic nightlights. Now the scream and laugh buttons (again only 99 cents) have so many uses - activate when opening a wooden box, use the mechanism for audible pin or jewelry that screams (or laughs). Umm put it at the end of a marble machine, so many uses for the electronics ( don’t throw way those talking/sound birthday card guts either !!!). The poster board isn’t for lasering per se, but it is “glittered” and adhesive !! 3 sheets of adhesive glitter paper only 99c - use it for embellishing, or like the foil that was mentioned in another thread.(or if you have a silhouette or big shot) so many ideas ! Those little solar bobble heads (not shown here)- use the “guts” and make your own personalized one. leds, use the lectronics from toys that have some sound mechanism like guns and talking figures - all of these I’ve seen at the 99cent store -

I find more than 99cents on the ground every few days !!

OOOh - the laugh sound mechanism would be neat added into a picture frame…

jbv · November 30, 2016, 4:40pm

heh… or a mirror!

PlGHEADED · December 27, 2016, 6:23pm

FYI - the day after Xmas the 99cent only store had all Xmas things for 25 cents!!! Picked up some LED ornaments for the mechanisms as well as the musical ornaments -with motion and light sensing, they play Xmas songs. Where else can you get the smalll musical electronics like that for only a quarter??? I can’t wait to think of items to laser/make incorporating sound for next year. Any ideas (like muxic boxes that play when opened)

smcgathyfay · December 28, 2016, 6:48am

Oh darn…I forgot to check the dollar stores…nice find!!

whitetigertooth · January 1, 2017, 10:12pm

I’ve been stocking up on laser friendly items such as boxes since I ordered. (I love the salesman’so samples for Lane cedar chests that sometimes show up at flea markets.) I seem to get the most successful at Goodwill.

jason.fuller0 · October 3, 2017, 3:44am

Every store is ‘laser all the things’. I can’t go anywhere now without looking at possible laser crafts.