Wire dispenser spools

[Alan Peck]

This might seem a strange question but does anyone know where I can get empty spools from to make myself a wire dispenser.
Looked around hardware to make my own, craft shops, even recycling centres and reverse garbage warehouse but it looks like I'm going have to buy lots of fishing line or ribbon then discard whats on them for the spool.
They must be hundreds of them somewhere just waiting for Bonsai DIYers.

[bodhidharma]

G,day Allan, you need to hang around electrical contractors mate, they throw out hundreds every week or leave them on the building sites.

[shibui]

The ones the electricians use are usually a bit big for what we want. You could try electronics shops or auto electricians as the lighter wires they use/sell come on smaller spools that would be better suited. A friend makes bonsai wire spools from plywood and mounts them on a rod on top of a wooden tool box so all the bonsai tools and wire are neat and handy.

[Bretts]

I don't use wire spools so not sure what size you are after but you could consider the spools they use to hold small chain. I bought the end of a spool once and they could be handy. They have to buy them from somewhere or you could ask the local hardware to save them for you. Yet I would think that making your own out of wood may be better so you could take the side off. This way you would not have to wind the wire onto the spool.
I would think a piece of dowel would work well myself if you want to have a dispenser. But each to their own

[Alan Peck]

Amazing what you can find under your nose.
My new wire dispenser is complete.
CD's have a 15mm hole conveiniently to take a 1/2" dowel. I was about to dump a heap of old unwanted CD's/DVD's.
The centre part I used a waste pipe joining sleeve, a cap from a paint pray (with hole drilled) and the cardboard middle from a large selotape roll.
PVC glue or megabond glue worked fine after carefull alignment of the inner on the disc. Use the dowel to line up the end disc for final glueing.

Stage 1.JPG

PipeSleeve.JPG

Lineup.JPG

SprayCap.JPG

Mounted.JPG

The end small reels are from soft solder and cable spool found under the bench.
In less than an hour, job done.