Using pennies for a washer.

[Briancapecoral]

Didn’t have the size I needed, drilled a hole in a few. Faster than going to the hardware store, and cheaper too. Wondering if anyone else has done this?

 

[PCustoms]

Where's the coin shortage thread when you need it....

 

[unslow1]

Never even thought about it.

 

[Walkers]

Hope the Secret Service doesn’t come for you for defacing currency!

 

[Buckgnarly]

For brakes?!....

 

[NUTTSGT]

A buddy used a Quarter to weld up a O2 sensor bung. He did it as joke to see if it could be done.

 

[southalabama]

If your going to do it use the older copper pennies.

 

[Mikeske]

Really that is not best practice and a touch wrong.

 

[PFSard]

- I haven't done it with pennies. To me, pennies are just a PITA. Glad you found a use for them.
- You saved time, money, wear and tear on your vehicle, etc.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Depends a penny is too soft for most applications.

 

[rkevins]

copper pennies go behind old screw in fuses to keep them from blowing

 

[Briancapecoral]

Not for anything serious, just anchoring a small plastic shed down with some tapcon screws and they fit the space perfectly. They were not copper, I was kind of surprised when the shavings were silver.

 

[Shiftless]

Not for anything serious, just anchoring a small plastic shed down with some tapcon screws and they fit the space perfectly. They were not copper, I was kind of surprised when the shavings were silver.

Pennies made since 1982 are copper plated zinc.
If you need copper (95% copper that is) find some older ones.

 

[PCustoms]

Pennies have been copper coated for years....

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you are using it to replace a copper crush washer, pennies have not been 100% copper in many years !

 

[nadogail]

In High School Auto Shop, about 1955 or 56, our teacher used pennies to fill holes where trim had been attached before filling the holes with lead. Bondo was known but it’s use was not considered “professional”

 

[Meursault74]

Been using a penny as a spacer/shim for a vial crimp for years. Seems the vials we had and the crimper were both at their limits and didn't crimp the aluminum seal quite tight enough. A washer would've worked, but the penny was in my pocket and now it lives with the crimper. Cheapest possible solution.

 

[PCustoms]

Been using a penny as a spacer/shim for a vial crimp for years. Seems the vials we had and the crimper were both at their limits and didn't crimp the aluminum seal quite tight enough. A washer would've worked, but the penny was in my pocket and now it lives with the crimper. Cheapest possible solution.

I glued one to the short foot on the microwave. Handy and just the right thickness to stop the rocking.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I glued one to the short foot on the microwave. Handy and just the right thickness to stop the rocking.

Haha. Now that you say that, I put one under the foot of a PC monitor at the station. Not sure if it is still there, there is one guy who would take it out because he doesn't know why it would be there.

 

[glentre]

I lived in Chile for two years during the early 60's. Due to inflation, they used their silver dollar sized aluminum "pennies" as body fender washers because they were basically worthless. I still have a bag of them I use as poker chips.

Glen

 

[crguy]

Didn’t have the size I needed, drilled a hole in a few. Faster than going to the hardware store, and cheaper too. Wondering if anyone else has done this?

Seems ridiculous to me for a number of reasons.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Haha. Now that you say that, I put one under the foot of a PC monitor at the station. Not sure if it is still there, there is one guy who would take it out because he doesn't know why it would be there.

Nope, just checked a bit ago. Some cheap ******* stole it.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Washers cost less to make and are worth more.

There's about 1/2 cent worth of copper and they cost $.02 each to make...

 

[couch67]

We (Canada) got rid of the penny 7 or 8 years ago. The price of something gets rounded up or down to the nearest nickel if you are paying cash - if using plastic then the price is the price. Its still legal tender, but only the banks will accept them. I certainly don't miss them!

 

[rlitman]

A buddy used a Quarter to weld up a O2 sensor bung. He did it as joke to see if it could be done.

A few years ago, the thumb rest on my son's clarinet broke at the bend. I ended up making a new one using the back plate from the original, and a modified nickel for the thumb side, silver soldered together. It's actually quite an improvement.

Pennies made since 1982 are copper plated zinc.
If you need copper (95% copper that is) find some older ones.

The copper layer on the post '82 Lincoln Memorial back pennies used to be pretty thick. On the shield back pennies it's so thin you can just about see through it.

 

[rlitman]

Washers cost less to make and are worth more.

There's about 1/2 cent worth of copper and they cost $.02 each to make...

Years ago, I saw a chair like this, and wanted to make one:


His current designs use half dollars welded together, but earlier ones used nickels. It turns out that you can put nickels together for $10.33/sq-ft, and that even if you buy in enormous quantities, it's hard to beat that price with stainless washers.

 

[Skiff Builder]

Legend is that many a thrifty Maine boatbuilder would drill pennies out for use as fender washers.

You need lots when your epoxy laminating layers of plywood for your hull bottoms. I thought about it, but stuck to real fender washers. Yeah, my Mother was in the Secret Service......