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How to cut DVDs / CDs for Craft projects

The best way I found to cut DVDs for art projects was to heat them up

A few years ago I made Reggie, our recycled dragon.  He was made out of old tyres and lemonade bottles.

I wanted our dragon to have wings so he wasn't mistaken for the Lochness monster or a dinosaur.   I bought a box of CDs from a car boot sale for £2.

In my naivety, I got a pair of scissors and just cut straight down the middle of the CD.  I learnt a few valuable lessons right there and then!

1. CDs can and will splinter, split and discolour if using the above method.
2. The pieces will be sharp, look ugly and will not be the shape you want.
3. Eye protection is important.  There is a chance of pieces shattering and hitting you.


How to cut CDs / DVDs Safely

After doing some research it turns out that if you heat up the DVDs the cut becomes more fluid and the colouring will remain on the correct side of the DVD.  I had also read that you can split open the DVD before cutting, but I can't get that to work and I'm happy with the following way of working:
  1. Use a hair dryer or heat gun.  You can use a hairdryer on high heat, but I went straight to my craft heat gun, which I had purchased sometime earlier on Facebook Marketplace.  I found it didn't take much to heat the DVDs up to get a nice clean cut from them, still with my scissors.

  2. Wear Safety Glasses.  Anyone who has seen a CD break will know these fragments can splinter and project upwards.  Fortunately, due to our fossil hunting hobby, we have a stash of safety glasses.

  3. Protect your hands.  You must use some form of tongs or gloves to hold the DVDs once heated as they can get hot quickly and we don't want any nasty accidents in the name of upcycling.

I've now successfully cut over 30CDs in no time at all, I've just got to try and work out how I'm going to glue them all together to create Reggie's wings........





4 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 14, 2023

    I realize this is an old thread but i clicked the link to the pic of the dragon wings and i think they look great! What did you ever decide on? I would love to see a pic of Reggie! My email is LyricHolton624@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rachael JessMarch 26, 2023

      Reggie is on another post I've updated this post with the link.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMarch 20, 2023

    Nice. thanks. Did you drill holes in the bits of CD to fasten them into a scale shape for the dragon wings?

    ReplyDelete

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