Mystic Polly

This is my blog about my fun art projects, the focus is on fun not art!

When I was strolling around the local stores on Sunday, I saw some eco cell phone speakers made out of bamboo. They looked simple enough, a slice of bamboo cane with a hole in the top and painted. I have so much bamboo in my garden that I thought I would give it a go. I chose the widest piece of bamboo that I could find and cut a slice. The first thing I learned is that bamboo is not hollow at the knots so I had to cut off another section. 

Step two was to cut a hole the size of my cell phone, I did a rough pencil mark and set to making holes in the bamboo and then cutting it with scissors. It took me at least 6 attempts to get the right width and length and the hole looked messy.

Step three- I realised that the cell phone was too heavy and would not stand up in the speaker. I did a quick google and found out that the bamboo needs to be sanded flat to make it stable. Fortunately, I had some sand paper in the garage so I diligently sanded away. I started work in the garage and then sat in the garden which was much more fun.

I sanded until my fingers were burning and the paper was hot, but it made little impression on the bamboo. I would need an electric sander to make this work. I am averse to making purchases for one off projects so I decided to sand the hole I had cut into the speaker and give it a lick of paint.

I used some left over paint from another project to paint the speaker and hung it to dry with a clothes peg. The good news is that the speaker works! The sound from my cell phone is amplified by the speaker. The bad news is that it will not stand up so I have to rest it against something. 

What I learned: to make a proper bamboo speaker, you need a really big fat piece of bamboo that can be sanded with an electric sander to get a flat bottom that will stand the weight of your phone. Small speakers still work. 

College Advisor: I have worked in education for many years teaching business and information studies and advising students on which college program to take and which university to attend. I have helped hundreds of students with college applications. If you need a life coach to help you with anything related to education, please email me at mysticpolly@yahoo.com I can help you to set goals and give you the benefit of my experience.

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