Bonfires have a special place in most people's hearts and for good reason: They give warmth, create an aura of protection and have acted as communal gathering spots ever since somebody figured out how to start and maintain a fire for the good of the tribe.
There are all sorts of ways of going about creating a controlled space to enjoy the benefits of a bonfire. But where there is fire there is also danger and wherever buildings and properties are near there is always the potential that the flames take on a life of their own, threatening or even burning the objects and living beings nearby.
All the more reason to share this hack we recently came across in our travels: Making a sturdy and stylish brazier - out of an old washing machine cartridge!
Materials abound!
One of the coolest thing about upcycling is that we make conscious use of items that are otherwise unusable or to be thrown away because they are seen as mere "trash". And as you can imagine there are countless old washing machines out there that were once rather expensive and full of the perfect material for making a long-lasting brazier: steel!
All you need to do is to get your hands on an old washing machine cartridge (if that's the word). You know, that main piece of steel you load up with your dirty clothes to wash. Take that thing out and convert it into the main holder for firewood.
Not only are these things build to last but they have the perfect qualities we look for in a brazier: They have little holes all around their side, allowing oxygen to fuel your fire and to let the heat escape steadily to all the people sitting around it. The cartridge is placed on its side and the former connection to the engine of the washing machine becomes the pole it rests on. All you need to do is to connect some sort of feet for the thing so that it can stand upright firmly.
For additional handling improvements it would be wise to place some sort of dish under it halfway to the floor (not shown in these pictures) just so that the falling ashes that escape through the holes can be collected and discarded after the fire has had time to burn out.
It would also be feasible to place a grill on top of the cartridge and secure it with hooks or something of the sort in order to allow you to set up a quick diy-barbecue. If you do it might be a really good idea though to use that brazier a few times before you put food on its top - there might be chemical compounds in the steel coating especially made to resist water and it would be prudent to let them burn away before endangering your health by ingesting any of them.
And voilà - you have a controlled firepit in comfortable height above the ground to enjoy with your tribe!
