A PLASTIC-JUG BUGLE
When it comes to recycling, there's no end to the ideas readers come up with, including this guide to making a unique homespun instrument.
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[1] The price is right on this recycled musical instrument, and it would be a welcome addition to just about any ""jug"" band. [2] The throat is inserted into the lower end of the container's handle, and the pitch can be varied by adjusting the length of the tubing. [3] A plastic film-can mouthpiece should be designed to suit the bugler's pucker
Photos by the Author
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When it comes to recycling, there's no end to the ideas
people can come up with. Here's . . .
by
Marlin Spike Werner
It breaks my heart to think of all the waste that's
constantly dumped on our poor planet. Consequently, I'm
always seeking ways to divert used containers and other
castoffs to new purposes. And though it may be considered
tooting my own horn, I must say that I'm particularly proud
of my latest achievement . . . the plastic-jug bugle.
To make the "bell" section of this madcap musical
instrument, simply cut the top off a one-gallon plastic
jug, just below the handle. Then, for the bugle's "throat",
thread a 93" length of 1/2" (outside diameter) vinyl tubing
through the handle, directing it upward from the bottom,
and secure it with rubber cement or caulking. (This may
look peculiar, but nobody ever said a bugle's throat
has to come into the back of the bell!)
I've experimented with two kinds of mouthpiece for this
homemade horn. The one shown here is made from a small
plastic container that once held a roll of Kodacolor film.
I simply cut a 7/16" hole through the can's bottom to
accommodate the free end of the vinyl throat (make sure the
tube fits snugly), and another hole in its cap. (You'll
have to experiment with the size of this playing hole,
however, in order to suit it to the bugler's pucker.)
A different type of mouthpiece can be made by cementing a
1/2" plastic pipe fitting, instead of the film can, on the
end of the tubing . . . but while this arrangement looks
more refined and is less troublesome to make, it doesn't
allow for pucker variations. Bear in mind, though —
regardless of which version you try — that all the
connections must be airtight.
The basic pitch of my unusual noisemaker can be varied by
changing the length of the tubing. In fact, if the throat
is very long, you'll have — instead of a
plastic bugle — a "flexible flagon" French horn.
So experiment! After all, the materials you need certainly
aren't hard to come by. And who knows . . . you just might
end up with the world's best "plastic jug band"!