Hardware harvest

Zippers and rivets are materials. Engraved lock faces are claims. Treat them differently.

1. Sort: unmarked sliders and generic teeth in one tin. Anything stamped with a house name in another. The second tin is not jewelry stock.
2. Test metal. A magnet finds most steel. Pot metal crumbles at the first aggressive crimp — do not trust it on a bag that will carry a laptop.
3. Pull zipper tape. If the tape is clean canvas, it can become strap binding. If it is printed with a fake repeat, it is scrap.
4. Chain: measure link, degrease, and recut into key loops or plant hangers. Do not keep the bag-charm silhouette if it quotes a famous clasp.
5. Document the harvest weight. Youth cohorts like a number. “240 grams of anonymous hardware, zero logos leaving the room.”