生活分享 || 制作无患子手串 / Life Sharing || Making Soapberry Bracelets

去年和今年我都有去南京出差，然后和客户一起到长江边上以及玄武湖旁边捡了很多的无患子，每年到了秋冬季，无患子都会纷纷掉落，也成了捡无患子的好时候。

对于无患子，知道的人，会捡无患子来制作肥皂和洗发水。更有人会通过捡无患子来制作手串，而我两种都要干。

我们每次捡无患子，都会收获满满的一袋子，期初我主要是为了制作洗发水的，但后来，我专门将无患子的外壳去掉留存用于制作洗发水，而内核就专门用来制作手串。

无患子，其实别名叫做【鬼见愁】，因为无患子这东西处于阳性物质，所以可以起到驱邪避邪的作用。但我相信，大部分制作无患子手串的人都是处于美观好看而进行的... ...

关于去无患子的外壳，其实干燥后的无患子，只需要一把钳子就可以轻松去除，所以我在晚上花了两三个小时将手中的无患子全部去壳。

而制作无患子手串的前提是需要先为无患子打孔，这可是一苦力活... ...我先前在某购物平台购买了一款打孔器，结果没用几次就坏了，最后只剩下一些打孔、雕刻、切割、打磨用的配件还能使用。

不过没事的，在坏的时候，我就直接去附近的五金店购买了东辰的钻空气，虽说花了192元RMB，但这新买的打孔器再配上那些配件，的的确确好用了很多。

截至昨日，我已将2/3的无患子进行打孔，今天我打算将剩下的无患子全部给打孔，并且进行一定的清理。

之后我就要开始制作无患子手串了，做好之后，我会寄给我的客户，请对方帮忙售卖。为何不是我售卖呢？因为对方本身就是珠宝商，而且适合售卖无患子手串。

这一系列的操作，也是在为自己的生活增添一些乐趣的同时，让自己也可以多一份收入。生活不易，你我都在努力。

Both last year and this year, I went on business trips to Nanjing and collected loads of soapberries with clients by the Yangtze River and Xuanwu Lake. Every autumn and winter, soapberries fall in abundance, making it the perfect time to gather them.

For those familiar with soapberries, some collect them to make soap and shampoo, while others turn them into bracelets—and I do both.

Each time we go picking, we end up with a full bag of soapberries. At first, I mainly collected them for making shampoo, but later, I started separating the outer shells (for shampoo) from the inner seeds (for bracelets).

Soapberries actually have another name: "Ghost's Bane" (鬼见愁). Since they are considered a yang (positive) substance, they’re believed to ward off evil spirits. But I think most people make soapberry bracelets simply because they look beautiful...

Removing the shells is actually quite easy once the soapberries are dry—just a pair of pliers does the trick. So one evening, I spent two or three hours shelling all the berries I had collected.

The next step in making soapberry bracelets is drilling holes through the seeds, which is a real workout... I previously bought a drilling tool from an online shopping platform, but it broke after just a few uses. All that remained were some accessories for drilling, carving, cutting, and polishing.

But no worries—when it broke, I simply went to a nearby hardware store and bought a Dongchen drill for 192 RMB. Paired with the remaining accessories, this new drill works way better.

As of yesterday, I’ve drilled holes in about two-thirds of the soapberries. Today, I plan to finish the rest and clean them up.

After that, I’ll start assembling the bracelets. Once they’re done, I’ll send them to a client to help sell them. Why don’t I sell them myself? Because this client is a jeweler and has the right market for soapberry bracelets.

This whole process not only adds some fun to my life but also brings in a little extra income. Life isn’t easy—we’re all just doing our best.