Repurposed Vintage Sieve Bird Feeder

6 Materials
$4
1 Hour
Easy

I’ve been wanting to make a sieve bird feeder ever since I found two vintage sieves what seems like an eternity ago.

I found everything I needed to make my strainer or sieve bird feeder in my thrifted stashes.


A vintage aluminum pie plate, a necklace, a saved handle from a long ago deconstructed tiered stand, and of course my vintage sieve.


I’m also using some silver-tone split rings, which I always have on hand, to put this bird feeder together.

I marked where I wanted the four holes for hanging to be on both the sieve and the pie plate, and then I drilled them.


Make sure to always wear safety eye protection when drilling.

Since I’m a totally winging it kind of gal I just did this by eyeballing, but you could certainly measure if you like.

I did measure and mark the centre hole where my handle will go.


First I used a small 3/32″ metal bit. When drilling a larger hole into metal it helps to start with a smaller bit, and then move on to a larger one.

Like I did here.

I added jump rings through the holes in the sieve and the pie plate.


It was a little challenging to get them around the rim of the pie plate, but pliers helped.

I took the necklace apart with pliers and divided it into four equal sections. I chose this necklace because it has very strong links and I think it’ll be able to carry the weight of the feeder.


Before I added the necklace sections I decided not to use the big links at the ends. It made them just too long for my liking.

After I attached the necklace sections to the jump rings I laid the sieve on top of the pie plate to match up the holes to add the sections to the pie plate jump rings.


The pie plate sort of acts like a roof, giving the bird feed a little protection from the rain.

I attached the handle through the hole using the screw that came with it and it’s done.

I hung it out on the back deck and added some mixed bird seed to the sieve. It holds the seed very nicely.

These three large chandelier crystals add some bling, but they also act as some weight at the bottom to help balance the feeder.


You could skip this step, or hang something else. It's really a personal choice.


Or maybe your birds won't like hanging thingies. Mine don't seem to mind.

If your enjoyed this bird feeder project you can find more projects for birds on my blog here.

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  3 questions
  • Marcam1977 Marcam1977 on Apr 17, 2021

    It sure IS pretty. Bling and all! I just wonder what would keep these pesky squirrels out. They are the most pesky and flexible acrobats when it comes to ANY type of feeder I place outside. They are relentless. Any ideas? I love your colander idea and would like to make one for my yard...but these pesky squirrels lol.

  • Linda Premo Linda Premo on Apr 17, 2021

    Do all the shiny gems keep birds away🤷🏼‍♀️

  • Mike Schuttler Mike Schuttler on Apr 17, 2021

    How do you keep the squirrels out of it?

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  • Usa14088712 Usa14088712 on Apr 16, 2023

    Pretty, but I can just imagine the squirrels in the neighborhood rolling in the seeds!

  • Linda Moore Linda Moore on Apr 16, 2023

    I love it!!! Where I live, we have birds, squirrels, chipmunks. I'm sure they all would be vying for a chance in the seed. lol. They are pretty competitive critters I have noticed. Chipmunks seem to win the most. Would be fun to watch who gets the most seeds.

    • Tuula - Color Me Thrifty Tuula - Color Me Thrifty on Apr 16, 2023

      Thanks Linda! We don't have squirrels, but we do have chipmunks. They don't care about the seeds at all so I guess they must be finding a lot of their own food around here.

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