I saw a video last year on YouTube where a Russian maker built a rather elaborate rig to turn PET plastic bottles into a flat, very narrow noodle-like “string” that proved to be surprisingly strong.

KALAMAZOO -- When Janice Newton, 67, of Kalamazoo, watches musicians on TV or attends a concert, she often wonders about their guitar strings. Just possibly, she had a hand in making those strings.