apparatus similar to a weed - eater ® weed trimmer , but instead of monofilament line , it uses recycled coat hangers to cut weeds . there are two plates , the lower one having grooves within which to fit the coat - hangers after they are prepared using a special tool to bend them to the proper shape . aside from the cutting part , the rest of the machine can be like a weed - eater ® brand weed trimmer . the two plates are held together with a retaining nut . hardwire , wire cable , nails , or heavy duty plastic cord can also be used as blades .