COMPUTER GEEK MEETS ENVIRONMENTAL CHIC : CAST-OFF CIRCUITS BECOME ART SUPPLY.

Byline: P.J. Huffstutter Daily News Staff Writer

Old computers never die. They are transformed into drink coasters, picture frames and ornate jewelry.

Steve and Susan Grzadzielewski realized this in 1984, when the siblings were helping one another move. Susan picked up a box of Steve's knick-knacks, and a small circuit from a cheap watch fell on the ground.

``My sister took off one of her diamond stud earrings, slipped it through one of the holes in the circuit and put it back on,'' said Steve Grzadzielewski, 36. ``It created a beautiful look, an interesting cross between computer geek and environmental chic.''

Soon after, the Seattle-based brother and sister team combined their savings with a small bank loan, and opened their industrial art firm, Transistor Sister & Co.

They began scouring the electronics world for scrap materials, often experimenting with the look and texture of different kinds of circuit boards, transistors and fuses. The brighter the color and the more intricately designed the metallic wiring, the better.

Shoppers began spotting their work at craft fairs and weekly street markets, as the pair hawked their work as environmentally friendly and inexpensive accessories: earrings, money clips and bolo ties costing between $12 and $20.

A financial boon came in 1987, when the curator for Seattle's Museum of Modern Art bought $7,000 worth of merchandise as a product tie-in for a computer exhibit. Two weeks later, he returned and spent an additional $13,000 on Transistor Sister products.

Since then, the five-person business and its revenues continues to grow at about 2-1/2 percent a year, Steve said. Today, their recycled electronic goods are sold at environmental stores, science museums and computer shops. In Los Angeles, Fry's Electronics carries several racks of their work.

``When the PC revolution hit high gear in 1991, we had a whole new market open up,'' Grzadzielewski said. ``All of a sudden, there were all these craft stores interested in computer products that were pretty and functional.''

Other companies sensed this opportunity and dove into digital scrap heaps in search of new ways to transform junk into gems. One of the most successful of these start-ups is Motherboard Enterprises, a nine-person team out of Chicago.

Co-founder Charles Weaver, 34, was working in the sales and marketing departments of a gift company.

His partner, Suzanne Bevan, a multimedia artist, had incorporated circuit boards into her furniture designs, often mixing glass with the brightly colored and geometrically patterned circuitry.

``I had also been using the boards as a canvas and tried painting fictitious cities on them,'' said Bevan, 33. ``When Chuck and I met, we realized we could combine our expertise to build a line of unique gifts.''

The challenge lies in finding a ready supply of distinctive motherboards, a generic term for the main interconnecting circuit board in an electronic device. Computers use them. So do radios, televisions, stereos, watches and nearly every other consumer electronic device with an on-off switch.

``We've probably got a stock of 15,000 pounds of motherboards,'' Weaver said. ``We work with local manufacturers of the boards and provide them with an alternative to throwing away their rejects.''

Many boards have gold or copper wiring criss-crossing shiny green or red metallic-toned backgrounds. Often, people recycle these boards by separating and collecting the metal from the fibrous material.

Because of such recycling efforts, staff at both companies often struggle to find circuit boards free of scratches and scuff marks. Sifting through pieces discarded by electronics firms, Bevan says, she often searches for corners and smaller sections of a board that can be salvaged.

These odd bits become a heart-shape postcard, a round drink coaster, a triangle key chain or a rectangular cover for a steel business card holder.

When Bevan and Weaver find a larger board in pristine condition, they set it aside for bigger products such as vases, briefcases and carrying cases for laptop computers.

``They're really hip. It's one of our best-selling lines,'' said Andrea Spyros, owner of Handmade Galleries in Sherman Oaks. The shop carries an extensive collection of Motherboard products.

``People buy these things for the computer people in their life. These days, everyone knows someone either working in the computer industry or on the Internet. And because the stuff's kind of gender-neutral, we see both men and women grabbing this stuff.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- color) Artisan Tamara Hensick displays old computer motherboards that have been recycled into clipboards, picture frames, organizers and business card holders for sale at Handmade Galleries in Sherman Oaks.

(2 -- color) These clocks are created by Motherboard Enterprises, a Chicago company that finds new uses for old computer parts.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News