Preparing Used Bottle Caps to Make Pendants
Bottle cap pendants are all the rage these days and they are really easy to make. If you have decided to make your own bottle cap pendants, you have a couple of different options. You can choose to use new ones purchased by home brewing supply companies for a reasonable price or you can use used bottle caps. Choosing used bottle caps is a great way to recycle (or technically speaking-upcycle) and helps to prevent them from piling up in our landfills. If you are planning to use used bottle caps, there are just a few things you need to do to get those caps in order so that you can make them into great pendants. I have put together a little "how to" with some tried and true tips, showing you how to get used caps ready for pendant making. I wish I had found something like this before I started making pendants with used caps. Much of this stuff has been learned through trial and error on my part and I'm hoping to make the process a little bit easier for you.
What You Will Need
- Used Bottle Caps like from beer bottles, coke bottles, etc..
- Soap and water
- Dremel and small drill bit
- Spray Paint or Acrylic Paint (if your planning to paint it)
- Spray Sealer
- Acetone
- Old toothbrush
- Emory board or sandpaper (optional)
STEP1: Sand Logo and Clean The Caps
If you prefer you can sand the logo off the cap first using an emory board or sand paper. Emory boards work great for this! Then take the caps and soak them in soapy water or another cleaner if you prefer.. I sometimes use Simple Green- works great at getting gunky stuff off.. Take the old toothebrush and scrub all around the inside of the cap making sure you get it as clean as possible.
Rinse the caps and let them dry...
STEP 2: Take Seal Out Of Inside Of Cap
Put some acetone in each of the caps... covering the seal. After a couple hours it will soften and you can lift it out with a pair of tweezers or something like that. A lot of people use heat to remove the seal but I find it doesn't work as well as acetone.
STEP 3: Drill A Hole
Take the dremel with the small drill bit and drill a hole in the side of the cap for your jump ring.
PS. The dremel is not a must have for this. You can use a hammer and nail to make the hole.. I just prefer to use the dremel because the outcome seems a little neater.
Step 4: Paint and Seal Cap
It's time to get your cap ready to paint!!
Take your caps and line them up. Here is a trick: I have a piece of metal sheet that I put magnets on and I stick the caps to the magnets and this is how I paint them. It's quick and easy and a good way to keep them all there together in one place.
I prefer spray paint... it seems to cover the best and the quickest but if you prefer you can use acrylic paints as well. Depending on the brand, you may need to put on a few coats in order to get good coverage.
After the paint is applied (and dry) and you are satisfied, line up the caps and spray a coat or two of sealer on. I use Triple Thick Crystal Clear Glaze by Krylon but any good sealer will do.
Now you have your used bottle caps ready to be made into pendants!! Please be sure to check out http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Make-Bottle-Cap-Pendants so that you can make your own gorgeous bottle cap pendants!!
Are you interested in making domino pendants? Visit my hub How To Make A Domino Pendant!