Monday, October 20, 2008

Vinyl and toothbrushes

Hello again,
Went to my old school's fete the other day and found some cool stuff.
Got me a whole lot of vinyl records cause they are really good for making things with.
Here is one idea:

Vinyl Bowl
Take your vinyl record and an ovenproof bowl or dish the shape you want
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
Cover a baking sheet with foil and put your dish on top
Put the record on the top of the dish (lying flat)
Put this in the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until the record starts to sink slightly into the dish
Take out the tray and push the record down into the dish with your hand (wear gloves!)
Take out the record when it is cool.

This will give you a bowl with wavy edges, and the label at the bottom.
Beware - if using for food, the label will get dirty, and there is the hole at the bottom, so you may want to line it with something.
I have a little one made from one of the 45's which i use to hold my jewellery bits and bobs.

Another idea involving making something out of a melted something else is Toothbrush Bangles.

Toothbrush Bangles
Find some old toothbrushes; the best kind is the single colour, clear kind. The ones with glitter in them look really pretty - our dentist gives them to us for free :)
Get some pliers and pull out all the bristles. This is the hardest part, it takes ages and after a while your hands get tired.
Once this is done, put the toothbrush into a pot of boiling water, make it a big one - you want the whole thing submerged.
Make sure you wear rubber gloves, and find two pairs of tongs.
After about 30 seconds to a minute, it should be soft (this depends on the type of toothbrush, it may take longer) and pliable. Bend the plastic with the tongs until it is the shape of a bangle, but leave a gap between the two ends, so you can slide it over your wrist.
Take it out of the water and put it in some cold water to set it.
If it isn't right, just put it back in the hot water and try again.

Enjoy :)