Bottle Cap Art

[CantWinThisGame]

Anyone on here collect bottle caps and then make art out of them?

I've done a lot of things with epoxy. Here's a couple of my creations. Originally I was making them into table tops, but then I realized I have enought tables, so I just hung it on the wall instead. Then my neighbor saw it and I had to make another one similar to it!

 

[day_trippr]

Very nice.
How do you deal with bubbles - because I imagine all those upright caps would try to create plenty of 'em...

Cheers!

 

[CantWinThisGame]

Very nice.
How do you deal with bubbles - because I imagine all those upright caps would try to create plenty of 'em...

Cheers!

Ahhh, two steps - one thin layer to 'glue down' the caps into the routered channels. Let that cure fully for a few days, then epoxy over the top. To remove the tiny bubbles during each pour, I use a heat gun. As you wave the gun over the top, the heat differential and thinning of the wet epoxy magically "pulls" the bubbles to the surface and they pop. You can also use a blowtorch, but I find the heat gun works just fine and gives a better final finish to the surface. If you look real close, you can see a couple tiny bubbles.

I'm sure there are still air bubbles trapped under each cap too. Someday a scientist will find this, and take a sample of one of the air bubbles to see what the air was like way back in the 21st century. LOL

 

[Sailingeric]

Very cool. I have a nice piece of rugged looking walnut I am going to do 5x8 bottle cap sign, like you did, cover them in epoxy. I got it about half way routed out and I dropped and broke my router. I will get back on it as soon as I get another router, and more beer consumed.

 

[Sailingeric]

Here is what I am working, only about 35 different beers to go. Thinking of maybe filling the gaps with crushed beer bottle glass before I epoxy it. Also had some scrap oak and some extra beer stickers I have picked up so made a beer sticker sign. Need a couple smaller ones to fill in.

 

[CantWinThisGame]

That should look really cool. I never thought of using crushed bottle glass - sounds like a great idea!

 

[jrgtr42]

Those are pretty cool. I'm planning on doing something like that - except the epoxy and caps will sit on top. I just have to figure out how to create walls around it to keep the epoxy where I want it.

 

[CantWinThisGame]

Those are pretty cool. I'm planning on doing something like that - except the epoxy and caps will sit on top. I just have to figure out how to create walls around it to keep the epoxy where I want it.

I've been able to create dams for epoxy control out of masking tape and/or duct tape.

 

[jrgtr42]

I've been able to create dams for epoxy control out of masking tape and/or duct tape.

Cool. I guess packing tape would work as well. do you back it up with anything like wood strapping or anything? or just the tape itself will hold it?

 

[CantWinThisGame]

Cool. I guess packing tape would work as well. do you back it up with anything like wood strapping or anything? or just the tape itself will hold it?

Depends on how deep it is. You can also do multiple layers. Just let the previous layer cure, and lightly sand it. If done properly, you can't see the interface between the layers. If you do a few layers and reduce the depth for each layer, then the tape alone is fine, but also depends on the substrate that you are applying the tape to. Of course more layers means more work and more time! It's a trade-off.