Record bowls!
Well, that’s some progress. Starting from the bottom and going clockwise, that’s Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”, Culture Club’s “Colour by Numbers”, Stryper’s “To Hell With the Devil”, and the Carpenters’ “Now and Then”. I basically followed the Get Crafty instructions, and I really can’t stress how friggin’ easy this is. They recommend an oven temperature of 200F, but my oven wouldn’t even go that low. I just turned it down as low as possible. Put a bowl upside-down on a cookie sheet, whack the record on top, and set it in the oven for about five minutes. Pull it out (use a hotpad or you’ll burn yourself like me!), whip off the flimsy record, and shove it down inside another bowl to mold it. They don’t give off toxic fumes or anything, and they don’t get melty enough that you see fingerprints. (In fact, I think mine are somehow shinier now than they were before.) You’ve only got a few seconds to work with ’em though, so be quick. I went for a couple different shapes here. (It’s not possible to get them perfectly round, so don’t even try.) I think I’m going to glue some marbles to the bottom to act as legs and use a piece of tape to cover up the hole. Voila! Ultra trendy potato chip bowls. I’m so selling these at the Glebe Markets this year.
brigita
April 15, 2003 — 1:11 am
ooh—or you could leave the hole and use it as a planter!
one word of warning, a GF of mine that has a stall at a artsy market in DC was less than successful when trying to sell some of her record bowls—people were much more likely to say “now i know what to do with my old albums!” than to pull out their wallets. fwiw. 😉
Kris
April 15, 2003 — 1:22 am
Yeah, that’s what I figured. But when the albums cost me fifty cents and they only take ten minutes to make, I can sell them pretty cheap and still make a decent profit. 🙂
brigita
April 15, 2003 — 4:28 am
oh word—i didn’t mean to befoul your metaphoric cornflakes. 😉
Steve
April 15, 2003 — 9:52 pm
sweet. I so need a new ashtray. Bjork album preferably – maybe her music would sound normal once its had the oven treatment.
Kris
April 16, 2003 — 12:12 am
I’ll be sure to look next time i’m in the op shop… 🙂
m.l.
April 16, 2003 — 12:50 am
The bowls look great but here’s something to consider: when I worked at my college radio station we were told never to bring anything flammable into the record library. Apparently, burning vinyl gives off toxic gases (some sort of dioxin). We had 1000s of albums in there though, so maybe this is really only a danger for large volumes of records. Still, I’d be careful when making the bowls (make sure the windows are open and fan turned up), plus I’d wash my hands and the bowls well after. And maybe they should hold non-edible stuff to be on the safe side.
Kris
April 16, 2003 — 8:09 am
Hmm, good tip. I’m not too worried though, as people have apparently been making these since the 70’s. Maybe it isn’t such a problem because they just get slightly melty, not actually burnt. But ventilation is always a good tip!
Amy
April 17, 2003 — 6:02 pm
too cute! now to making some bags out of the left over album covers
Kris
April 17, 2003 — 6:50 pm
Yeah, the only problem is laminating them. None of the places in Newtown will do anything bigger than an A4. I’ve thought about doing the “wrap ’em in clear vinyl” method I read about on Glitter, but it’s getting the vinyl that ain’t easy. They’ve got it at Kmart by the yard, but it’s really expensive. I saw a clear vinyl shower curtain at Holy Sheet for like $15 recently though, so I might just get one of those and see how I go.
kat
July 23, 2003 — 7:39 am
my mom and i are making them for a banquit (we hope). we saw it on trading spaces!
Kris
July 23, 2003 — 8:11 pm
Cool! You aren’t going to eat out of them though, I hope? A couple different people have told me that melting records give off some pretty nasty chemicals, so I wouldn’t put anything more than, say, potato chips in them. Just a word of warning…
Andy
January 7, 2004 — 6:07 am
I got one of these from my sister for Christmas. I thought it was pretty clever, until I found out, much to my HORROR, she had used my vintage Alice Cooper albums she found in my parent’s house! I mean, yeah, Madonna or The Capenters would be OK, but come on!
Matthew
March 6, 2004 — 4:50 pm
There is a way to make the record bowls perfectly round. I have not personally done a perfectly round record but have some ideas. I have seen the perfectly round record bowls and am seeking anyone who knows how to get them perfectly round. You ought to see what I do with wine bottles and marbles at http://WWW.CREATEAPENDANT.COM
Kris
March 6, 2004 — 5:55 pm
You can’t get them round, Matthew. I’ve seen some like that for sale on the Internet and they’re actually molded into that shape. I don’t think they’re real records, or if they were, they’ve got some industrial type press. Normaly people just can’t do it because you’d have to physically stretch the record.
And try to make the spam a little less tacky next time, okay? 🙂
Judy
June 4, 2004 — 11:15 am
Thank God for your instructions. I plan on making the bags real soon to sell at my Sority’s convention.
Dawn
June 5, 2004 — 12:38 pm
What about the inside of the bag. How do you line it, do you use another album inside to make it stiff. What about the bottom of the bag. How do you
make that? Please send me pictures or illustrations of the inside of the bag and bottom of bag. Thank you.
Dawn
Kris
June 5, 2004 — 11:36 pm
Dawn, I’ve got a whole tutorial with pictures elsewhere on the site here.
Anonymous
November 1, 2004 — 9:00 am
does anyone know how to make
the record bracelets…the cuff
bracelets from old records?
Joy
April 7, 2005 — 11:57 am
I’m laughing my head off reading your messages- when I was about 11, my dad put one of my Elvis records in the oven to flatten it because it was warped and skipped- and I ended up with a bowl just like yours- he was trying to help, but…. I’m 59 years old and I may have to make another one- maybe this time I’ll use a record I DON’T love!
jennifer
May 8, 2005 — 7:13 am
hey, would it be ok to use a banana rama, bee jees or madonna record? cuz i found those records at a thrift store.and i have a cyndi lauper case but no record,….grrrrr. anyways the reason i really came here was to ask if there are any other types of things to mold the record into using? like maybe a tin tray? or a casserole dish?please respond soon! thanxs
Caroline
June 21, 2005 — 11:34 pm
Love the marble idea!!!!!!
Anonymous
July 29, 2006 — 11:47 am
Does the record stick to the glass bowl???
Paul
September 18, 2006 — 10:34 pm
Would it be possible to get them perfectly round using a car jack to stretch the vinyl and to use a more controlled heat such as a hair dryer somehow in theory would this work
Anonymous
October 24, 2006 — 12:49 pm
ohhh…saw how to make the LP-bowls on the Rachel Ray show today! Thanks for all the helpjul tips. Anyone know if they are dishwasher-safe? Wondering…
Kris
October 25, 2006 — 3:03 pm
Probably not. You really shouldn’t be eating out of them anyway; vinyl is pretty carcinogenic, from what I understand. I just use mine for planters.
mick
February 5, 2007 — 7:18 am
there is a way to make them perfectly round; put an album over a bowl, then add boiling water until it is pliable, then quickly press the record firmly against the bowl(about size of record) tou may want to use a vise to hold it. Use more water or a dryer to shape. 🙂
W. Hess
November 12, 2007 — 2:36 pm
The round bowls are vacuum molded over a form, saw the guy knocking them out on TV. They looked like DEVO hats when done.
Crys
November 21, 2007 — 7:29 am
I can’t see how putting food in them for a couple hours when they’re cool could be any worse for you than playing them until they’re warm (I know I did that plenty of times with my Thriller album years ago).
For the label I use a ceramic finish which works really well and is cheap & easy to apply as well as safe. If you were really concerned you could finish the whole record, sealing in any possible gases.
Pinky
January 9, 2008 — 9:15 am
I followed the instruction on get crafty website and it was easy, but to experiment I also did some by keeping the form/bowl upside down and just folded/pleated the pliable record against the bowl holding until set. The bowls came out really nice. My best friend from 5th grade (we’re both 50 now) loved the Monkees bowl I sent her, my brother was horrified when he saw I used vintage punk records for his. I thought he’d love that they were some of his favorite bands Like the Buzcocks and the the Clash, I even did a local Boston Band the Real Kids for him. He loved ’em anyway.
maceyf
November 11, 2008 — 6:26 pm
If you can find the heavier phonograph records, and you are very, very careful, you can make them round. They will break if they get too hot, but they also take longer to get hot. You also need to stretch them a little bit. The end result is great and very sturdy.
jennie
December 9, 2008 — 4:09 am
Hi I read on another website that the fumes will kill birds or other small pets! Is that true? I have a bird and want to make some for my bro thanks
Dee
December 13, 2008 — 3:43 pm
I wouldn’t do it in a home with birds… even if it isn’t harmful to humans, birds have such delicate respiratory systems that even cooking with teflon cookware can kill them.