We've been collecting bottle caps for what seems like forever anticipating this table. After moving our collection with us to 4 different homes in 3 different states, we now have enough caps for this table plus a few matching stools. What makes this project different than a simple mosaic project is that we covered the table with a thick resin, creating a look quite similar to the tables at your favorite pub.
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Signing UpStep 1: Collect bottle caps.
Tips:
-Become friends with bartenders.
-Cheap date night: Visit alleys behind local bars.
-Buy microbrews based on how cool the caps are, not how good the beer is.
-Get your friends to help you collect.
-When traveling overseas, buy beer instead of souvenirs.
-Become friends with bartenders.
-Cheap date night: Visit alleys behind local bars.
-Buy microbrews based on how cool the caps are, not how good the beer is.
-Get your friends to help you collect.
-When traveling overseas, buy beer instead of souvenirs.
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My email is lunalunera19@hotmail.com
anyhow thank you so much for the tutorial. i will sure make a lot of tables like this once i get my hands on the resin. : )
Now I just need to collect bottle caps. OOOO Maybe Guitar picks would be a good substitute.
My biggest tips:
*use clear super glue only..anything else (gorilla glue, etc.) WILL expand and show.
*keep a pair of pliers handy in case you need to slightly bend the caps to fit the table towards the end when space is limited.
*Work from the outside in...otherwise you will run out of table space.
*When pouring the resin, use NON-STICK foil (higher quality the better..I used cheap stuff and that resulted in LOTS of left over foil scraps when it came time to peel away the barrier).
*Hold you hair back when you pour the resin/blow the air bubbles...I got some in my hair and it would not come out.
*read the instructions on the resin label multiple times
Cheers!
Witty AND informative :)
I used this guide and the table came out looking great; all except the edges. The foil is stuck along the rim (since the table doesn't have its own rims, I had to do the pour with the suggested foil barrier). Also, the top most edge of the resin pour extended a bit more then the base of the resin. Because of that, the top edge is a bit sharp. I obviously need to sand down the whole edge, but are there any suggestions or specifications I should be aiming for. like grit? I want to keep the edges clear, but I want to get the foil off and smooth the edges.
Any suggestions are welcome!
On the second page of comments, there were some posters who gave some more technical advice. One of them wrote:
"Carefully sand it to the shape you want, leaving a little extra "meat". Then, using finer grit sandpaper, work your way up to 1000 or 2000 grit sandpaper, followed by plastic polish to restore the gloss finish." I think a SUPER fine grit sandpaper would knock the edges down and leave a shine, but I've never done it, so experiment first.
Otherwise, search the web for info on how to shape the resin after it's set. Let me know what you find out!
The benefit to polyurethane is that it's cheap, you can just spread some on in a not too thin layer with a brush and move the caps as necessary, it dries in a reasonable amount of time, and you don't have to worry as much about mess. Polyurethane is the same thing gorilla glue is made out of, so it will definitely hold. If you're worried about the slightly yellow color (e.g., if your background color is white or light wood), use polycrylic instead, just make sure that it is all covered and can't get any moisture on it (it discolors).
If you can keep the hot glue "strings" under control and minimize the amount of excess around the caps, I think hot glue would work just fine for this project. Thanks for the suggestion.
And p.s. I'd say that table was made in Colorado, am I right?!
But they sell it other places though. I'm in Georgia right now and the liquor store across the street sells it.
the comments say 3 different states tho.. mebbe CO was one of em, eh ;)