Penny Desk!

My hubby John and I made this fun penny desk for my office. The pennies are covered in bar top epoxy, and it isn't nearly as heavy as you might think. The process is a little tedious, but not overly difficult except for the wrapped edges, which you can always skip. Keep reading to see the step-by-step instructions.

Also, this is my very first Instructable, so my apologies if I manage to mangle it horribly. ;)


My original post regarding this desk can be found over on my blog Epbot. If you like geeky girly stuff, please drop by to say hello!

Step 1: Material Girl

First and foremost, you'll need lots of pennies. I think we used about $35 for the desk, which is approximately 40 by 22 inches. Don't have a massive change jar handy? Just swing by your local bank.

I polished half of our pennies with Tarn-X. It's super easy to use: just pour it over the coins and then rinse. Polishing some of the coins gives the end result a pretty mix of shiny and tarnished finishes.

Comments

[bobzjr]

Thanks for posting this inspiring Instructable. I was thinking of doing one with lego bricks. Do you think that would work, or do you think the Lego "studs" would prove to be problematic? For example, would it require multiple coats of the resin? Would multiple coats of resin work well? (if needed)

Keep up the good work!

[Epbot]

Hmm. Well, the resin is self-leveling, but the LEGO studs are fairly shallow, so I *think* the resin would still cover them. A second layer of resin would certainly do the trick, though, if there are any pokey-parts sticking out.

Another option is to build up the sides of your surface with wooden or metal trim, almost like a tray, so that the resin will pool inside and not drip over the edges. That way you'd get a nice smooth table top in one application.

I hope you'll post a photo if you try this; I'd really love to see it!

[simonb345]

Find a penny, pick it up.....

Hey look, I just found 3500 pennies...

[Commander Shepard]

I thought you (the creator AND the viewers) might like to look at this if you enjoy this project. These people did basically what she did here, but with their kitchen floor tile!
http://www.curbly.com/users/diy-maven/posts/6849-tiled-penny-floor

[blodefood]

You might want to do this. The penny will be phased out in Canada in late 2012.

[mary candy]

Beautiful Job !

[fridelain]

Thought you'd like to know. TL;DR: It's against the law.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=426715

[nerys]

Incorrect. it is not against the law. its only against the law to "deface currency" is there is an intent to defraud.

this is why where's george stamps are legal and why penny smashers are legal and why making "coin jewelery" is legal and why this table is perfectly legal.

Please stop propagating that myth.

[Epbot]

Thanks for pointing this out, nerys. I initially had a paragraph in my intro about the legality of coin craft, but then took it out because I didn't think it'd be an issue here. Guess I was wrong! (It still amazes me how many people think this could be illegal with all the penny smasher machines out there.)

[J-Five]

Well you don't need to use pennies; you could use buttons, old playing cards or any other small things. They could work.

[blackfister]

you wouldnt do thi table because it againt the law?
use in an open space, use a respirator and common sense. use safly.

[bajablue]

It's against the "law" to deface currency... and I am SO going to do this for a small table... in Mexico! lol... I think I'd be safe from prosecution here. ;-D

[tjesse]

I voted for you, too bad your going to prison for life! Just kidding! I love when nameless, faceless experts on all things come out of the wood work. I hope the feds don't throw the book at you!. Someone said they are going to make a frame, that seems more practical for me.

[ctrejo]

I hope you looked through the pennies first for old wheat/ Indian head pennies lol

[Epbot]

I did! And then I mixed them in at regular intervals throughout the desk. :D I also planted a Bahamian penny right smack in the middle. (It's the same copper color, but with a pretty starfish design.)

[ctrejo]

nooooooooo! those are worth money!! :P I hope there werent any rare ones cause imma be sad lol

[praise_song]

Me, too, ctrejo! I used to have a HUGE collection of wheat pennies, as well as some 1942 lead pennies. My older sister broke open the container and put them all thru a coin-star machine, and ...poof! ... gone. BROKE MY HEART!! I've forgiven her, though. :o)

[lisagems]

Okay, everybody who's jumping on the OMG This Is Illegal train. Chill.

Have you never dropped 2 quarters and a penny into a little hand cranked machine? It's a rolling mill which imprints an image of some particular attraction onto and squished and elongated penny. These machines are ALL over the country, at various attractions large and small, there's even one on an overpass north of Chicago that prints and image of the skyline. Brookfield Zoo, the San Diego Zoo, most museums, every amusement park in existence, including both US Disneys have these little souvenir makers. Do you actually think Disney would put itself at risk from the Federal Government over a squished penny?

The deal is, you cannot melt them to recycle the metal, so as to extract the value of the metal from the coin. And these days, it really wouldn't be worth trying, anyway. The micro thin copper coating of a zinc blank doesn't melt, it burns. Impressively.

[Mar HK]

It depends on the country. In Canada, it is actually illegal to deface the coins. Those little machines use blanks instead of pennies.

[lisagems]

Okaaaaay...

The blogger lives and writes in the US. And not even one of the US/Canada border states. Not even a US/Mexico border state. So, it's pretty much a given that the laws in question are US laws. I'm saying the the blogger in question is not breaking any US laws. No disrespect to Canada or anything, but totally meaningless to the discussion.

Personally, I think Canada has the right of it. If you allow something small, it's harder to stop something large. But, in the US, what the blogger in question did does not violate any laws, anymore than the rolling mill coin smashers do.

[build52]

awesome! got my vote.

[FrozenIce]

ohh look!! a penny!!

[ace1423]

where, I can't find it

[FrozenIce]

XD

[DoofusOfTheDay]

NIce job and good use of the penny. Makes cents.

[DeliciousMystic]

:)

[bmelton1]

I will do this with pennies from the year my Wife and I were born.....1972.

[oneyeprod]

Good luck. JK

[Paturnus Prime]

How many pennies will you have to go through in order to get the amount you need? How big a surface are you going to cover? I'm just thinking it will be a challenge to get that many pennies of the same date. I'm not knocking the idea, because it's an unbeleivably cool twist on the instructable. Do you have a trick for getting all coins of a certain date?

[bedwere]

Pennies before 1982 were 95% copper and 5% zinc, and are worth approximately 2.5 cents (see www.coinflation.com).

[Silvester10528]

That's for the pure copper value.

This goes back to the legality of removing the coins from circulation without a permit from the Feds...

[zappenfusen]

Say What?

[Silvester10528]

The older pennies are worth more as copper scrap than they are as currency, but it is illegal to destroy them without a permit from the government.

From what I understand, there is a large community of people that are trying to get permission to legally remove large quantities of 95% copper coins from circulation so they can sell them for the copper value. They actually trade rolled coins for their copper bullion value as if they were ingots...

[bmelton1]

Perhaps I will do a frame for one of our wedding pictures.

[pattymadeit]

A picture frame! That's a great idea! One could also make a frame for a baby shower gift! Love that!

[Kryptonite]

That's a brilliant idea! About how big is the frame?

[Pattymouth]

Now THAT's not a wreck! I can't wait to make money covered end tables! Thanks!

[Epbot]

Ha! I love the fact that most people reading your comment here won't get it. Now I just need someone to make a joke about Spaceship Earth and my life will be complete. ;)

[lisagems]

Oooo, how many pennies would you have to dome, and to what degree to make a penny Spaceship Earth? mmm... must think.

[dagaherz]

And, by the way...
anybody realizes that it is not legal?
it is a inappropriate use of money