Playing Card Bowl

Using an incomplete deck of cards and some glue I made a bowl capable of holding several pounds. Here is how it is made.

Remove these ads by Signing Up

Step 1: Gathering Materials

Alright so here are the only things I used.

1. Playing Cards
2. Hot Glue Gun
3. Extra Glue Sticks
4. Cardboard to keep glue off the carpet

cad97 says: Sep 12, 2010. 12:36 AM

Well, after using 50 or so cards, burning 2 fingers, and 2 hours of my life were used, i made an OK bowl out of old pokemon cards :D

reedz (author) in reply to cad97Sep 12, 2010. 9:18 AM

Could you post pictures if you get the chance? I didn't even think of Pokemon cards.

cad97 in reply to reedzSep 12, 2010. 7:56 PM

Sure, i'll get on it in the next day or so, i have shool tomorrow so i'll try to post it asap.

cad97 in reply to cad97Sep 14, 2010. 5:05 PM

Well, im having issues with the uploader, but they are on my profile, i dont think it was to bad for a sick 13 year old at 2AM. (Sorry about the picture quality, i took them with my web cam.)

yo homie GEEE says: Sep 7, 2010. 5:27 PM

oh wow that is a great way to sdave memories! i hope that if i put a little bit runny thing in it it wil be okay! CAREFUL

dfmatson says: Dec 11, 2009. 7:11 AM

I gave this a try, but I used a type of card that I own more than 52 of. I have trouble tossing my childhood memories in the trash, so this is a great way to reuse these cards.

reedz (author) in reply to dfmatsonDec 11, 2009. 2:03 PM

This is gorgeous, I love how it almost looks like a wooden bowl. My next project on this is to paper mache one that is thicker and cover it with a sealant of some sort, maybe even a clear resin to be able to eat out of it.

melodicmetallove says: Jul 28, 2009. 5:18 PM

I have no idea how to do this, it's not working for me... :(

reedz (author) in reply to melodicmetalloveAug 1, 2009. 10:36 AM

just keep playing with it, the best way to think of it is to weave the cards together so they all rely on each other for support. When you glue it, it is primarily to keep them together.

Custom Playing Cards says: Jun 16, 2009. 9:06 AM

That's pretty sick I'm gonna have to try that out !

http://www.customplayingcardss.com

reedz (author) in reply to Custom Playing CardsJun 16, 2009. 1:42 PM

At this point, so far down the line from when I first made this, I would suggest using a jar lid or something else underneath it to give a more stable base. But your cards would be quite interesting.

Naanac7 says: Jun 15, 2009. 12:28 AM

I just made one! Its pretty cool but i trimmed it around the circle bit so it was more neat and tidy. The only bad thing was that it was unstable and the pattern of my cards were ugly. I have like 5 packs of cards (lots of random cards missing and all these 5 packs are mixed together) lying around so why not make one lol. Thanks

reedz (author) in reply to Naanac7Jun 16, 2009. 1:41 PM

If you get the opportunity I would love to see a picture. Mine is just now starting to fall apart, I believe I will redo it with a paper-mache sort of paste.

bullet-head says: Dec 16, 2008. 1:12 PM

awesome!

admagic says: Sep 18, 2008. 8:02 PM

Cool You could make a custom bowl by ordering a single deck from http://www.admagic.com

Sunbanks says: Jul 24, 2008. 9:55 PM

I have a deck of purple playing cards that would look awesome if I did this with them! I never use them anyway and I think the deck is missing a few cards because I used them for random projects...

reedz (author) in reply to SunbanksJul 25, 2008. 8:33 AM

That's great! Post some pictures when you are finished

Dim-1 says: Mar 25, 2008. 2:50 PM

You are way too cool! This is absolutely perfect for a deck that has missing cards. I I ever play poker, and then play poker enough to throw a poker party, I have decided I will use these bowls to put pretzels in ! I don't play poker, but if I did you can imagine how envious my friends would be. Then, sometime I will contemplate if it is wrong to desire envy.

reedz (author) in reply to Dim-1Mar 25, 2008. 3:06 PM

Wow *blushes* if you play other card games like go fish or uno then you could still make the bowls. How awesome would that be?! UNO BOWLS! I don't think it is wrong to desire envy, and deffinately not wrong to use my ideas to get the envy...but I claim the finder's fee.

fireandshadows says: Mar 1, 2008. 8:49 AM

gasp!!! you called a sharpie junk!!! i cant believe it. you should be ashamed of yourself.

reedz (author) in reply to fireandshadowsMar 1, 2008. 12:36 PM

Sorry about that, it's fixed now.

fireandshadows in reply to reedzMar 25, 2008. 1:30 PM

thank you. now i fell all warm and fuzzy inside.

a55f3d says: Mar 18, 2008. 5:09 AM

thanks I did it and it worked great.

reedz (author) in reply to a55f3dMar 18, 2008. 2:16 PM

Awesome, if you get the time, you should upload a picture of it...I did this one on my first try and wasn't too sure how it would look

a55f3d says: Mar 8, 2008. 3:46 PM

(removed by author or community request)

reedz (author) in reply to a55f3dMar 8, 2008. 10:39 PM

Alright, look at step three. The four new cards should already be glued in the middle to the base. To make the curve, pull two of the newest cards together, this should pull up one of the bottom ones and it will resist you. Pull a little more and you should see everything start to bow. Glue that down and hold it in that position until it cools off. I hope that helps!

sideways says: Mar 1, 2008. 9:44 AM

What a great idea. I have some old tarot cards that would be great for this.

reedz (author) in reply to sidewaysMar 1, 2008. 12:36 PM

Interesting, I've never used tarot cards but I assume they are about the same size?

sideways in reply to reedzMar 3, 2008. 9:29 AM

A typicall Rider-Waite deck is a little bit larger, but about the same width x height ratio. But many others come in all different shapes and sizes, even round. There's no "official" size however.

Mr. Halloween says: Mar 1, 2008. 10:52 AM

Think if you used Vintage or Antique card and made those bowls and put clear coat on them>>>$$$$$$$

reedz (author) in reply to Mr. HalloweenMar 1, 2008. 12:35 PM

That would be pretty cool, if you took more time on it (I only took maybe 15 minutes) you could make a much more high quality bowl.

GorillazMiko says: Feb 29, 2008. 7:27 PM

That's pretty awesome. Doing with all different colors... that would be awesome. Better yet, design your own card with one of the Instructables on Instructables (forgot the exact name), and put on the Instructables Robot, that would be AWESOME. Nice job.

reedz (author) in reply to GorillazMikoFeb 29, 2008. 8:08 PM

That would be really cool! When I decide what I am going to make next I'll consider doing that.