Introduction: Fake Chewing Gum Container

By design & illustration portfolio
About: Designer and illustrator, with a lot of random passions.

This is a pretty fun project that I was willing to make for a while but never had the time. This fake bubble gum container is good for any tiny object and is perfect for urban geocachers!

This project was inspired by one of my favorite urban geocache in Amsterdam, which is also a fake chewing gum and gave some good laughs while playing in the city.

If you don't know, geocaching is an amazing game of finding little treasures around the world. Please, go check it at geocaching.com to know more about it.

But even if you're not into geocaching, this container can be very useful to prank someone, to hide secret notes, or to make your own treasure hunting game!

Supplies

  • Waterproof pill container (like this one)
  • Polymer clay
  • Hand saw
  • Strong Magnet (I took mine from my strongest fridge magnet. Poor little rooster.)
  • Plastic film
  • Super glue
  • Small microwave-safe container
  • Microwave (or oven)

Step 1: Shaping the The Fake Chewing Gum

  1. Mixture your desired color of polymer clay. I did a light unsaturated pink by mixing pink, grey and white to achieve that old, dry, and chewed gum color - ew.
  2. wrap it in plastic film.
  3. To make the chewed texture I, well, lightly chewed the polymer clay - that's why I covered first. Kinda gross, I know. But it was something more like little bites.
  4. Cover the cap of the pill container with the clay, molding it around the cap, but leaving the cap empty. You can do it by inserting the cap in the clay, taking it out, and then scooping the clay that filled the cap, so now you have a hole. Put the cap back in.

Tip: The cap will stick a bit and deform when you try to take it out. But don't worry, just mold it back together around the cap and if you need to texture it again, put some plastic on top and bite it. Just remember to leave a void inside.

Step 2: Baking/Cooking the Fake Chewing Gum

How to cook it in the microwave (like I did)
  1. Put it in a small microwave-safe container and fill it with water until it covers your piece.
  2. Microwave it for 5 minutes, take the cap off - careful, it is hot!
  3. Cook it for another 5 minutes. Always checking is there's enough water to cover the piece.

How to bake it in the oven

  1. Preheat the oven to 135 C (275 F)
  2. Bake for 5 minutes, take the cap off - careful, it is hot!
  3. Continue baking for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Fixing the Metal Container

If your container is like mine and has this little nob, you will have to take it out, unfortunately. I did it with a hand saw and it was a PAIN. I recommend using a saw specific for metal - mine was for wood - or finding another container. But it is totally doable. Supplies: Hand saw + patience.

Step 4: Putting All Together

Finally is time to assemble!

  1. Glue the magnetic in the bottom of the cap - if your magnet is not that strong, you can glue it on the outside.
  2. Put your content inside the cap. In my case, I'm putting my log, a long roll of paper where the geocachers can sign when after finding this cache.
  3. Cover everything with the fake chewing gum.

There you have it! Your own chewing gum container!

Step 5: Placing It!

This is a magnetic container, so the best places to hide it are in metal surfaces. You can "hide" it in plain sight since the container disguises itself. Some suggestions:

  • Hydrants
  • Under metal tables
  • Lampposts
  • Under benches Metal fences
Secret Compartment Challenge

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Secret Compartment Challenge