My bottle cap level is OVER 9000!!!

August 6, 2009 3:24 PM

What should I do with a crapload of bottle caps?

For some reason, we started collecting used bottle caps in college. After a few years, I find myself with a 12-pack box full of bottle caps.

What should I do with them?

I've heard of making a table top with them. Any other suggestions?

posted by Tu13es to media & arts (23 comments total)

You have to play Scully!!!!!

Make sure you melt crayons into them first.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 3:27 PM on August 6

A candelabra?
A "beaded" curtain?
Mr. T?
posted by rokusan at 3:28 PM on August 6 [1 favorite has favorites]

Beaded curtains!
posted by bluefrog at 3:30 PM on August 6

I too have a large collection of beer bottlecaps. I'm planning on redoing the bar in my basement. I thought for the top I could lay them all out and pour some of that clear epoxy resin over them to encase them inside.

I guess that's what I'm going to do anyway, I don't have any better ideas.
posted by sanka at 3:33 PM on August 6

Start your own microbrewery. All you need now is the bottles. Oh... and the beer.
posted by netbros at 3:42 PM on August 6

Sell them...$50 now is better than "thats a project I have to do in the future".

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160327975987
posted by hal_c_on at 3:42 PM on August 6

Magnets.
posted by McBearclaw at 3:46 PM on August 6

Save them for the aftermath of nuclear armageddon, at which point they will become currency.
posted by contessa at 3:52 PM on August 6 [11 favorites has favorites]

Make a shaker
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:55 PM on August 6

Well...(smokes corncob pipe pensively) back in the day we used to nail them to a tree so the hogs could scratch themselves - and the rest we nailed to the bottom of our boots so that we could walk on the ice. (both true)

But perhaps you are not farming in the Great White North, so you might consider making cool jewelry with them.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 4:13 PM on August 6

Is it just me, or is a 12-pack box full of bottle caps actually not that many? Certainly not 9000, right?
posted by fourmajor at 4:21 PM on August 6

My brothers emptied out these things and replaced the tiers with different color crimped bottlecaps. Would only work if you enjoyed a variety of beers, but not a different beer each night ...
posted by shownomercy at 4:33 PM on August 6

Get yourself a broomstick and a small board of wood, a hammer and a bunch of nails, and make yourself a Lagerphone.
posted by pompomtom at 4:59 PM on August 6 [2 favorites has favorites]

Make a cap table. They were all the rage at my school. You get some sort of shit table from the thrift store (if you're really feeling like spending the big bucks, get one long enough to be a pong table) and lay out the caps in some pattern. (If I can find pictures of the layout of the one I almost did, I'll post them.)

Then comes the stinky, dangerous, and tricky part. THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE OUTSIDE. You'll need to make friends with some peeps who are in the art (or theatre) department. You'll have to nail some boards around the edges of the table, so it's got a barrier and is more box like with an open top. Get some clear epoxy. Pour the epoxy onto the table and make sure it's level. You want it to cover the tops of the caps so it'll dry clear and smooth.

Then once it's dry, remove the edge boards and ta-da -- you now have a cap table.
posted by sperose at 5:45 PM on August 6

In college we took all of our beer bottle caps and pressed them into the ceiling to make a cool design. After a few years, it was really impressive. Our landlord didn't really love it, though.
posted by bdowngold at 6:15 PM on August 6 [1 favorite has favorites]

Tramp Art!
posted by peagood at 7:09 PM on August 6

You can make a heavy duty doormat for scraping the mud off the soles of your boots by nailing a bunch of bottle caps, crimped side up, to a board or pallet.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 8:12 PM on August 6

Recycle them.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 12:22 AM on August 7

Get yourself a broomstick and a small board of wood, a hammer and a bunch of nails, and make yourself a Lagerphone.

That's what I mean, when I say shaker! But I couldn't find it on the webs because I did'nt know the proper name for it.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:06 AM on August 7

Maybe instead of making something with the caps, you could consider them as ammunition and look for a gun that could launch them at high velocities at some bottles in your backyard.
posted by Sully at 1:41 AM on August 7

How nerdy are you? Make a suit of armor!
posted by reddot at 6:06 AM on August 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

You can nail them to something for decoration. Here's a picture of our raised garden beds this spring, when we had just started nailing the bottle caps on. It's fancy!
posted by fiercecupcake at 6:48 AM on August 7

If you happen to be anywhere near College Station, TX you can help save historic Bottlecap Alley.
posted by erikgrande at 7:34 AM on August 7