DIY: Record Bowls

For our recent 50's theme staff retreat, I made bowls out of old records. They were fun to make, turned out pretty cool, and got a lot of good comments, so I thought I'd share here how I made them! It's quite easy :-)

First, I went thrift-store-shopping! Old records were 29 cents each at our local Goodwill.

For the actual bowl melting process, you will need:
- a record
- an oven
- a small metal (NOT plastic) bowl
- two oven mitts

Start by heating the oven to 200 degrees. Place the small metal bowl upside down on the oven rack, and place the record, centered, on top of the bowl. Close the oven door, but keep a close eye on your record. It will only take about a minute to begin to melt. When you see the record begin to melt around the bowl, put on your oven mitts, open the door, and remove the record. It will stay soft for just a few seconds, and you can use your hands (with oven mitts, of course) to gently and quickly mold it into the shape you want. If the record hardens before you are happy with the shape of it, just place it back in the oven for a few seconds.

That's all there is to it! Your finished product should look something like this:

Note: I should let you know that the safety notes I read online said to do this in a well-ventilated area and avoid inhaling the fumes. Also, don't serve food in these bowls -- packaged candy, etc would be fine :-)

Have fun!!