How to Glaze Bottle Caps
Glazing bottle caps is a fun hobby that will keep you busy for hours. Much like stamp, coin, or matchbook collecting, there are a wide variety of pictures and products to collect and make from bottle caps. After glazing them, you can turn them into magnets, pendants or charms. The versatility is limitless. With bottle cap glazing, you also have the pleasure of getting your hands dirty and knowing that you created something truly unique. It's a messy, but fun process that you can do in your home.
Things You'll Need
- 3/4-inch dowel rod
- 2-by-4 scrap board
- Bottle caps
- Blue glue stick
- Pictures you'd like to apply to bottle caps
- 2 plastic disposable cups
- Needle-nose pliers
- Glaze (Treasure Crystal Cote Glaze or Envirotex Lite are good for this)
- E6000 Wood/Craft Adhesive
- Circular Paper Punch
Instructions
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Prepare to Glaze
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1
Cut your 3/4-inch wide dowel rod down into 3-inch lengths. The length of the rods does not matter, though 3 inches is recommended.
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2
Use the E6000 craft adhesive to adhere the dowel lengths to your piece of scrap wood. Lay the board flat and stick the rods upward, so they are pointed toward the ceiling. You will dry your bottle caps on the ends of these rods. Wait 24 hours before using to ensure the glue has dried completely.
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3
Set out your other supplies for glazing your bottle caps.
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4
Cut out the pictures you would like to apply to the bottle caps so that they are the same size as the circular top of the cap. Use a circular paper punch to get perfect circles and make sure it matches the diameter of the bottle cap you are going to adhere the picture to.
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5
Apply glue onto the top of the bottle caps. Make sure to apply enough, but not too much. Too much glue will cause the image to bubble and warp. Using a colored glue stick that dries clear allows you to see how much you've applied. Refrain from strong glues such as super glue or crazy glue, as this will seep through and likely discolor your paper.
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6
Place the pictures on the top of the cap. Press down with your thumb, rubbing them in circular motions to ensure the back of the picture is covered with glue. Make sure there are no overlaps or folds. Set it aside to dry for an hour or so. Continue gluing images onto the rest of the bottle caps.
Glazing your bottle caps
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7
Set out newspaper or paper towels on your work surface. Glaze can get messy.
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8
Open your bottle of glaze and pour it into one of the disposable cups.
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9
Hold the bottle cap you wish to glaze with the needle-nosed pliers. Hold it firmly, but on the cap's edge so you aren't obstructing the areas you want to glaze. Hold the cap over the empty disposable cup.
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10
Take the glaze-filled and pour it over the bottle cap. The excess glaze will go into the empty cup. Coat the bottle cap generously.
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11
Tilt the cap back and forth to let the glaze slide and drip off the cap. Do this until you don't see any more glaze coming off the cap.
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12
Place the glazed cap, picture-side up, on the dowel rod to dry. Leave it here to cure for at least 24 hours.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If you want to glaze many bottle caps at once, increase the number of dowel rods on your homemade drying rack.
Keep the glaze out of the reach of small children and if it gets into contact with your face, eyes, or hands, wash it off immediately .
