How To Heat Phonograph Records in Oven to Make Bowls

Made out of vinyl, phonograph records can easily be melted and formed into a shape. Because of their malleability and firm center, it's easy to make bowls out of them once they're heated. Record bowls can be a great gift or handy way to organize keys or spare change around the house. You can even make two sizes of bowls, using either 7-inch or 12-inch records.

Things You'll Need

• 7-inch or 12-inch records
• Oven
• Pyrex, or other oven-safe bowl

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

2. Flip your bowl over and place the center of your record on the base of the bowl, so the edges of the record fall over the bowl's curves.

3. Turn on your oven light and watch the record. It should appear somewhat melted after about 5 or 10 minutes.

4. Pull the record and bowl out of the oven once it seems to have fallen around the edges.

5. Mold the record around the bowl to your liking.

6. Let the record sit and harden for about 10 minutes.

7. Pull the record off the bowl, and fill it with whatever you'd like.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful when working with the hot record. It should be hot enough to mold but not hot enough to burn your hands when molding it.

• If your bowl hasn't taken the shape you wanted it to, place it back in the oven and try again.

References

• Thrifty Fun: Vinyl Record Bowl at Thrifty Fun
• Allfreecrafts: Recycled Vinyl Record Bowl
• DIY Ethic: Make a Record Bowl at MookyChick