How to Make a Belt Out of Bottle Caps

Make decorative belts from metal bottle caps.

Make your own belt out of bottle caps taken from your favorite beverage. Some craft and hobby stores sell bags of unused bottle caps that you can use for this project. Decorate plain bottle caps with acrylic paints or beads to personalize the belt design. You can make a bottle cap belt that fits your waist size exactly or add extra bottle caps to dangle along one side. Alter the width of the belt design by connecting two or more rows of bottle caps.

Things You'll Need

• Bottle caps
• Marker
• Work table with clamp
• Rotary tool
• 1/8-inch-diameter rotary drill bit
• Metal file
• 6 mm jump rings
• Round nose pliers
• Lanyard clip

Instructions

1. Mark the inside lip of each bottle cap at the point where you plan to drill holes. Each bottle cap in the belt design will need two holes opposite each other so you can connect the caps together. For example, if the bottle cap has a top to bottom image that you would like to face forward, mark the cap on the left and right inside lips.

2. Position one bottle cap on a work surface to expose the inside marks. Clamp the bottle cap into position.

3. Drill a 1/8-inch hole through the bottle cap at the marks with a rotary tool. An awl or a nail will also work to puncture the metal, but the edges will not be as smooth as with a high-speed rotary tool. If you have rough edges protruding from the hole, file them smooth with a metal file.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each bottle cap in the belt design.

5. Grip one side of the split on a 6 mm or larger jump ring with round nose pliers. Hold the ring on the other side of the split securely between your fingers. Pull the pliers toward you to separate the jump ring split.

6. Slide one side of the open jump ring through one hole in one bottle cap. Slide the other side of the same open jump ring through one hole in another bottle cap. Make sure that the bottle caps are facing the right direction for the belt. Close the jump ring.

7. Connect bottle caps for the desired length of the belt with jump rings. Hook a lanyard clip to the open hole in the first bottle cap in the belt strand. The lanyard clip will hook to any of the jump rings in the belt design.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a matching bottle cap necklace or bracelet using the same technique as the belt.

References

• Craftbits: Bottle Cap Earrings

Resources

• Making Friends: Bottle Cap Necklace