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You can easily turn any old, unwanted vinyl into a unique bowl! These crafty creations can be used for any storage purpose and make great gifts!

Steps

Edges Down Method

1. Get some cheap and useless vinyl records. Don’t use anything that doesn’t belong to you; instead, check out the local second hand store for cheap records.
2. Preheat your oven to around 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit (100-150 Celsius).
3. Place your record on the center of an upside down pot or metal bowl. Put this onto a baking sheet.
4. Put this into the oven. Keep a close watch because each vinyl starts to "flop" at a different time. It usually takes 4-8 minutes.
5. Take the whole thing out of the oven (wearing oven mitts, of course) once you notice some real "flopping" going on.
6. Put your record into another bowl and shape it around that, or you can hand mold it. Sometimes, you might like the way it looks right as you take it out of the oven; if so, skip the molding.
7. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
8. Flip it over.
9. Put your bowl to use!

Edges Up Method

1. Find an oven proof glass bowl that is only slightly smaller than the record.
2. Preheat your oven the same way as above.
3. Place the record on top of the glass bowl and center it.
4. Put the bowl and record in the oven and place a can on top of the record, in the center.
5. Watch closely as the record sinks into the bowl. If the sides fold over the glass bowl, then the can might not be heavy enough, or you need a larger glass bowl. If you don’t want to start over, or if you simply want a deeper vinyl bowl, you can try pushing it down carefully.
6. Take everything out of the oven when you’re satisfied with the depth and shape of the bowl.
7. Let cool, flip, and enjoy!

Video

This video demonstrates how it’s done, with a small twist, putting the record on top of an upside bowl, and letting it melt down to the desired shape.

Tips

• Use an emptied metal can filled with dry beans as the weight.
• Dry foods, like popcorn and nuts, can be served in the bowl by adding a layer of deli paper or parchment before filling the bowl.
• In the summer months when temperatures get very hot, you can put your metal bowl in the sun to get preheated. Then place your record album on the bowl, and leave in the sun 10-15 minutes, depending on how hot it is. Shape it around the metal bowl and bring it inside to cool. No fumes inside and you didn’t heat up the kitchen!
• You can add some nice touches to it by putting sparkles or sparkly glue on it.

Warnings

• Work in a well-ventilated room. Open windows and activate exhaust fans.
• Do not use these bowls to serve food, especially hot food – even popcorn with melted butter. Record vinyl is not a food-grade material and may leach harmful chemicals.
• Your vinyl will be hot when you pull it out of the oven. Please be careful!
• Do not leave the can in the oven for too long, as it may explode due to the heat, if you want you might puncture the can beforehand to relieve pressure.
• Always use protective gloves when using a hot oven.
• Make sure to keep an eye on your record when it’s in the oven. Vinyl has a very low melting point and could easily ruin your oven if you forget about it!
• Don’t find an old vinyl record lying around and use that without asking others in your household, as many records contain vast sentimental value. You’d be safer asking an older family member or friend for one or, as suggested above, heading to a secondhand store.
• If you plan to use your bowl for holding anything that might have some liquids in it (but not food or other edible materials), protect your furniture by taping up the center hole with duct tape after the bowl has cooled and hardened. Apply tape to the outside of the bowl only.
• Modern vinyl records are made of a vinyl polymer, derived from chloride monomers, which is similar to polyvinyl chloride (aka: PVC). Only the additives during the manufacturing process make it dissimilar. Vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen that can be leached (citation), along with phthalate plasticizers, from vinyl records when heated and manipulated. This leaching is both a residue and a gas when warmed. It is advisable not to repeatedly heat records in an oven which is used to prepare food, as the leached gas can collect on the oven’s walls. Exposure levels are negligible for occasional use of this craft, but prolonged use and exposure could lead to liver cancer (citation).
• Additionally, newer records may melt in your oven due to their plastic content, rather than bend. Older records tend to work best for this project.

Things You’ll Need

Edges Down Method

• Oven
• Vinyl Record(s)
• Baking Sheet
• Metal Bowl or Pan
• Another bowl (optional)

Edges Up Method

• Oven
• Vinyl Record(s)
• Glass Bowl
• Weighting Device (e.g Canned Tuna)

Sources and Citations

• Supyo.com – Source of "edges up" method, images shared with permission.

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