Beer Bottle Rings

This is a neat little project that I ran across online. I found an interesting youtube video a while back and I finally decided to give it a try myself. You can rub the necks of 2 beer bottles together and cause the top portion (where the bottle cap is normally) to separate from the bottle. The bottles have to be the kind with twist off caps - if it requires a bottle opener it will not work.

Since we have a collection of beer bottles lining the cabinets of our kitchen this project didn't cost anything to try.  Works for me! :)  (sorry for the blurry pic!)

Here is what the ring looks like once removed.  This actually worked for me the very first time.  Make sure you put your thumbs on the necks of each bottle in order to hold them securely.  Also be sure the bottles are pointed downward and away from anything breakable.  The ring will shoot off rather quickly once it breaks. The ring as you can tell breaks very smoothly, but I sanded all of the edges just in case. 

You can watch the youtube video here:

And just in case the above video doesn't work here is the actual link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg1aH6nyGgY

If anyone gives it a try please let me know how it goes.  I hope everyone has a happy Tuesday!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Reduce, reuse, recycle is an idea that I definitely try to live by.  I'm no where near perfect and there are plenty of ways that I could improve, but I do try my best.  David and I take all of our cardboard, recyclable plastic and glass to the local recycling bins and we donate our cans to a local animal shelter.  The shelter in turn recycles them to raise money.  I would like to learn more about mixed paper recycling and hopefully one day when I have a house of my own I'll be able to start composting as well.

For today though, I wanted to show some of my "reuse" projects that I am currently working on.  I finally got back to work on the old window that I'm turning into a chalkboard.  One of David's friends brought over a heat gun so I could remove the rest of the glazing compound.  This gun works wonders!  If you look at the top window pane in the pic below you can see all of the compound that I was able to remove.  Hopefully after a few more passes I will finally be able to remove the glass.

I also finally tried out the glass cutter that I bought at Michael's.  This was my first attempt so as you can see my score line wasn't very straight, but at least I was able to separate the bottle.  The instructions say that "practice makes perfect" and I believe it.  I also want to try another method that I saw online that involves string and acetone.  I'll post pics after I give it a try.

My friends and family have been saving their incandescent light bulbs for me for a while now.  Many of the bulbs have a filament inside that is shaped like a tiny liquor bottle.  I use them as minis for the 1:12 scale saloon I am building, which I posted about a while back - http://beyondbaffled.blogspot.com/search/label/mini%20liquor%20bottles.  Some of the bulbs have the wrong sized filament, but the bulbs can still be used for other things.  I used pliers to remove the filament and then soap and water to wash away the kaolin (the white ground up clay that makes the bulb opaque) inside.  I've seen these used a vases and also as mini terrariums.  I'll post again once I've decided what to do with these.

Hope everyone has a happy Friday!