Gold Mallet/Milk bottle Mallet

[Racers]

I have been saving up the gold Robinsons Fruit and Barley bottle tops for some time, in fact until they stopped making it and brought out a new range with a higher price and different coloured tops. It's taken a while as I average only 2 bottles a week.

I decided to go with what I had, the first stage was cutting them up, a slow tedious process, I then melted then in stages in a clean can and clamped a can sized disk in the top and baked it in the oven 140 deg fan, tightening the clamp every 10 minutes to compact everything together.

I cut it free from the can drilled a handle hole and turned a oak handle which I fox wedged in.

Clamping by Racers, on Flickr

Cutting by Racers, on Flickr

Free by Racers, on Flickr

Drilling by Racers, on Flickr

Finished by Racers, on Flickr

It made a nice little mallet with an interesting patten.

Pete

 

[tony_s]

Wow, that really is a thing of beauty. Well worth the effort!

 

[AndyT]

Very stylish!

 

[8squared]

That turned out very well indeed... nice work.

 

[Andy Kev.]

If it works half as well as it looks, you'll be on to a winner.

It's original too, which begs the obvious question: Where on earth did you get the idea in the first place?

 

[Racers]

Thanks.

Several people use bottle tops to make things mostly in sheet form, lots of videos on YouTube, so it was a small step to a mallet.

Pete

 

[gwaithcoed]

Wow, Beautiful. I wouldn't leave it in the workshop where it's going to be hammered, I'd have it on show in the house.

Alan.

 

[Ttrees]

I never would have thought the gold HDPE would have looked so good!
Interested to see what shape flakes you made the bottle caps into,
as it has a lovely fleck to it, nearly looks like brass.
I suspect fine pellets would not look so nice, but could be wrong.

I made a clamp head for a f-clamp using a beans can also as a form, I stuck the can in an old frying pan on the hob.
It did not go as smoothly as that though, as I had to keep stirring it because it kept going cold and skinning on top...
This stirring made the coating inside the can come into the mix, and created an awful mess :lol:
Was only for a clamp head so no bother

Thanks for showing
Tom

 

[condeesteso]

Extremely neat idea, I imagine the density / weight is nice too. How very resourceful!
Wonder if it might work with milk bottle tops - dodgy colour (semi-skimmed) but the only tops I can think we have a decent volume of.

 

[Racers]

HDPE is the stuff to use, lots of videos on YouTube of people making stuff from milk cartons etc, so just collect as much HDPE as you can, it took me years to get enough gold bottle tops, next time I an going to use any colour. I have started collecting all ready.

Pete

 

[condeesteso]

so you turned the molded blank? - how did it turn, what speed. And you got a really nice finish - on the lathe maybe?

 

[Racers]

It turned easily with s gouge or a scraper, making long shavings that occasionally rapping them selves round the mallet.
Sort of medium speed ish, I didn’t look at the pulleys it didn’t vibrate.
A sharp gouge left a good finish better than sanding which left a mat finish.

Pete

 

[Jon.1976]

Nice, really nice.

 

[marcros]

how much hdpe would you estimate that it took Pete?

 

[Racers]

The cut up bits filled into two 600cc soup containers.

Pete

 

[marcros]

thanks. that is a good measure.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

The cutting up - how small did you aim for, and what did you cut with ? It sounds a bit of an undertaking to do by hand.

Presumably you can re-use the turning swarf.

 

[marcros]

Tony,

Looking at youtube, and my kitchen contents (rather than experience), milk cartons may be easier to cut into pieces, albeit not half as pretty when done. Quicker to collect too as I think that Pete's fruit and barley consumption is at least double mine!

Mark

 

[Racers]

The cutting up - how small did you aim for, and what did you cut with ? It sounds a bit of an undertaking to do by hand.

Presumably you can re-use the turning swarf.

Tin snips and a unwilling helper helped, about 6mm wide mostly triangles through the top and side like a pizza slice.

I did think about saving the swarf but didn't, mind you it will be in the bottom of the shop vac.

Pete

 

[Racers]

Tony,

Looking at youtube, and my kitchen contents (rather than experience), milk cartons may be easier to cut into pieces, albeit not half as pretty when done. Quicker to collect too as I think that Pete's fruit and barley consumption is at least double mine!

Mark

4 mugs a day! saves a fortune on coffee!

Pete