I want to link bottle caps

Son0vagun

I love my craft beer and have a large collection of bottle caps. I'd like to display them in some way. I have some in a picture frame, but it's only a small percentage of what I have.

I've seen somewhere a large amount of bottle caps linked together in a poster shape. And I'd love to do the same. But I've no ideal how.

I'd need somehow to punch four holes NSEW on the cap, would a standard dot punch work? As of how to link them together is there a tool I could get, a jewellery linker perhaps? I can't find anything in google.

Thank you.

spurious

I know it's not the same, but you could glue them to a background piece of wood or card.

Tiriel

Make a fridge magnet display from them - I'm sure you could get magnets cheaply from eBay..

Son0vagun

I like my idea of a chainmail poster!

Cedrus

You could drill the edges with a very small bit (1 - 1.5mm) which would be less likely to twist them. I would then use a heavy gauge fishing line knotted as it passes through each hole

However, doing it by hand will make it very hard to achieve consistency so you would likely end up with a crooked looking thing, especially if some of them are already bent from the bottle opener. If you could make up a jig to sit them in while drilling they would be more even. Keep the most bent ones on the edges so that they don't throw the others.

I made a door mat with bottle caps years ago by simply nailing them to a bit of plywood, its amazing how irregular they are. I penciled a grid onto the ply first and they still looked crooked.

Tiriel

Just think it's a shame to punch 4 holes into the face of the cap as it permanently marks it - using magnets you don't lose the look of the cap!

Son0vagun

I've no intentions of punching holes in the face of the caps. I was going to punch the on the sides. And definitely not going to drive a nail through them.

Jellybaby1

Have a look for some ideas here:

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=bottle%20cap%20display

Cedrus

Son0vagun wrote: »

And definitely not going to drive a nail through them.

I was making a door mat / scraper, the face of the caps were irrelevant, the jagged edge of the crowns were what I wanted.

New Home

What about filling the back with blue tack/air drying clay and sticking them on the base you wanted to use? Alternatively you could use those sticky pads, or you could fashion some miniature "plate holders" out of paperclips and get them to surround/support the cap like a
plate holder would support the plate, then you could hang them to a frame with mini hooks (again, if need me, made with paperclips)

Tiriel

I think you are really just looking for an answer on how to punch the holes and want to go the route of the chainmail effect - which does sound cool. Something like the gun used for piercing ears is basically what you are looking for.. but I don't know - maybe there is one for jewellry making?!

fergal.b

Maybe something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/EUROTOOL-METAL-Hole-Punch-1-8mm-for-BOTTLE-Cap-Pliers-Blanks-JEWELRY-Beading-/290977579652

BabysCoffee

I made a table top of bottle caps. Stuck them to the table the grouted around the caps.

Next time I think I will put them in resin.

TreasureBin

Once you've the holes sorted, you can link them together with jump rings.