DIY: A Classic – The Record Bowl

Sound Wave by Jean Shin

There’s just something about vinyl. Something about hearing every warble, pop and hiss; something tangible. While 8-tracks are mocked, CDs are sold back and cassettes appear more often as ironic tattoos, records are coveted. Traded among friends, entrusted by departing roommates, fought over by fomer lovers, the record remains the hep cat of music formats. And either because of that, or due to it, it is also one of the most repurposed music formats. From bookends, bracelets and business card holders to notebooks, purses, and ironically enough, iPod cases, records are great raw material because of one simple fact: they’re melty.

elton's lookin' good

Yup, it’s true. All you need to do to say…make a simple Record Bowl is to basically melt and mold it. Here’s the more detailed breakdown: Gather a record with a purty label, an oven-safe bowl, a cookie sheet and heat your oven to 225 degrees. Now, place the bowl upside down on the cookie sheet. Balance the record evenly over the bowl. Put ’em in the oven. Wait five minutes. The record should be soft and easily pliable like your girlfriend sophomore year. Start to form a shape, then gently peel the record off the bowl and pop in in the bowl so you can fine-tune your form. Then let it set.

Orange you glad you made a Record Bowl now?

If you eff it up, just put the mess back in the oven to re-melt and start over. If you think your bowl might hold food at some point, it’s probably a decent idea to seal it with an acrylic sealer. They’re great for gifting food like cookies or brownies, serving popcorn or chips, or used as planters – just punch a few additional holes along the bottom. I’ve seen them used as funky shadow boxes and mounted on the wall but hey, maybe you just need a place to hold your lipgloss.