DIY: Make a Bowl from a Record – Great Gift Idea!

Oh my – Father’s Day is Sunday, and you don’t have a present yet! What are you going to do? Are you on a super tight budget. Do you have about 30 minutes and $5? Here’s a fun and easy solution – a Record Bowl!

You will find these at art shows and even small boutiques anywhere from $10 and up, but you can make it without paying the big fees. And wont Dad be proud you made him a present (and he can tell what it is!) 🙂

There is only 1 warning about this – find an old scratched record – don’t use collectors. If your Dad loves the Beatles, I would advise against using the White Album. We’re going to give Dad a gift, not a heart attack!

Here is everything you will need to make a record bowl. 

• 1 Record – Hit a yard sale, a resale shop or dig it out of the basement. It doesn’t have to be in good shape, better if it’s not! But do not pay more than $1 for it!
• One Large Pyrex bowl (smaller than the size of the record)
• One Smaller Pyrex bowl
• One Large Can of something.

This is what I told my cousin “Go grab your Mom’s good Pyrex”. Yes, it’s all going in the oven. And it will all be fine! The can has already been processed in heat and the short duration in the oven will NOT hurt it.

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees. You can go up to 250 F, but wait until you’ve done this a few times that small temperature difference speeds up – everything!

Step 2: 

Place the record on top of the bowl – make sure it hangs over at least 1 inch all the way around

Step 3:

Put the smaller bowl on top of the record’s center. It’s just that simple!

Step 4:

Now place the can in the middle of the bowl! Look at the cute little tower :).

Step 5:

Place your tower into the oven directly on the rack. I’ve done this several times so I put it right in – but it may seem unsteady. So you may want to put it on a cookie sheet for stability!

Step 6: 

Bake your record for 5-15 minutes. I know this time isn’t exact but records vary in thickness, ovens vary etc. Don’t go very far!

Look at the edges, they start to wrinkle. At this temperature your record is almost a taffy consistency. This is the stage you can take it out and make a bookend or other shapes you see artists selling it!

*While the record warms up you will smell a faint burning smell. I promise it’s OK! It’s just the dust burning off, and it is nothing to be concerned about.

Step 7:

Hang out near the stove and you will hear a “thunk” when you do, open your oven.

Don’t worry if it’s lopsided! It’s ok!

Step 8: 

Remove from the oven. Make sure you’re wearing oven mitts!

Re-position your record and bowl with can inside. However you adjust the bowl is how it will harden.

Your ripples will most likely not be uniform around the bowl – each one is unique!

Allow the bowl to cool for about 15 minutes and remove.

It’s really that simple!

So you took your half hour to make the bowl – but what do you do with the extra $4 you set aside? Go to the store and pick up a bag of Dad’s favorite candy!

There is only 1 last thing – what do you do with that record jacket? Take your scissors and cut a large rectangle out of the jacket – choose a section with the title or the best graphics. Make sure you cut along 3 sides leaving 1 side of fold intact. Now you have a card that matches your bowl! Sign it and add it to your bundle!

Since there is a hole in the bottom of the bowl it is obviously not liquid tight. But you can line it with paper towel and use it as a chip bowl, use it to toss keys, mail or the remote in. The possibilities are endless!