Any other bottle cap collectors out there?

You can get 50 ceramic button magnets that are half-inch diameter at Walmart for around $6-$7. (If you are going to make a lot of them, then better deals are available on the Internet. I think I bought 500 magnets that were three-eights inch diameter for $46 on Espy when I had a bunch of caps to do.) The thickness of the magnet plus some glue is just about right, but if you don't want the metal edge of the cap to scratch your fridge then you need to glue a spacer inside of the cap too. I buy a 3' length of balsa wood that is an eighth of an inch thick by three-eighth of an inch wide, and cut three-eighth pieces off of it. The wood is lightweight and takes glue very well.

 

Been collecting them for 5 or so years. I have an ass load, but not sure what to do with them. I wanted to put them on a table or something, but the wide said no.

 

He's single.

 

First, I buy a straight piece of plywood-like wood (I wish I had the official name, but it is smoother and brings out satin black paint better), 2' x 4'... Then I put a template on top of the wood. The holes are spaced 1.5" apart. (Making this is a different story-ask me if you want.) Then I proceed to poke holes- just enough to leave an little impression- at every intersection... ...on to the paint. Like I said before, black satin is my choice. It seems brings out the caps' color better.

 

..OOPS! There should have been 1 pic of the board with screws partially finished. I start all of them (465 per board) with a
screw gun (18v DeWalt...damn, it gets heavy!) then fine-tune them with a screwdriver. Then on to the Velcro-also another major process-all hand cut from a loooong strip of the -this part is important-HEAVY-DUTY self-adhesive type, then applying... the finished, uncapped board and... The final product!

 

^^^That is impressive, SirBottleCap.

I just stick them on my fridge with a button magnet. Personally I like using a metal hex nut to create the space between the cap and the fridge. Works well, one less thing to cut. Hardest thing I have found is getting a glue that will withstand the occasional drop.

 

First of all, thanks! Secondly, have you tried Loctite? There are several kinds, just read the label carefully to see which ones stick to which.

 

I have tried two Loctite products, actually. The first set I did with "professional liquid super glue" and found that held pretty well. The second set I have used the G02 version and has been pretty disappointed in the results. It sticks, but pops off quite easily when they fall (or I drop them).

 

It sounds like a bit of trouble, but maybe if you could grind or cut out some of the plastic liner first? Or Liquid Nail?

 

I too use a spacer along with a ceramic button magnet to set the cap out a bit from the surface where I place the cap magnet. However, to lighten the weight load for the glue I use a small piece of balsa wood which takes glue very well as well as making the cap and spacer lighter in weight. Hobby Lobby and Michael's sell 3' strips of one-eighth by three-eighths inch which I cut into three-eighths inch pieces, and these fit pretty well inside the cap. If you are going to make a bunch of caps, then you can get multiple strips of balsa and cut multiple little spacers together by stacking the strips. Use a fine-blade saw (a hacksaw works well) and watch out for your fingers because you need to hold multiple strips as tight as you can, and as close as you can to the cutting point.

For glue, I've tried many, and what I've found to work best is good ol' silicone sealer in a caulking tube. You can get it in caulking tube size for making many magnets, or you can also find silicone in tubes the size of toothpaste.

 

Thanks, I was going to give the construction adhesive a shot. I have a half tube of Powergrab at the house I'm going to test soon. Loctite makes some good stuff, but as mentioned above, the liner in most of these are what causes the non-stick issue. I have heard of folks sanding down the liner to add more "grip" but I'm trying to reduce the number of steps to a rather pointless project.

 

Depending on what your end goal is, the whole glue thing might not be necessary.
I found steel strips 1" wide by 36" long and maybe 1/16" thick at Home Depot. I spray
painted them and screwed them to the wall all the way around a couple of doorways in the bar.
I picked up 3/4" round magnets in bulk at a craft store and just put the magnet inside
the cap and stick it to the strips. No glue needed.

 

There is also magnetic paint, if you hadn't heard. Just paint the part you want magnetized, let it dry, then you can paint over it with regular paint (unless you like the ugly gray that it is). Then put up your caps! It might not work as well on bent caps, but it holds pretty well.

 

Quick question ... do you guys consider the Mickeys screw top a bottlecap?

 

I personally don't collect them, but there are people that do. Although, I might just put one into my general beer museum itself. After all, it was a big part of my early beer-drinking history!

 

How about blank caps, maybe different colored ones? Or caps with slight variations, like with trademark vs. no trade mark? What kinds don't you collect?

 

I keep 'em all. I just throw them in my mason jar. I know I'll never remember what beer they were. I still have that mind set that "if I drink it, I keep it"; part of the better beer journey. I can't bear the thought of throwing them away. Someday, I'll find the perfect jar.

 

Oh, yeah ... almost forgot. I did keep the Mickey's screwtop. I will only keep one, however. It is, the sore thumb sticking out in my bottlecap jar. Stands out more than the corks.

 

That is awesome! It's just velcro stuck to the screw then to the cap correct?