Bookends on a Budget
By Clint Thilges
If you're anything like me, and by me I mean an English student
living on next to nothing, you probably live in a cramped, little
apartment. And, if you're anything like me, every available surface
in your cramped, little apartment is covered with notebooks,
textbooks and stacks of papers. Living in such a state of disorganization
can have many adverse consequences. Wasted time shuffling through
piles of texts and papers can add up to hours of lost study time.
Undoubtedly something needs to be done to relieve some of the
congestion and bring a bit of order to the chaos. A set of bookends
would do the trick, but who can afford those outrageous prices?
After all, how do you rationalize spending ten bucks on bookends
when you've been living on ramen noodles and tuna fish sandwiches
for six months?
Take heart, for I have the solution to the problem of costly
store bought bookends. With a minimum amount of time and money
you can make bookends just as effective and much more stylish
than anything you could ever find in an office supply store.
Materials you will need
Oven
Card board box
(12" length x 10" width x 4" height minimum)
Box can be bigger, as long as it will still fit inside the oven.
Duct tape
Two typical record albums
Please make sure that these are albums that are horribly scratched
or are of no value to you or anyone else, because they will soon
be undergoing a radical transformation. If you do not have any
dispensable LPs lying around I suggest you go to the nearest
Goodwill or consignment store. Typically one can pick up albums
for around fifty cents. I recommend Barry Manilow records or
anything with Christmas in the title.
Potholders
Directions
Step 1.
Remove all but one oven rack from the oven. Make sure the
remaining oven rack is in the lowest position inside the oven.
Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees.
Step 2.
Turn your box over so that it is sitting on the open end and
the bottom of the box is facing up. Place one of the record albums
on top of the box. Place the album so that the record label is
flush with the side of the box (see picture). Place album cover
over record and tape to box as shown.
Step 3.
Place the box with album on top into the oven so that the
over hanging part of the record is facing forward. Close oven
and let bake for 10 minutes. This would be a good time to double
check and make sure that the oven is only set at 175 degree s
and not any higher. If you attempt this project at a higher temperature
you may find a puddle of vinyl in your oven, which I can assure
you will drastically change the flavor of your next tuna casserole.
Step 4. Once ten minutes have passed, open oven. You should notice
that the over hanging part of the record is now drooping against
the side of the box. With potholders quickly remove box and record
from oven and place on kitchen counter. Take the other album
cover and tape it firmly against the side of the box so that
the drooping part of the record is sandwiched in between. Let
cool for five minutes.
Step 5.
Undo tape and remove album. You will notice that your album
now has a nice 90-degree angle in it. The bent portion of your
album is the base of your bookend and sits on your table or desk
as shown.
Repeat steps for second record.
Once your finished with your project, you'll have yourself
a pair of bookends which will not only help to bring harmony
into your life, but also impress your friends with your ingenuity
and artistic style.
Possible links:
http://kidzone.indiahit.com/activity/makingcards/bottlebookends.htm
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