Alexei Volkov
Making charms from recycled plastic is a fun and creative way to recycle. You can use recycled plastic to create fun charms for earrings, necklaces, keychains, zipper pulls, and more. The process is simple: cut out flat pieces of plastic from a container, round the corners to prevent sharp edges, and punch a hole in each charm. Then, draw your design with a black Sharpie, and bake the plastic at 300-350°F for 2-3 minutes until flat. Once cooled, you can seal your charms with polyurethane or clear nail polish to prevent smudging. With this method, you can create unique and colourful charms from materials that would usually be thrown away.
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What You'll Learn
Use plastic with the #6 recycling symbol
To make charms from recycled plastic, it is important to use plastic with the #6 recycling symbol. This type of plastic is known as polystyrene or styrene plastic and is commonly used in food packaging, such as takeout containers and berry containers. It is also used in toys, hard packing, refrigerator trays, cosmetic bags, costume jewellery, CD cases, and vending cups.
When using plastic with the #6 symbol for crafting charms, it is important to follow these steps:
- Cut out flat sections from the plastic container: Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the largest flat sections you can from the plastic container. Try to cut out pieces that are roughly the same size and shape, such as rectangles or circles.
- Remove any labels or glue: If there are any labels or glue on the plastic, soak the container in hot water and washing-up liquid to remove them. You can then use a product like Sticky Stuff Remover to get rid of any remaining glue.
- Draw your design: On each flat plastic section, use a black Sharpie to draw your desired design. You can also print out simple images to trace or freehand your design. Remember that your image will shrink, so leave some space around the drawing as you cut it out.
- Cut out your design: Carefully cut out your plastic drawing, leaving a little space around the edges. Cut a larger area where you can punch a hole if you want to make it into a charm. Round out the corners to prevent sharp edges, especially if your shape has stars or other pointed corners.
- Bake your charms: Place the plastic charms, marker-side up, on a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil, parchment paper, a brown paper bag, or vellum. Do not bake them on metal or stoneware, as the plastic will stick. Bake at 300°-350°F (175°-200°C) for 2-3 minutes until flat or until the shrinking has stopped.
- Seal and decorate your charms: Once the charms have cooled, cover the marker side with a clear sealant to prevent smudging. You can also add a coat of white paint to the back of the charm to make the colours pop.
- Add jump rings: If you want to use your charms for keychains, zipper pulls, or jewellery, add a jump ring through the hole. You can then link the jump ring to a keychain, a zipper, or a chain, earring hooks, or a bracelet chain.
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Cut out plastic and round the corners
To make charms from recycled plastic, you'll need to start with a piece of flat plastic in the size and shape you want. Cut out your desired shape, leaving a little space around the edges for punching holes and ensuring that you cut a larger area where you plan to make holes. It's important to use the right type of plastic, which is indicated by a number 6 in the centre of the recycling arrows on the bottom side of the plastic.
When cutting out your shape, use a utility knife to guide the knife down a straight line, maintaining a 90-degree angle. Then, adjust the angle to 45 degrees to carve out half of the wedge, and finally, adjust to a 135-degree angle to complete the cut for the other half of the wedge. Repeat this process on the opposite side to achieve a quick and efficient cut.
To prevent sharp edges, focus on rounding the corners. You can use a half-round blade or a half-round file to achieve this. If you're working with PVC-type plastics, you can make clean cuts by slicing through the outermost layer on both sides with a sharp blade, such as a box cutter. For ABS-type plastics, drilling, sawing, and sanding with 400-grit sandpaper are more effective. If you're working with PE plastics, lightly heating the plastic can make it softer and easier to cut with a sharp blade.
Additionally, consider rounding techniques such as using a rounding-over router cutter or a deburring tool, which can create a consistent shape with minimal skill required. Alternatively, you can use sandpaper to smooth and round the edges. Start with high-grit sandpaper, wrapping it around a tube or rod for curves and using it on a block for straight edges. You can also heat a metal spoon and gently rub the back of the hot spoon on the sharp edges to mould them, but be careful not to get the spoon too hot, or it will melt the plastic.
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Bake at 250-350°F for 2-3 minutes
To make charms from recycled plastic, you should first cut out two pieces of flat plastic in the size and shape you want. Cut out your desired design, leaving a little space around the edges. You should also cut out a larger area to punch a hole through. Round out the corners of your design to avoid sharp edges. Then, use a hole punch to cut a circle if you want to turn your design into a charm. Lay the plastic drawings marker-side up on a baking sheet. The sheet should be lined with aluminium foil, parchment paper, a brown paper bag, or vellum.
Now, you're ready to bake your charms! Bake at 250-350°F for 2-3 minutes. Do not bake on metal or stoneware, as the plastic will stick. Every oven is different, so it's a good idea to test a small piece of plastic before baking your charms. As the plastic heats up, your designs will start to move and curl as they shrink. Once they are completely flat or have stopped shrinking, they are ready.
Once your charms have cooled, you can add a clear sealant to the marker side to prevent smudging. You can also add a coat of white paint to the back of the charm to make the colours pop. Finally, add a jump ring through the hole to turn your charm into a keychain, zipper pull, or piece of jewellery.
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Seal with polyurethane or clear nail polish
Sealing your recycled plastic charms will help protect them and keep them looking their best for longer. Two popular methods for sealing are using polyurethane or clear nail polish.
If you choose to use polyurethane, dip your charm into the liquid and let it dry overnight. This method has been known to cause hairline cracks near the hole in teardrop-shaped charms, so be sure to test it on a similar piece of plastic before applying it to your final charm.
You can also try painting your charm with clear nail polish. Several crafters have reported success with this method, and it is a more easily accessible material.
If you want to seal your charm but are open to other methods, you can try using a spray acrylic. Be aware that this method will lighten the colours of your charm considerably, but it may create an interesting effect.
Regardless of the sealing method you choose, it is important to remember that sealing is an optional step. Some crafters choose to leave their charms unsealed, but they may require gentler handling as a result.
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Attach jump rings to make keychains or earrings
Jump rings are an essential component of jewellery making, allowing you to connect different pieces together. They are small metal loops that can be used to attach clasps, pendants, or earrings to your jewellery pieces.
There are two main types of jump rings: open and closed. Open jump rings have a narrow cut that works as an opening, which can be opened with pliers to attach components and then soldered closed. Closed jump rings, on the other hand, are small metal loops without an opening. These can be soldered directly onto jewellery pieces or threaded onto other components.
To attach a jump ring to your recycled plastic charm, start by choosing the appropriate size and type of jump ring for your project. Then, use a pair of flat-nose pliers to gently twist open the jump ring. Be careful not to open it more than necessary, as this could damage the ring. Next, thread the jump ring through the hole in your charm and attach any additional components such as chains, clasps, or earrings. Finally, use two pairs of flat-nose pliers to gently twist the two sides of the jump ring back together until they are slightly beyond the closed position. This will ensure a neat and secure finish.
Jump rings can be used to attach your recycled plastic charms to keychains, zipper pulls, or earrings, creating a professionally finished piece that is durable and secure.
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Frequently asked questions
You should use plastic marked with a #6, which means there will be a number 6 in the centre of the recycling arrows on the underside of the plastic. Many to-go containers seem to work.
You will need a Sharpie marker, scissors, a hole punch, an oven, and polyurethane for sealing (optional).
You can cut out rectangles, circles, or other shapes, but remember to round off any corners as corners will get sharp when the plastic shrinks.
You can seal your charms by dipping them in polyurethane and letting them dry overnight. You can also try painting them with clear nail polish.
You can use your charms for earrings, necklaces, keychains, zipper pulls, or any other type of jewellery.
