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YOU CAN TURN OLD MILK JUGS AND BOTTLE CAPS INTO SOLID BLOCKS

Turn milk jugs and bottle caps into solid turning blocks using a blender, a toaster oven and clamps.

by Peter Brown

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

Workshop

difficulty
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time
an evening
license
license not specified
repo
repo 0 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
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COMPAREE VERDICT

Peter Brown chops milk jugs and bottle caps in a blender, melts the pieces in a toaster oven and presses the soft plastic in clamps. Two milk bottles and about half a dozen bottle caps made a 1.5 × 3 × 5 inch turning block, with total processing time under an hour from bottle to blank. The same material can be pressed into sheet for box inlays or scroll saw art, and a second guide turns a block into a mallet. The Instructables page is short and gives no oven temperature; the method itself is shown in the video. Work with good ventilation, use only HDPE, clean the plastic first, and keep the blender and toaster oven for plastic only. This is a good project for anyone with a lathe or bandsaw who wants colourful blanks from plastic that would otherwise go in the bin.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —Free Instructables page with a short description and the embedded video.
  • —Video walkthrough available (about 2.6 million views).
  • —No BOM or shopping list; it uses a blender, a toaster oven and clamps.
  • —The Instructables guide is listed as CC BY-NC-SA.
  • —No CAD files or molds included.
  • —A second guide, 'How To Make A Mallet From Milk Jugs', turns a block into a mallet.

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Can I build this?

Printnothing required
Buynothing if you have HDPE milk jugs and bottle caps (recycling code #2)
Toolsblender and toaster oven kept for plastic only, clamps; a lathe or bandsaw to shape the blocks
Skillsbasic workshop safety and ventilation setup; lathe or woodworking experience if you plan to turn or shape the blocks
Timeunder an hour from bottle to blank, according to Peter Brown
Cost$: the plastic is from the recycling bin; the appliances are the main cost if you need to buy them
SafetyWork with good ventilation. Hot, soft plastic can cause burns. Do not use the toaster oven or blender for food afterwards.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

How To Recycle HDPE Plastic The Easy Way4:11

Full process by Peter Brown, about 2.6 million views.

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Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the Instructables guide (Short description with the embedded video.)
  2. 2.Watch the video (See the full process.)
  3. 3.Collect HDPE containers(Milk jugs and bottle caps, as in the guide (HDPE, recycling code #2).)
  4. 4.Set up ventilation(Good ventilation before you start heating.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Keep the toaster oven and blender for plastic only; do not go back to using them for food.
  • Only use HDPE (recycling code #2), as in the guide: milk jugs and bottle caps.
  • Clean and dry the plastic before melting.
  • Work with good ventilation and keep heated plastic away from your face.
  • Hot plastic can burn: wear heat-resistant gloves when handling it.
  • There is no written oven temperature on the Instructables page; watch the video before you start.

Can I use any plastic for this?

No. The guide is about HDPE only (milk jugs and bottle caps, recycling code #2). Do not melt other plastics this way.

What can I make from the blocks?

Peter Brown made a turning block, and a second guide of his turns a block into a mallet. He also says the same material can be pressed into sheet for box inlays or scroll saw art.

Can I use the toaster oven for food afterwards?

We would not. Use a toaster oven and blender dedicated to plastic.

What temperature should I use?

The Instructables page does not state an oven temperature.

Can I make sheets instead of blocks?

Yes. Peter Brown says the material can just as easily be pressed into sheet for box inlays or scroll saw art.

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Peter Brown turned two milk jugs and about half a dozen bottle caps into a 1.5 × 3 × 5 inch block in under an hour. What would you make from your first batch of recycled HDPE?

CompareeTEAM1d ago

Practical notes from our verification: the Instructables guide was published in 2014 and is mostly a short description plus the video; there is no repository, no formal BOM and no written oven temperature, so watch the video before you start. The guide is listed as CC BY-NC-SA. Ventilation and a toaster oven and blender kept for plastic only are the things to sort out first. Peter Brown also published a follow-up showing how to turn a block into a mallet, which is a good first project.

Peter Brown

Peter Brown (Shop Time, Instructables user kludge77) describes himself as a hobbyist woodworker in Northern California. He shared this HDPE method on Instructables in 2014 after spending two hours cutting up a single milk bottle with kitchen shears and deciding there had to be a better way.

Star the project on GitHub

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  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
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