DIY: Cool Drink Coasters
By Jakob Griffith on Mar 24th, 2009 at 9:31AM
I am a person who loves (non-alcoholic) drinks. I’ve always got two cups beside my PC; one for water and the other for soda. I also carry around a water bottle in my backpack and I know the location of the coldest water fountain in school. That’s a lot of drink! The problem is those lovely rings that cups and cans leave behind on your $150 desk! Plain coasters are good enough for plain people. CD coasters are good enough for geeks, but what about the Ub3r PwN3rs out there?
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Two CDs
- A pair of very sharp scissors (technically any cutting tool will do)
- Tape
- Super Glue
Tim was so gracious as to make a rather nice design.
The trick is to not go cutting away as fast as possible though. Take your two CDs and soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes. This lets them get pretty soft and they don’t crack as easily. Quickly dry one of the CDs and tape your design to it. I found that after getting about 1/4th of the CD cut, you should put it back into the hot water bath for a little bit while starting on the other CD. Rotate every once in a while. Obviously, un-tape your design before dunking the CD back into the water.
A dabble of glue on one side and stick them together, shiny side out. You’ve now got an awesome coaster to show off your true badassness. Place it right next to your SpongeBob mouse mat and other manly paraphernalia.
Some Tips other users sent in:
- Use sand paper to get rid of sharp edges and give it a nice smooth look.
- If you so choose, you can trace the design onto the CD rather than taping it down.
- Dont put your new coaster into your optical drive. It will NOT WORK and we will not take responsibility for damages.
pretty cool, i may try this out :)
[Reply]
Obviously we have to mention Jake’s trademarked messy desk XD
[Reply]
Jake, although we have nothing against nudity, you should at least TRY to keep your bawls out of the pictures.
[Reply]
Isn’t there still a hole in the center?
[Reply]
Tim Hage Reply on March 13th, 2010 at 12:16 AM
@Bozo, Yes, but a very tiny percentage of moisture will ever get through that point. However, if you are still worried about it, you can always put a piece of clear packaging tape over the hole (probably on the underside of the coaster) to catch any drops that might get through.