Introduction: Cast Glimmer Jewels With Self Made On/off Switch

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Inspired by the Glue-Juwel Glimmer Ring from "Make: Make it Glow" by Emily Coker and Kelli Townel I'd like to show you an energy-saving alternative: Glimmer Jewels you can turn on and off, to match your actual need for glimmer, using a switch made from a bottle screw cap.

And also how to cast your own ideas with an selfmade casting mould from plasticine (oil based modelling clay).

Note: The plasticine works. But there are better mould materials. This is just what I had lying around...

Step 1: Things You Will Need...

  1. PET bottle or Tetre-pack with srcew cap
  2. Saw or utility knife
  3. Scissors and isolating tape
  4. Plasticine and/or ice-"cubes"-form (here: Diamonds!!)
  5. LEDs and 3V coin cell
  6. pliers to bend wire
  7. metal a small piece of a spring and pliers to cut it
  8. Permanent marker
  9. Gluegun and gluesticks
  10. heatproof working surface
  11. patience

Warning: Hot glue can severly burn your skin! It can get up to 200°C. Please keep safety in mind!

Step 2: Collecting the Bottle Cap and Screw Thread

  1. Cut screw cap and thread from a soda bottle (using a saw) or a tetra pack (easier, using a utility knive)
  2. If necessary, sand the edge

Step 3: Prepare Your Mould, Cast With Hot Glue, Add LED

  1. Turn on your hot glue gun - the glue should be really hot to be liquid for casting
  2. If you want to cast your own design, prepare your mould (for example press a shell into the plasticine, it should be deep enough to host your LED and some extra space for glue)
  3. If you use an ice cube mould, find one, you can fit your screw thread in
  4. Add the screw thread, with the cuted edge downwards
  5. Fill the mould with glue - up to the cuted edge of the thread and the just a little bit farther to gue it in place
  6. While you wit for your glue to cool a bit, select the LED and mark the longer leg with permanent marker
  7. Test your LED before you put it into the glue

Step 4: Glue-casting and Making the Switch

Glue-casting

  1. When the glue has cooled a little, plunge the LED in it.
  2. Hold the LED in place, so that all of the "bulb" is in the glue, make shure, that the legs don't touch - you
    can use your Hands or a piece of tape or a clothespin and...wait
  3. Be patient
  4. Be even more patient
  5. Wait about 15 minutes, depending on the size of your mould - the glue should be max. luke warm and cloudy
  6. Unmould it. Admire your precious new gem, test den LED and admire some more
  7. If you made your own mould: Getting rid of all the plasticine can be a bit tricky (it's not the perfeckt mould material after all, ...), I chose to leave some of it on the shell, for an earthy look

The Switch

  1. Bend the LED-legs:
    The positive leg (longer, marked) should ly flat going radial to the edge and the 90° upwards

    The negative leg (shorter, unmarked) should ly in a curve rather close to the glue surface

  2. Cover the part of the positive leg, that is on the glue surface with isolating tape

  3. Big screw-threads only: Add a small spring on the negative leg

  4. Add the coin cell, positive suide upwards
  5. Bend the positive leg over it a little.
  6. Screw cap on - fiddle with the assambly until you have a leg position, that allows you to find a loosly srewed off position and a tightly srewed on position
  7. Potional: Sew/glue on a brooch needle
  8. Done!!

Have fun! And be prepared to make a lot of them, if you have kids around...