Beer cap mania

After smuggling beer caps from all of our summertime parties, I am finally ready to make my tray.
{This was supposed to be a father's day present... until I calculated how many more caps I needed!}

When I was researching the epoxy, resins, and glues to use I found a few horror stories. Some of the glues don't every dry and feel tacky, some yellow over time... yuck! So I'll show you all the products I used so that your tray will turn out perfectly, and it only takes about an hour to make.
{That sounded so infomercial-ish!)

Shopping list:

1 tray

LOTS of beer caps

Polyurethane varnish {I used Americana DuraClear Gloss Varnish from Michael's}

Clear tacky spray {I used Aleene's crystal Clear tacky spray from Michael's}

1 pkg. Envirotex Lite {from Michael's}

If your are working with a wood tray make sure to coat the bottom and sides with polyurethane varnish  to create a non-porous surface. If you have a metal tray you can skip this step.

First, figure out the spacing before the first row and after the last row. This will keep everything nice and centered.



Layout the first few rows and then slide them to the right out of the way. Spray a thin vertical line of clear tacky spray adhesive on the far left and then slide the first row of caps over it. I found that applying the adhesive a little thick covered most of the bottom of the caps once you slide them over.

Repeat this step over and over {and over!} until all the rows are complete. Let the adhesive sit for a few hours before continuing on to the next step. This was way easier than gluing each cap in place.

Now on to the fun part. I chose Envirotex Lite to coat the tray. It is super easy to work with and produced a perfectly smooth and glossy surface. Envirotex Lite comes in 2 parts: the hardener and the resin. Mix equal parts, stir for 2 minutes and pour the mixture at one corner of the tray. {don't worry about the bubbles in the mixture just yet.} I picked up the tray and held it on an angle to move the mixture around evenly. After the tray sets for 5 minutes you can exhale on any parts that are still bubbly. They will totally disapear- it's crazy.

Cover it with a clean box or tupperware to keep the dust away and let it sit overnight.

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