I'd seen these test tube vials around Cons and costume circles before, but I'd never really known where to get them. made of high-density plastic, they are great for steampunk costumes or LARPs, where you don't want to be carrying around glass.
It took a while for it to don on us, but we finally figured out that they are soda bottle pre-forms. You can find these for about $1/piece on Amazon. You can use them straight out of the box to hold liquids to work as screw-top test tubes, but we went a few extra steps.
For safety reasons, I filed the nubbin at the bottom off. These can be a bit sharp, and the extra step is a nice touch.
Next, I removed the threads from the top of the preform with a hacksaw. A bandsaw can also be used here. It is very helpful to clamp these down when using a hacksaw.
Afterwards, I went at the cut with a Dremel and some sandpaper, to try and clean up the edges. Just try to remove the burrs.
Afterwards, I went at the cut with a Dremel and some sandpaper, to try and clean up the edges. Just try to remove the burrs.
The corks used were medium size #9 tapered corks. #10 can also be used.
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| Now I have a bunch of threads. No clue what to do with them. |
Congratulations! You now have some plastic alchemy test tubes.
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