InstaMorph - Bottle Opener

In April Instructables sent us several packets of InstaMorph for a Build Night. What is InstaMorph? It's a non-toxic, lightweight polyester thermoplastic - heat it up and InstaMorph becomes moldable; cool it down and it hardens to a strong plastic. InstaMorph is great for home improvement and crafting projects as well as making useful tools.

Our patrons created many interesting projects, but a tool we liked was a bottle opener in the shape of a lizard.

You Will Need:

• 1 - packet of InstaMorph
• Tongs
• Thermometer
• Kettle to heat the water
• Large Bowl to hold the water

• Heat water up about 150 degrees F. The water can be warmer, but extra caution will have to be used handling the pellets to avoid burns.
• Pour InstaMorph into the water and allow it to sit for about two minutes. You'll notice the pellets will become transparent and will clump together.
• Using a pair of tongs remove the pellets from the water. Squeeze out remaining water between the pellets.
  
  Note: The nice thing about InstaMorph is that it can be reused multiple times. If you do decide to reuse an object, we found it worked best to heat the water to a temperature higher than 150 degrees F and to leave the object in the water for about five minutes.

Once the InstaMorph has been removed from the water, it should be cool enough to mold by hand. Begin working the material into the desired shape, compressing the pellets to remove any air bubbles.

To make a bottle opener in the shape of a lizard the back leg needs to shaped to fit under the ruffled edge of the bottle cap and catch it as it is pulled up. The tail needs to be long enough and thick rough to rest on top of the cap and act as a lever to pull it off.

Getting the lizard to be just the right shape to open bottles does take some trial and error. Mold the InstaMorph pellets into the general shape you want it to be. Allow it to harden. Test it on a bottle cap. If it does not seem as if it can easily lift the cap off the bottle, place the object back into warm water, allow it to soften somewhat - but not completely - and adjust as needed.

Once the lizard is in the desired shape allow it to harden completely. InstaMorph hardens rapidly, but that being said, we found that the tail broke off when we first attempted to open a bottle of ginger ale because the opener had not been given enough time to harden.

Rest assured, however, if you allow your object a couple of hours to completely solidify, you'll be able to take the cap off of any bottle!

Check out some of our other InstaMorph projects on our Facebook page!