Plastic Coke Bottle 2 Minute Sand Timer

You can do a lot in two minutes, then those 2 minutes are followed by another 2 minutes... Its just a matter of spending the first 2 minutes doing something. This is where a 2 minute timer comes in handy. Tell yourself you will spend just 2 minutes doing something, set the timer and start.

I made this 2 minute timer from a plastic coke bottle. It works well as it motivates me to work on something for two minutes and then maybe another two minutes...

Plastic Coke bottle
Piece of thin sheet aluminum e.g. Beer can.
Sand

Tools:
Knife
Scissors
Packing Tape
Sieve

• Cut an empty plastic coke bottle in half using a knife.

• Cut a piece of aluminum sheet so it will form a cone. I used a piece of aluminum obtained from an empty beer can you could probably also use a piece from a disposable aluminum tray.

• Shape the aluminum into a cone shape and secure with packing tape.
• Cut a small 'new moon' on one of the sides for the sand the travel back through.

• At the apex of the cone, make a hole for the sand to come out of. It needs to be as small as possible but still allow sand to flow freely. I used a small nail to assist with this and some sandpaper.

• Check the sand can flow freely through the small hole made in the apex of the cone. Sieve the sand to ensure it flows freely.

• Attach the cone into the bottom half of the plastic bottle.
• Trim to fit and secure with packing tape.
• Add on the top half of the plastic bottle and secure with packing tape.
• Check there are no gapes by gently blowing into the bottle.
• Pour enough sand into the bottle so it takes 2 minutes to complete flowing though the apex.

The sand flows from the top half though the hole in the apex of the cone and into the bottom half of the bottle. To bring the sand back to the top half, tip the bottle upside down so the sand will flow back via the 'new moon' hole cut earlier.

How long it takes for all the sand to flow to the bottom will depend on the quantity of sand and the size of the hole in the apex of the cone.
Add or remove sand from the bottle to adjust the time if takes.
You can make other timers of various duration's. E.g. 30 secs, 2 minutes or even 10 minutes (achieved using a 1 liter plastic milk bottle).