This weekend I turned an old bowling ball that I found at a garage sale into a gazing ball-like piece of yard art. A penny bowling ball!
I bought this bowling ball, bag and pair of old used bowling shoes (yuck) at a church garage sale all for just $1.00. I knew I only wanted the bowling ball itself, so the other items were just along for the ride.
How To Make A Penny Bowling Ball
The first thing I did was fill in the finger holes with paper towels until there was about 1/4″ of the holes left and then filled the rest of the holes in with some caulking I had laying around the house.
And then threw the bag and shoes into my Goodwill pile.
I wanted to cover the ball in pennies so I used roughly $4.50 worth.
I wanted them to be all bright and shiny so I decided to clean them with my beloved Coke Zero to see if Coke’s cleaning abilities are an urban legend or not.
So I emptied a roll of pennies into a bowl and added the Coke Zero and let them sit for five minutes.
The Coke Zero cleaned them a little bit, but they were definitely not as bright as I was expecting them to be. It’s not often that my Coke lets me down.
So then I searched the Internet for other penny cleaning tips and ran across some science experiments for kids that uses 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of table salt to clean them.
The vinegar is 5% acetic acid and dissolves the copper oxide on the pennies. The salt acts as a catalyst to speed up the process. But enough of the fascinating science lesson of the day.
Anyhow, I just put the pennies in there for about a minute, rinsed the solution off them and they came out amazingly shiny.
(This post does contain some affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy here.)
Next I used Dap Clear Silicone Sealant for Doors And Windows to glue the pennies onto the bowling ball.
I glued them all heads up, but that was my OCD kicking in – you could mix it up if you wanted. Or maybe do all heads except for one tail???
And here is the finished project.
I tried sitting my penny bowling ball on my birdbath base as a regular gazing ball.
Then I remembered that I had bought this silver chafing dish pedestal at a garage sale. It’s almost like it is made to be a penny bowling ball holder.
Of course you could place it directly on the ground or leave one of the finger holes exposed and place a wood dowel to stake it in the ground.
Another fun bowling ball project is my Mosaic Bowling Ball made with dollar store gems.
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Sandy@Life Began In A Garden
Pretty cool use of pennies!
Debbi
Does it really keep your hydrangea blue? I love this idea.
Keep Calm and Decorate
Love this! This is just too cool. I visiting from Under The Table And Dreaming
Allison Shops
I agree – very cool!
Dropping by from Met Monday, 18ft island kitchen.
Allison
Atticmag
Merrie
Really, really cute! I have always wanted to try glueing pennies on an outdoor project…I hear that they keep slugs from getting into strawberry patches and thought it would be good to glue them around the top of a pot of them.
Sandra
Pennies around your plants will deter snails and slugs. They get a little electric shock as they try crossing the pennies which in turn makes them go in a different direction.
True Story!
Pam
This is a clever use of old pennies and a bowling ball. Who knew how cute this would turn out? Yeah! Pam @ Sallygoodin
Dan
Pam~
What a wonderful idea! I would have never thought about doing that. It turned out really well.
I hope you have a wonderful week!
~Dan~
Stephanie Lynn
What a fabulous idea. This turned out amazing! Who would have known ..coke! Fantastic job! Thanks so much for joining The Sunday Showcase Party. I greatly appreciate it! Hope you have a wonderful week! ~ Stephanie Lynn
Ann @ makethebestofthings
How very cool is this! My header shows some of the bowling ball garden decor I’ve made, but I’ve never used pennies. So clever!
Stephanie Lynn
Hi Pam! I’ll be featuring your Yard art tomorrow. Stop by and grab a featured button if you like! Thanks again for linking up to The Sunday Showcase! ~ Stephanie Lynn
A Pretty Pastime
That is fantastic!
Katy
Patti
This is so unique – love it – well done
Laura Ingalls Gunn
This is a truly wonderful transformation. So creative and clever!
Haverford House
This is so fun! I bet it’s a great conversation piece! ~Marcy
Diana
I have a bowling ball WAAAAY at the backyard, just visible from the deck…with a painted face on it. Everyone looks past the yard and pond, over the ledge of liriope, past the walkway and into the forest, and down toward the lower meadow, and then shrieks…what’s that!? I have a much better idea now. No more scary bowling ball face! I’m turning it into a gazing ball. FAB idea!
Tammy ~ A Primitive Place
Now this is a very cute idea!!!
Luv it!
Tam
idesign
very cool idea! 🙂
Cecily
Looks fantastic and I love that you glued them all head side up! LOL! Gorgeous!
The Knotty Spinster
Very cool and thanks for the tip on getting the penny’s shinny. Enjoy,,and I love the silver next to the copper.
Beetique
I have to make one of these. Actually I wanted a penny floor but the old man won’t let me.,
Susanne
Saw this on Pinterest awhile back and made one. So much fun, huh?! My OCD had me not using the new pennies with the shields. And I did them all heads up too, so it didn’t really matter! Oh well, our quirks are what make us interesting, right?
…..right?
Susanne.
Anonymous
I just finished my penny bowling ball, I spray painted it copper first so it is totally copper colored. I put mine all heads up too but if I make another one I think I’ll just try random.
Gay Vaughan
That is one of the coolest use of pennies I have seen! Happy to have found you.
Weave
This is a wonderful idea…..and to add another layer of design, why not grout it? Color your grout first with grout coloring sand and fill in the gaps between the pennies. Just a thought…
Kristafee
Hi, my questions is, how does it keep slugs away?
Pam
@Kristafee – I don’t really know much about using pennies for slugs, but I did google it and it appears it may react with their slime. I actually made my ball more for looks and to have something shiny in the garden, but if it does double duty then all the better!
Jennifer Gail
Turned out nice:)
Margaret
Great idea! I have a bunch of pennies and wanted to make a project with them as they are no longer used in Canada. Just found your blog, new follower.
Margaret from Moving Forward
Anonymous
I live in Canada also, but just recently got rid of $100 in pennies. I should have kept some!
Arlene
What a fantastic idea… everyone’s yard sales will be hit for a bowling ball, I see.
Chris Rothenbach
any coin that rerpels elk?
Katy
What a great idea. I also like the idea of placing a dowel into one of the holes and stake it in the ground. This would be great for the garden. Thanks for sharing.
Ang
gathering supplies to make my own penny balls (one for me, one for my mom)…. have you had any issues with the pennies sticking to the balls after weather conditions have hit for a few years now? I’m trying to research the best adhesive to use but I’ve seen a lot of people try to make these and have the pennies popping off… just curious your thoughts!
Pam Kessler
I still like the Dap Silcone Sealant For Door & Windows that I used. I’ve only had one penny pop off that I can remember. But I don’t leave mine outside in the dead of winter though. I normally bring it inside when the snow starts flying. It is outside all spring, summer and fall in the rain though and it’s still holding up.
katiejo
It’s a great idea and looks terrific! One Question though…: With it being outside, it’s bound to tarnish .. what do you use to a) prevent or b) clean up the tarnish? Or, did you use a sealant on the finished product to ensure no tarnishing?
Pam Kessler
It will tarnish again eventually. Mine lasted at least a year before I cleaned it again though and then I just used the salt/vinegar solution and rubbed it on with a toothbrush. I did not put a sealer on it but you could. Something like a spray clear coat from the hardware store would probably keep them from tarnishing if you want to keep the shiny penny look 🙂
Sandra
Epoxy coat it, that’ll seal it in and keep them shining!
Debbie
Yeah, pretty cool idea! Good garden fun. Think I’ll try this one.
FYI Pam… You can also buy sealer from a craft store as well.
Anonymous
Very cool – definitely going to do this – have plenty of pennies!!
kcjan
Thinking of doing this. Did your OCD cause you to start with a straight line? Or did you just “go for it”?
Pam Kessler
No, not really. It just seemed like a logical way to put the first few pennies 🙂
Sarah Krouse
One of my faves!
Holly @ Your Gardening Friend
How neat!
My mom LOVES shiny pennies (actually, anything shiny and sparkly 🙂 ). She’s also wanted a garden gazing ball but my dad finds them hideous so she has not purchased one. Her birthday is next week. Maybe I’ll make this for her. I can probably find a bowling ball at Goodwill, but I’ll probably pay more than $1.00.
Thanks for the great idea!
Elaine Ezell
I’ve been looking for a bowling ball for a year to do this very project! I love it! May this weekend will be my lucky weekend!
Elaine
heartrocksinmypocket.blogspot.com
Lonn
Hi, I phoned up my local bowling alley and they had some used and some cracked balls they were willing to part with. I paid $5 for a non cracked and they gave me a cracked one for free.
Marge
Bowling ally’s usually will give you an old ball ! Worth a try ! That’s how I got mine.
Anonymous
Great!!!! I love it and when the sun shines onto it, it will be amazing!
I think I’ll make one with the 1 or 2 eurocents, because 1 I have a lot of them and 2 soon they will taken out of the system
Fabienne from Belgium
Anonymous
I just bought a bowling ball and bag at my local Goodwill for $4.00 and gave the bag right back to them. I looked at the three balls there and took a pretty purple one. I hope it will peek through the pennies for a nice effect. Ann F. Georgia, USA
Anonymous
I came across a bowling ball at an Antique/Junk store. Got it for $1.00. It has a crack down the side but I figured I can fill that in. Now I have a project to work on during the winter. Like the idea about using grout also. Eleanor, Copake, NY
Delonna Albertson
My local bowling alley was happy to give me as many bowling balls I wanted for free! They have hundreds of old balls that they dispose of on a regular basis.
Sherry
May I ask, how do you keep the pennies from tarnishing? Is there some sort of sealer you use?
Pam
You could spray it with a clear sealer from the hardware store if you wanted to keep them shiny for a long time. I’d look for one that says it’s for outdoor use (Krylon makes one called Make It Last that says it is for outdoor use, but I’ve never tried it myself). Without a sealer they’ll last about a year before you’ll either have to re-clean them (just apply the cleaning mixture with a toothbrush) or just embrace the tarnished look.
Kelly
I now have my gazing ball all ready to go into the yard but want to keep the shine on the pennies.. What would you recommend to spray on the whole ball to keep that shiny look?
Thank for the inspiration!!
Pam
I did not put a sealer on mine, but if you want it to stay shiny you would want to spray it with a clear sealer made for outdoor use. Krylon has one called Make It Last that sounds like it would work well although I haven’t used it on anything myself. If you Google “Krylon Make It Last” you can read about it and see where it’s sold. I would say any clear sealer would work as long as it specifically says it is made for outdoor conditions 🙂
GARY
I’M JUST TRYING TO FIN OUT HOW MANY PENNIES IT TAKES COVER A BOWLING BALL???
Jamie
About 5 bucks
Nancy
Nice project. I like the concrete piece beside it too. Did you make that?
Pam
I did not, but actually it doesn’t look like it would be too hard to make. It reminds me of one of those old mile markers 🙂
Jamie
I made a penny ball last summer. It is no longer shiny copper but a dull, greenish color. I’m curious if you clean your ball each season to make it shiny again, and if so, what do you use? I’ve even contemplated spray painting it a copper color.
Your thoughts?
Pam
I’m not sure the copper color spray paint would not flake off, since it is paint over metal??? But, yes your ball will tarnish again eventually unless you clean it yearly (I cleaned it with the salt/vinegar solution and rubbed it on with a toothbrush) or put a sealer on it. Something like a spray clear coat from the hardware store would probably keep them from tarnishing if you want to keep the shiny penny look. I’m just not sure the copper paint would hold up 🙁
Char
Beautiful! I’m wondering, how long does that glue ” Dap Clear Silicone Sealant for Doors And Windows” last for all seasons outdoors?
Jane
The idea is very good. I purchased 5.00 worth of pennies and soaked them in small batches in vinegar and salt mix and did it again the next day and later that day soaked uIn ketchup but found out that they cleaned up partially and not good enough to use on the gazing ball. I am going to use stones instead.
Paul
Cool idea, I’m so curious to hear how it sounds when rolls, haha. I’ve seen a floor made of pennies, and now a bowling ball. What else could be covered in pennies and look cool? Hmm
Carolyn
What kind of glu did you use ? Imade one with the round glass pieces used hot glue and they fell off. Thanks in advance
tina
Hi Pam, I love this! I am in Oregon and plan to make for my mom and MIL for Mother’s day.
I have read through the comments and didn’t see this addressed………. Did you or, looking back, would you sand the bowling ball with coarse sand paper? It appears your pennies haven’t had much trouble staying on with the Dap but I wonder if as added security you would recommend.
Thank you in advance and thanks for sharing this super cool project!
Tina
Pam
You definitely could sand it a bit to rough it up a little. It never hurts to have extra “tooth” for the glue to hold onto (I actually did that when I made my second bowling ball where I glued little stones on to a bowling ball – https://www.houseofhawthornes.com/bowling-ball-yard-art-number-2/). Hope the moms enjoy them!
Marcy
Hi I am from Canada and we no longer use pennies as currency and we have a pile of them sitting around so this is a very cool thing to do you them. Good-bye SLUGS. I am also wondering uf it is better to sand the bowling ball first.
Pam
You could definitely sand it a bit first. My bowling ball was sort of beat up, but if the ball is still smooth (and slick looking), that would be a good way for the glue to have some extra grip.
Denice
Grout question.
Have you tried it with pennies? It looks great but my OCD wants the spaces filled. Or, could it be filled with seed beads , very course sand…very small rocks. Broked glass…for a twist…something on that order. Just thinking out loud.. thanks..
Pam
I haven’t on a penny one, but I made one with mosaic one with little glass “stones” and used grout on that one!
Jacqueline Heyer
I also made the penny ball but all my faces go the same direction
Jacqueline
I made the same Penney ball except all my faces go the same direction