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 ¼" 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 ¼ 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.
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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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Check out the web story version of this article HERE - Penny Bowling Ball Yard Art Story.
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Char
Beautiful! I'm wondering, how long does that glue " Dap Clear Silicone Sealant for Doors And Windows" last for all seasons outdoors?
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 🙁
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 🙂
GARY
I'M JUST TRYING TO FIN OUT HOW MANY PENNIES IT TAKES COVER A BOWLING BALL???
Jamie
About 5 bucks
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 🙂
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.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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!
Sarah Krouse
One of my faves!
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 🙂
Anonymous
Very cool - definitely going to do this - have plenty of pennies!!
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.