How to Make Your Own Ring From Recycled Vinyl Records

Lisa Miller-Mecham
by Lisa Miller-Mecham

This post may contain affiliate links for products I love and recommend.

Learn how to make your own ring from a recycled vinyl record with this eco friendly jewelry tutorial. Watch the video tutorial and follow along to create your own unique rings from scratch!

Today I’m excited to finally share a DIY that literally kept a roof over our heads when I was a new parent. Learning this little trick to create recycled jewelry ultimately transformed how I viewed the world, craft supplies, and how I could shape my own reality as a new mom

You see, when I started out making things, it wasn’t glamorous. It was solely out of necessity. I desperately wanted to stay home with my new baby so scrounged wrecking yards and dumpsters for “materials” to start my little business. I melted vinyl records to create delicate-looking jewelry, made stylish accessories from blown bicycle inner tubes, and created trendy bags from old seat belts.

I sold them at farmers’ markets, online, and ultimately in stores across the United States and Australia.

The tutorial I’m going to share today is one that always guaranteed a little extra money in my pocket at a weekend market and cost almost nothing to produce.

Yup… these recycled jewelry rings are actually made from old vinyl records.

Not only was it incredibly helpful in generating some craft sales, but it was also such a fun way to upcycle old materials. Win-win!

So now that you have a little backstory, on with the tutorial! Let’s learn how to make your own ring from vinyl records!


How To Make Your Own Ring Video Tutorial

DIY Ring Supplies


How To Make Your Own Ring From A Vinyl Record

Before we learn how to make your own ring, it’s important to note that you can’t easily cut a room-temperature vinyl record. Chances are, it will shatter and crack. To avoid this, just stick your record in the oven on a cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes at 200 degrees. You will only have about 15-25 seconds before the record hardens and cools between cuts, so take it out and cut what you can before putting it back on the cookie sheet to be reheated and cut again.

Use some Industrial Shears to slice your vinyl while it’s still warm into small strips.

Next, slice each strip down to about 2″ – 3″ so it wraps easily around your finger.

Once your vinyl record is trimmed down to a size that you like, it’s time to sand it with some Fine Grit Sandpaper. Place it back in the oven for 2 minutes until your vinyl becomes pliable again.

When your smoothed strip is pliable, remove it from the oven and gently wrap it around your Ring Mandrel at the size you’d like. Feel free to get creative and wrap it around itself or create any other design details that you like.

I liked creating recycled rings in different shapes like gentle spirals to classic, adjustable bands. Once you make one, it’s hard to stop and not make several more for all of your friends and family.


Other Recycled Vinyl Record Tutorials You May Like

Working with recycled vinyl can be so fun and easy to mold once you learn how to work with it. Here are a few other recycled crafts that I hope you like!

The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Lisa Miller-Mecham
Want more details about this and other fashion and style ideas? Check out more here!
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  • Susan Caswell Susan Caswell on Apr 27, 2022

    Or the sun on a hot day

  • Leslie Leslie on Apr 27, 2022

    Before cutting up old vinyl records do a bit of research, that record with a lovely jacket might just be worth a bit of money.

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