Miniature Bar Globe for Alcohol, Candy or Secret Hiding Place

I've always wanted vintage Italian globe bar, but they are rather large and I don't have any space space for it, nor would it go with my house décor. This tiny globe bar, however, is small enough to fit on a desk or a bookshelf, only able to house 3-5 miniature alcohol bottles or, if you go for a non-alcoholic version- a few fistfuls of sweets. Or office supplies if you are my boyfriend...some people just don't know how to have fun.

It's cute, small and easy to make, perfect as a gift and customisable. Can be made in different colours, since globes come in a variety of colours: regular blue, ivory, black, antique brown; as well as different languages, sizes and sometimes you can even get historical globes showing old names.

I'm using a 14cm globe, which is perfect for me, because I decided to 3D print all needed parts instead of cutting them out of wood, which is not something I'm very skilled at. For bigger globes you'd most likely have to use wood, so you will need CNC or carpentry tools.

# small globe (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07ZN7TKSW/ref...)

# 8-10mm barrel hinge (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07X4HWC76/ref...)

# 3d printer for plastic parts or CNC for wooden parts

# two-part epoxy glue

# PVA glue and decoupage paper

# paints, varnish (or wood stain)

# small amount of concrete, cement or plaster to add some weight to the base- optional

# 2x small ma

# drill, screwdrivers, screws (size depending on your design)

Globes have a thin, black tape running around the equator, this is easy to peel and has to be removed before proceeding further.

Unscrew the globe from the arm. If not possible, use dremel to cut through the arm to detach the sphere. Remove the base as well, so that all you are left with is the globe.

Remove all screws and fixings and keep them aside for later.

Those days globes are made with plastic, two half spheres are interlocked and secured with a bit of glue. Older globes were made with cardboard and paper, so how you cut the globe in half will depend on the type of globe you have.

Mine was brand new and completely plastic, so I only had to press the seam with my palm and apply a bit of pressure. Whatever glue was used, was very weak and sparse, because globe opened up right away.

If you are using paper globe, you might have to either cut it through with a knife, hand saw or dremel. Don't do this part by yourself, have someone hold your globe while cutting it in half. It will move a lot and we don't want any blood on the map.

Inside the globe there is always some kind of plastic or paper piece that secures two halves in place, so it has to be removed as well. Mine was a plastic ring glued to one of the halves, I had to pry it apart with pliers.

To make the most of the sphere's space I used a 3D modelling program to visualise how many bottles and what sizes would fit inside. Since miniature alcohol bottles come in different sizes and shapes, I had to buy them beforehand and measure them to make sure they weren't too tall and would all fit.

This step also allowed me to determine how low the shelf should be located.

My shelf is a little over 9cm in diameter, allowing me to fit 4-6 bottles (all depends on the shapes of the bottles).

Globes are always tilted, but we have to make this globe straight, so I had to create a completely new arm to hold it up, as well as the base and two rims in the middle.

The new arm had to be sliced in half to accommodate a hinge and have the ability to lift up.

The original globe base wasn't sturdy enough, so I had to design a new, hollow one. Base design is completely up to you, you can freehand it or find something on thingiverse. My base has a hollow underside in order to be able to fill it with concrete or plaster to weigh it down.

You will have to print two rings to go around the middle of the globe. They will cover the jagged edges leftover from cutting the globe and give it a more finished look, as well as provide structure to fit the magnets.

Whenever possible, retain original pieces used to secure the top and bottom of the globe to the arm and fit them in with your new design.

I provided STL files and rough sketches to give you an idea.

Arms accommodate 10mm hinge

Rims have small openings for 3x6mm magnets as well as extra space on the outside and inside.

While my parts were being printed, I focused on decorating the insides.

Since the inside of the globe was smooth plastic, painting directly on it was a bit challenging. I had to decoupage the inside with paper before painting and decorating.

At first I wanted my insides to be vintage brown, so I used brown paper and glued that on the inside along with small, vintage sketches of mythical creatures. In the end, I wasn't happy with the theme, so I peeled the brown paper layer from the top part and decoupaged with thin tissue paper covered in stars. Failed decoupage was very easy to remove, just has to peel it off once dry.

The easiest way to decoupage is to cut the paper in the proper shape - picture nr 1 and glue it with diluted PVA glue. Before cutting, you have to measure the circumference of the half sphere.

When decoupage is dry, it has to be sealed with a clear sealer or varnish.

This part is very important, but I forgot to take pictures before I attached it. This little part isn't glued or in any way attached to the globe. It's easy to remove and is merely there so the screw has something to hold on to.

In order to make sure each half of the globe is secured tightly to the arm, you have to:

1) use this original part

OR

2) create a new part.

I used the original parts and with a small amount of epoxy, I glued a hexagon nut to the inside of the tube (picture nr 4). When all my parts were ready to be assembled, I secured the arms to the globe halves with screws that went through those hexagon nuts and stayed put.

If your original parts are different than mine or you want to use something more secure, you will have to print two parts akin to this design (picture nr 5). It allows the arm to hold the half-globe by a screw.

Sanding, filling, priming.

If you are familiar with 3D printing, you know the gist, use your favourite supplies to smooth the surfaces and prepare them for painting.

Paint and seal the parts.

I used regular PLA, and painted it with reddish brown acrylic paint to imitate wood.

If you are using real wood, this is the time to apply your wood stain.

I pressed the brass hinge in a correct position to connect the arms. The hinge should fit in very tight and be able to work without any glue, but just to be sure I added a drop of epoxy in each hole. This is the most crucial part of the assembly, if your hinge isn't aligned properly, the globe will not open straight up.

Since I wasn't sure if the base will hold the contents of the globe without tipping, I decided to fill it with cement. Filed it to the brim, but made sure my tubes for screws were empty. Once cement was dry, I glued a piece of felt to the base to protect the surfaces from scratches

.

I used two-part epoxy to glue the shelf in place and applied decoupage.

I glued the magnets in correct positions on the rims.

I mixed a small amount of epoxy and spread it on a piece of aluminium foil in a circular shape. I placed each half of the globe on top of the glue (just place it in glue and pick it up straight away, don't twist it to coat it with more glue), picked them up and placed them in corresponding rims, in a proper position.

I used painter's tape and a pencil to mark the positions, so that when magnets are aligned, the map is also aligned properly.

To assembly the globe bar, you have to screw the bottom part of the globe to the arm first and only then you will be able to attach it to the base. Finally, you can secure the top part of the globe.

To add a final touch and cover the top screw hole, I 3D printed this tiny thingie, painted it gold and glued in place.