Monkey Magnet

I'm simply upcycling a whisky bottle stopper into a board magnet.

For this, I'll need:

• A bottle stopper
• A strong magnet
• A craft knife
• A cutting mat
• A small screwdriver
• A hot glue gun

I like the ones that Monkey Shoulder whiskey uses because of the wood finish and debossed logo. I order a bottle, finish it responsibly over time and keep the bottle stoppers. Alternatively, I could ask the barkeep for any stoppers they may have from discarded bottles.

I cut off the cork stopper with my craft knife and gouge out the remaining cork with my screwdriver until I am left with just the wooden 'cap' of the bottle stopper.

I measure the diameter and depth of the hole in the 'cap'.

I find my magnets in Daiso. They’re pretty strong and come in a pack of 25 for S$2. They are slightly under the dimensions of the hole in the bottle stopper's 'cap' I measured earlier. This is okay as I’ll need some space for the glue later.

I fill the hole about halfway with hot glue and push the magnet in flat on top of the glue. The hot glue squishes outward enveloping the edges of the magnet. I top up the hole with more hot glue to slightly cover the edges of the magnet. This is so the magnet stays in. The magnet need not be flush with the edge of the 'cap' but should not protrude from it. In fact, the magnet is a little sunken into the hole. This is okay as the magnet is strong enough to stick to a magnetic board without touching it.

I use the hot, flat side of the tip of the glue gun to ‘pave’ the excess glue down over the magnet so it is flush with the edge of the cap. I let the glue cool down.

I place the finished bottle stopper magnets on my metal notice board. I made some variations with other bottle stoppers.

I gave some to the bar that had served me the Monkey Shoulder whisky. They use them on their fridge.