At your next outdoor party don’t be a wallflower! Grab someone’s attention or charm the crowd with this colorful and customizable party whistle.
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BOTTLE CAP PARTY WHISTLE
SAFETY KEY:
+ Sharp objects
WARNING:
Cutting aluminum cans will give the metal very sharp edges. Sharp edges cut skin. You may want to use gloves to mitigate any risk.
SKILL LEVEL:
EASY
INTERMEDIATE
ADVANCED
APPROXIMATE TIME:
20 minutes
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
+ Empty aluminum soda or beer cans
+ Bottle caps
+ Hot glue gun
+ Scissors
LET’S BEGIN
BUILDING YOUR WHISTLE
1. Use scissors to cut the top and bottom off an aluminum can, leaving you with a lightweight sheet of metal.
2. Cut a long narrow strip off the end of the metal sheet, the width of a single can tab. Then cut a smaller, stubbier piece as wide and as tall as two tabs laid side by side.
3. Join the two pieces together with the smaller rectangle centered on top, about a quarter inch down from the end of the long piece to form a lowercase “t.”
4. Wrap the two sides of the small rectangle around the back of the long piece. Snip the top corners off and fold the tab over to lock everything together. This will be the mouthpiece of the whistle.
5. Now take the bottom end of the strip and push it back through the mouthpiece.
6. Cut a small notch in each bottle cap so when the two bottoms are lined up, they form a round container with a symmetrical, rectangular hole at the top.
7. Bring back the mouthpiece and fit the barrel inside one of the caps, expanding it to completely fill the inside of the cap. Line the inside of the cap with some hot glue, then place the rounded strip back in position.
8. Cut the extended strip where it lines up with the top of the bottle cap notch and then pull the scrap part out of the mouthpiece.
9. Add hot glue to the other cap and press the two pieces firmly together, making sure the notches line up.
10. Cut a can tab in half and hot-glue it to the back of the whistle. Now you have the option of adding a lanyard!
11. Put the whistle in your mouth and let ’er rip! The whistle works by directing air through the mouthpiece and splitting it over the sharp metal edge. If you try rolling your tongue when you blow, it will sound a lot like a referee’s whistle and be ear-piercingly loud.
Show up to your next party loaded with one of these bad boys! It’ll give you the power you need and the attention you deserve.
FUN FACT: The average whistle has a noise level of 104 to 116 decibels. To put that into perspective, a jackhammer has a decibel level of 100 and a thunderclap rings in at 120 decibels.