Recycled Bottle Cap Pencil Holder

Materials needed:

27 bottle caps
Approximately 5 ft. of wire (1.5mm electrical wire)
Approximately 5 feet of nylon thread
Matches or a lighter
Hammer
Nail (your nail should be twice the diameter of your wire, some wire will have to be threaded through holes made by nail twice)
Broom handle
Wire strippers (for taking plastic coating off electrical wire)
Pliers, with wire cutters
Dish soap
Water
Bleach
Small piece of wood
Compal can, 15 oz. or 425ml.
Knife
Scissors

Step one, creating pieces:

Clean the bottle caps and the Compal can by soaking them in water with dish soap and bleach, then let them dry. 

Using the rounded end of the broom pole place the bottle cap on top and secure it with your index finger along the rim.  Place the nail in the crook of your index finger to secure it while creating hole.  Hammer the nail on the edge of the cap, not on the face of the cap and not too close to the edge (this will be tricky and can be frustrating getting it right, but with practice you will come up with a good method).  Each bottle cap should have four holes at 90 degree angles from the next hole (forming a cross).

Strip plastic casing off of your electrical wire and cut into 9 pieces the length of 3 bottle caps plus one inch.

Cut three pieces of nylon string the length of 9 bottle caps, plus 3 inches.  Burn the edge of each string and roll with your finger to make a point, this will make it easier to thread through the caps.

Cut the rim off the top of the Compal can with a knife.

Step two, assembly of pieces:

Using the 3 nylon strings, thread 9 bottle caps onto each thread, pay attention to the direction the bottle caps are facing, if they face all different directions the design doesn’t look as nice.
  Tie the caps on thread around the Compal can one at a time.  After your knot (make several) is tight, burn the knot so it melts a little and mash with your finger, this will assure that it will not come undone.

Using your 9 pieces of wire, thread through the 3 rows of bottle caps from the bottom of the can to the top.  Bend the end of each wire, using the pliers, on the bottom just enough so that it catches the bottom of the Compal can.

Once all 9 wires are through the caps set the can down and make 9 cuts, one in between each bottle cap from the top of the can to the top of each bottle cap, then fold each flap created by the cuts down to the inside of the can.  You can use your fingers to make the folds, getting the first flap to fold is tricky, but the following folds should be easy.

Using the wire cutters on the pliers, cut each wire so that it is ¼ inch above the top of the folds in top of can and then, using the pliers, fold the wires down over the flaps and pinch tight over the flaps.