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   1. remove the top and the bottom of the bottle (with the knife) and get rid of the label.
   2. cut the bottle in thin strips (about 1-1.5cm at the wider end) that taper at one end (the shape of most bottles will do that automatically! You'll only have to trim the end so it's really pointy). Don't worry about any patterns and bumps in the plastic, they'll be barely noticable at the end.

   
   
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   3. starting from the tapered end (leave a piece unheated so you can hold it), heat (HEAT not melt or burn) the strips over a candle while moving and twisting them.
   You have to pull a bit on both sides so they don't get warped and crooked.
   4. when you reach the end, keep pulling it straight until it cools.

   
   
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   5. OPTIONAL: now you can either cut the thin non-twisted spike at the thin end, or leave it there. (Click picture to see both versions)
   you can also cut the top (the wider end) of the icicle to a rounded shape.
   6. heat a needle or nail over the candle and poke a hole through the top of the icicle.
   7. put a piece of thread or wire through the hole, make a knot, and hang it somewhere :)

   
   
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   PRACTICE! the first ones I made were so ugly I had to throw them away ^^
   You'll soon find out at which temperature the plastic gets soft but doesn't melt and drip yet.
   The candle should not smoke or flicker excessively, and there should be no "burned plastic" smell either. If the candle produces smoke or soot you should trim the wick.
   If you make larger icicles (like, from 2 liter bottles), i suggest that you stop at the middle and let it cool first. Then you can hold it better to start again, so you can twist them in a more controlled way. But this takes practice too, as you have to reheat the plastic evenly.
   It helps a lot if you've worked with glass before.

   if you make a lot of them and want to keep the threads from getting tangled while you store them during the rest of the year, you can hold them together with a rubber band.

   
   

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