Has anyone here ever made your own time capsule to bury? My 1st grader’s birthday is coming up and I’d really like to have each kid bring an item to bury until they graduate, with instructions for it to be A) X size (depending on the capsule size) and B) NOT a favorite itme, but personal.
we’ll bury it in our yard and it needs to be water-tight. I can think of some possiblities, but would like advice if you’ve done it before. Have been googling but not finding much between capsules on ale for $400 and up, and a “time capsule” that appears to be some sort of computer program.
Thanks for any advice–
Replies
a length of 4" or 6" or 8" poly pipe, cap one end, fill with plunder, cap other end, bury - you should be able to do it for $25 or less - check with an excavator for some short lengths of pipe, all you have to do is buy two caps and some glue -
right, PVC seems to be a good choice. Can you make threads in it yourself? I'd like to consider how we'll open it later before it's buried, and not have to saw or crack it open, although I imagine it will take some elbow grease after all that time. Thanks
The glue on caps are the cheapest but as you noticed, you'll have to saw it open.Or you can glue on a threaded fitting and use a threaded plug.
aha! thanks
how about that car that was buried during the fifties and dug up.
"and not have to saw or crack it open, "Glue caps would be best. Leave 4-5" on one end on the inside & stuff with newspaper & mark on the outside which end to saw through. That way you don't hit anything.
an item to bury until they graduate
Was going to suggest ion beam welded palladium until I re-read and saw the short term line above.
Go with the plastic pipe, cheapest and thinnest you can buy should last that long.
Mason jar.
We buried one about ten years ago. I used a sheet rock mud bucket. I can't recall if we put extra protection in for the stuff we buried.
If you can wait about ten years more, I'll let you know if the stuff got wet. We put it in well drained sandy soil in an upright position about three feet down.
our grade school did a time capsule when the parking lot was to be repaved.
we all got called back to watch it get dug up when we were in HS.
Pretty cool.
They just used a plastic container of some sort.
I'd think the glued on caps on the pipe would be the best.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
great idea btw...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
its bad, one guy time capsule, is another guy landfill
I'm just glad to come up with anything. When I asked if he wanted a theme for his party this year, his answer was "the future".
so - you are going to have a movie marathon with 'The Road Warrior', 'Escape from New York', 'The Postman', 'Terminator', 'Brazil', 'Fahrenheit 451', 'Logan's Run', 'Soylent Green', 'Metropolis', and such?"there's enough for everyone"
thinking the most realistic "future" movie is "Idiocracy".
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
LOL. 7 yr-old turning 8. Party at LaserQuest, and I'll make the cake to look like a "star gate". The time capsule is the only thing strictly adhering to the chosen theme.
An old scuba tank works well. You've just got to roll and tie the items so they won't expand and won't come out of the treaded end.
Be sure you mark (welder to make a bead in handwriting) to mark it when you or someone else finds it... Being steel, a metal detector will show it as iron, so if you put jewelry in there, it won't show up...
Bill
interesting info; thanks. since this is 7 yr old kids who will probably contribute pokemon cards and such, i'm going to go with the pvc pipe, but those tips may come in handy some other time... in the f u t u r e...
Probably a good point for the plastic pipe -- put something like a length of rebar in it so that a metal detector can pick it up.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
We did a few years ago, for my kids and for their respective cub scout and brownie troops.
For my kids we did PVC pipes with glued caps. Dug hole worth a post hole digger. Drop it in and fill. Easy.
For the scout troops we used drywall buckets. Ran a bead of silicone around the groove on the underside of the lid, put the lid on, then ran another bead between the rim and the bucket.
We buried my daughter's in 1996 when she was in the first grade. We dug it up last year after they graduated high school. With the exception of one girl who moved to Florida, every girl came to the dig. I was really shocked, as I only expected maybe 4 or 5 out of the 12 that were it he troop.
It was supposed to be just a fun afternoon, "let's dig it up, laugh a little and go home" type of thing, but it turned into an all-day event and then an all-nighter. They ended up camping out in my backyard woods just like they did on their first campout so many years ago, making s'mores.
So what did they do the next day? They drove home, got more goodies, and we buried another one. They want to open this one in 2025.
very cool!
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa