How to Create an Acrylic Tray for My Chocolate Fountain

Chocolate fountains can be great fun at parties. Melted chocolate pours from tier to tier, allowing guests to dip in fresh fruit, cookies, pretzels, bits of cake and all sorts of other treats. The only problem with chocolate fountains is that they can get very messy. Melted chocolate can drip from your guests' treats all over your tablecloth, ruining your linen and making the display look unappealing. You can solve this problem by building an acrylic tray for your chocolate fountain to rest in. Spilled and dripped chocolate will land in the easy-to-wipe tray rather than on your table. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Purchase your acrylic from a local plastics dealer. Acrylic is usually sold in 4-foot-by-8-foot sheets, but most plastics dealers have remainder scraps that they are willing to sell at reasonable prices. Ask an employee to cut the acrylic in exactly the measurements you need. Most shops will perform this service for free. Do not attempt to cut the acrylic yourself.

2

Leave the protective paper on the acrylic until you are finished with your tray. This will prevent the plastic from getting scratched or dirty.

3

Place the large acrylic square on a clean, flat surface. Place the two slightly longer strips at opposite sides of the square, standing on their ends. The strips should be resting on the table and not the acrylic sheet. Make sure that they are centered. The ends of the strips should extend slightly beyond the square. Place some books beside the strips to hold them in place temporarily.

4

Place the two slightly shorter strips at the two open ends of the square. These strips should also be resting on the table on their edges. The shorter strips should fit between the ends of the longer strips. Peel back the edges of the protective paper so that none of it is caught between acrylic pieces and accidentally glued in.

5

Wrap the outside of the tray's walls in duct tape so that the pieces are held together firmly. Make sure that all the pieces are straight, and there are no gaps in between pieces.

6

Seal the seams inside the acrylic tray with the acrylic sealant. Apply a bead of sealant to all of the inner seams of the tray, smudging it in with your finger. Make sure there are no gaps in the seal. This will make your tray sturdy and waterproof. Allow the sealant to dry for at least 48 hours or as directed on the package before using your tray. Carefully remove the duct tape, peel off the protective paper and the tray is ready to use.