How would you build a bowl like that?

Hey all!
I wanted to make a gift for my son but I am not sure how to create it.
The idea is simple:
I want to make a plastic bowl with transparent bottom. I want to be able to put different pictures under the bottom that will be visible looking from the top when the bowl is empty, but hidden when there is food in the bowl. And I want to be able to change those pictures. The pictures might be printed and then laminated, or they might be lazer printed on plastic cards that can be inserted under the bowl.
Have you seen something similar already made? If not, how would you make something like that?
Thanks!
Dimitris

Most 3d-printing filament is not clearly food-safe, most of it is not dishwasher-safe, and 3-printing leaves tiny voids that grow bacteria, so overall I’d recommend against 3d printing for food handling.

You could cut the bottom of a plastic bowl out, perhaps on a lathe if you have access to one big enough. Perhaps you could use food-safe silicone sealant to put a circle of clear polycarbonate sheet in place, since acrylic would scratch and polycarbonate can take some abuse (though it will scratch over time; any plastic will). Lots of possibilities for holding a picture in place. Does that help spark ideas?

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It definitely takes 3d printing out of the question :slight_smile:
Your suggestion about altering an existing product makes senses. I am trying to find a product out there similar to what I explained, maybe a simple transparent bowl in a plastic removable elastic case (or something like that) where I could simply remove the case put the picture and attach the case again, but can’t find any.
Maybe someone has found something like that?

let’ try to reformulated the question :
if you buy a clear bowl, you would need to add a double bottom to sandwich your photos under, the problem would be to fix that double bottom onto the bowl in a removable way.

does the double bottom need to go in the dishwasher ?

My first idea is to glue on the bowl 3 or 4 stripes on the side like it was feets (without the bottom), those stripes would have a thread on the external side to screw a wooden bottom like a lamp bulb into a socket.

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Beautiful!
Thanks Stephane!
Now that was a beautiful reformulation of the question.
And yes, yes, yes you nailed it.
The bottom does not need to go to the washing machine. But it needs to be able to be fixed on the plate, since my son is 3 years old, so he… moves things around :smiley:
THat was a beautiful idea and implementable!
I wonder if someone else has another idea as well?

I have stacked acrylic, bonding with thin acrylic glue and then turned it on the wood lathe.
You could leave a gap in the bottom section to slide a photo into.

Work hold it by gluing a wood block on the bottom that gets turned away.

To turn use sheer scraping tools not the traditional cutting tools.
You can sand and then use polishing abrasives to get it clear again.

Lots of work…

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Awesome suggestion as well Don Kleinschnitz (Jr)!