Man makes suit out of 2,000 corks

BLACK ROCK DESERT, Nev., Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A man who has been saving corks from wine bottles for years says he will debut a cork suit -- and a new persona -- at a Nevada festival.

Al Fink took about 2,000 corks from wine he drank with his wife and friends over the years and attached them to salvaged clothing to fashion his suit, The Denver Post reported.

The suit -- and a temporary persona "Corky Buchon" -- will be introduced at Burning Man Festival in Nevada's Black Rock desert, set to begin Aug. 29.

Fink estimates it took him about one month to complete construction of the suit. All of the corks were cut in half vertically to keep vineyard names intact.

"That was just zip-zip-zip with a jigsaw," he said. "The tedious part was the gluing. That was like a part-time job. And hot-glue guns! I got some burns."

Corky Buchon will only be making limited appearances, as the suit is a little stiff.

"My mistake is that I forgot to design the jacket to allow more movement," Fink said. "I can't raise my hand above the waist when I'm wearing it. That is a problem. I'm going to have to rig up a cork-covered drinking vessel. With a long straw."