5 gallon buckets as cloches...

I like to grow in 5 gallon buckets.
I turn them into sub irrigated planters,  and grow anything from tomatoes to radishes.
I would like to use a second bucket as a cloche on top of the first one and winter sow in them on a bug scale.
Experience with white buckets and barrels let's me know they admit  enough light  to let algae grow.
This  might be enough light,  but I kind of doubt it,
so I would like to thin the walls of the bucket/cloche.

Sanding is one way I might be able to do it.
I could use  a palm sander and a careful touch, leaving some parts alone to maintain structural integrity.
It would mean a lot of nasty dust, could take a lot if time it could be easy to mess up.

Another way to do it could be to apply heat, and then stretch the bucket, with  a weight or maybe with pressurized air.

Of course,  I could cut holes in the bucket,  and cover the holes with a transparent substance.
I would like to avoid this,  because of the need to acquire something  flexible and transparent and attach it, not to mention all the cutting.

Cutting big openings risks losing structural integrity/ the cylinder shape.
Small openings take a long time to do.

Just cutting out and replacing the bottom of the bucket (top of the cloche) could be easy enough,  but would offer minimal light.

A soda bottle "lightbulb"  might work.
It would be easier to implement than on a shed or shanty, leaks would not be a big deal.
Might work on the sides as well,  but it does take up interior space in the cloche.

Plastic cut from larger soda bottles could be used as glazing material over openings.
It's kind of labor intensive, and how to affix it?

Mesh netting, coated in a clear adhesive or wax, could be the glazing.
If it's waxed,  it could be a summertime cloche as well.
Going this route,  or any other that calls for removing huge swaths of bucket,  makes skipping the bucket entirely an attractive option.


Out of these ideas,  so far I think I'll try... all of them!
Ok, I never have time to try all my mad schemes,  so I will start with heat and pressure, since that seems the most fun,  and it requires no additional materials.

Any additions to or reflections on these ramblings are welcome.

A not very related idea for cloches that might be worth it to you: check the dollar stores for clear plastic serving bowls. They fit nicely over a 5 gallon bucket. and are a dome shape, so rain will run off.

Pearl,  that is definitely a related idea!
I have considered it,  even taken measurements.
I will probably resort to using them,  but I  love repurposing garbage to an unreasonable degree.
Like any mad scientist,  I struggle with being practical over being creative.
There isn't as much head space as I would like, but it should be fine anyway.

This video shows what a little heat and pressure  can do to a barrel.
I imagine doing this with water filled bottles and leaving them in place.
If you applied a torch or heat gun to a barrel or bucket  and pressurized it with air at the same time,  you might be able to create a bubble of thinner plastic.
This video shows the principal with a PET bottle premold f