Making Tin Can Toys

by Edward Thatcher

The Sailboat.—A catboat or sloop may be made from the same sort of narrow elliptical can or even of a wider can of the same shape. A deck is soldered to this can, a hole cut in it for a cockpit. To the edge of the cockpit a folded band of tin is soldered.

A tube of tin is soldered to the stern, and a wire tiller is run through this tube and soldered to a rudder. A hole is punched in the center of the forward deck, and a tube of tin is soldered in this hole to contain the mast. The mast and spars are of wood.

The keel is made of a piece of tin soldered to the bottom of the boat. The boat should be completed, and the mast, spars and sails in place, before the keel is put on. Try the boat in a basin of water. It will probably tip over unless a very broad can is used to make it. Cut out a keel of the shape shown in [Fig. 87] and solder it lightly in place at each end. Place the boat in the water again to see how it floats. If the keel is too heavy, part of it may be cut off, if it is too light, it may be broken away and a heavier one made and soldered on. When properly made these boats are good sailers.

When soldering a deck to the boat, the rough edge remaining after cutting away the lid of the can is left in place so as to form a sort of ledge to solder the deck to. The rough flutings may be flattened out by using a pair of flat-nosed pliers to press down the flutes as you work along and simply pinching it flat.

Fig. 87.

The Scow.—A small scow may be made from a biscuit box of flat tin, the kind that has contained small sweet biscuits with a cream filling. Both box and lid are used and cut down as indicated in [Fig. 88]. The box is left at the original width. The two ends are cut away from the lid. The two folded-down sides of the lid are used to make folded strips with which to bind the sides of the scow.

A tiny box made of part of the lid is soldered to the rear deck of the scow for a cabin. A small piece of galvanized wire bent at an angle is soldered to the cabin for a stovepipe. The towing bits are rivets soldered to the forward deck.

The Tugboat.—Tugboats may be made from the larger elliptical fish cans. A good sized can of this sort is that one commonly found to contain kippered herring. This can will make up into a large tugboat, but if a small tug is to be made to tow the scow previously described, a mackerel roe can is the best to use.

A deck is soldered tightly to the can, as in making the sailboat, except that the deck is left whole; no openings are cut in it.