Making Tin Can Toys

by Edward Thatcher

The cabin is made from a rectangular cocoa can, or a small olive oil can, cut down to a suitable height and soldered to the deck, bottom up.

Fig. 88.

The pilot house is made from a small adhesive plaster box, the smokestack being from a small piece of tin with top edge first folded over and then rolled into a cylindrical shape. A piece of wire may be soldered to the stack for an exhaust pipe. A tiny piece of wire is soldered to the front of the stack for a whistle. These pieces of wire may be tied to the stack with fine iron binding wire, such as florists use. When the wire exhaust and whistle are soldered to the stack the wire may then be removed. It will be found very difficult to solder these short pieces in place without binding them in position.

PLATE XV

Courtesy Pictorial Review

Boats made by author

The lifeboat is made from a small folded piece of tin, both ends being pushed in and soldered together. The finished boat is soldered to the roof of the cabin.

The towing bits are rivets soldered to the deck. Remember to use the pliers to hold the rivets in place when soldering them on. When these boats are floated in the water they may be found to tip to one side slightly. A bit of solder may be melted on to the bottom of the boat with the copper in such a position that it will counteract any tendency to tip.