There are many shapes and sizes of tin cans and boxes as every one knows; round, square, elliptical, tall, short, or flat. A surprising number of attractive shapes and sizes may be collected in a short time in any community. Housewives are only too glad to find some one to use them.
Cans that are well rinsed with hot water as soon as the contents are removed are not at all objectionable to work with; but cans that have not been rinsed out, or that have been thrown out and exposed to the weather are very unpleasant objects, and besides, a rusty can is very difficult to solder. It is a simple matter to rinse or scald out a can as soon as the contents are removed.
Tomato, corn, pea and condensed milk cans are the most plentiful. Coffee, tea, cocoa, jam, mackerel and sardine cans, olive and cooking oil cans, baking powder and spice cans are all useful for making the things described in this book and for many more besides. Biscuit boxes, tobacco boxes, cold cream, ointment, and the small adhesive tape boxes all contain possibilities. The screw tops of olive oil and cooking oil cans, and bottle caps should be collected for this work. Jelly glass lids, in fact, all shallow tin lids are useful. Syrup and molasses cans with separate lids, that push into place are worth saving, especially the lids. Certain containers of dry material are now largely made of pasteboard with tin tops, lids and bottoms. The tin parts of these containers are often of an attractive shape. The large round gallon cans used by hotels and restaurants are particularly useful, and a sizable piece of tin may be obtained from the sides of the can and the bottoms may be used for large candlestick saucers and many other things. Large square tin boxes used to contain 100 pounds of cocoa may be obtained from some restaurants. These are made of heavy tin and five large sheets may be cut from the bottom and sides. Considerably over $1 would have to be paid for the same amount of tin.
Preparing Cans for the Work.—Cans that have contained paint, stove-blacking, heavy oils or greases, or cans that have been standing about with part of the contents exposed to the air may be thoroughly cleaned of all foreign matter by the hot lye bath. This bath is made up by adding two heaping tablespoonfuls of lye or washing soda to the gallon of boiling water. Cans boiled up in this solution for a few minutes will be cleaned of all paint, paper labels, etc. Keep the hands out of the solution and do not allow any of it to come in contact with the clothes. Lift the work out of it with a wire hook and rinse off the lye with hot water; stand the cans bottom up so that they will drain out without any water remaining in them. The lye solution may be used for a number of times and then may be poured down the sink, as lye is an excellent thing for drain pipes. Do not leave a lye bath in the shop without covering it tightly when not in use, as the fumes from it are sure to rust every tool in the place.
Coffee, tea, cocoa, talcum and other cans that have contained dry material need not be put in the lye bath until ready to paint, unless the labels are too much in the way for soldering. Small boxes such as contain tobacco are almost covered with a sort of varnished paint. This may be scraped away where the box is to be soldered, but if much soldering is to be done the whole box should be boiled up in the lye bath until all the paint is removed. Sometimes the lye softens the paint but does not entirely remove it. More lye may be added to the bath and the work left in it awhile longer, or the work may be removed from the bath and the softened paint scrubbed away with a scrubbing brush and plenty of clean water. After being used several times, the bath will become too muddy and weak for further use and then a fresh one should be made, as the lye is inexpensive.
For good work, it is necessary that the cans be thoroughly clean.
Cutting Into and Opening Out Cans and Boxes.—There is one very easy way to cut into and open out a can or box. To make wheels, small trays and other things, a good part of the sides of the can must be cut away leaving a small portion of the sides attached to the bottom. The part that is cut away may be flattened out and used to make various things. As most of the cans used are cut down to various dimensions in this manner, either to use the bottom with part of the sides, or to obtain flat sheets of tin, it will be well to consider the easiest way of doing it.
First, determine how much of the bottom portion of the can is to be left intact. Then using a pair of dividers opened to this dimension, make a line parallel with the base of the can and completely around it. To do this, hold the can down to the bench with the left hand so that it may be turned against the divider points as shown in [Plate IV, a.] Hold the dividers firmly down to the bench and against the can so that the uppermost point is held at exactly the same height from the bench during the turning or marking, while turning the can against the point to mark it.
PLATE II
