clan McCullough
Sebastopol, California
Sonoma County
Treasure Boxes & Lanterns
(Made from cat food tins)
One cat food tin bottom used for lid with jeans rivet knob. Inside lining is scrap felt glued in.
Origami paper box lantern over cat food tin base weighted with plaster.
I decided I'm too cheap to keep buying rivets for the knobs
and now am making veined leaves (from cat food tins -- of course!)
with a cool tool I made
from an old set of round nosed (rosary) pliers
See Below!
NOTE: Rosary pliers are merely round nosed pliers only with a side-cutter built in.
Now Making 'Dream Catchers' !
I found a new way of cutting the cat food tins that leave the upper rim intact
which I drill small (1/16th) holes in the edges and then using thin strips of various colors ... (3 so far: silver, green & gold) I weave a pattern.
I've started lining cat food tins with old silk neckties and further embellished the leaf knob on top
Here is a can cutting jig I made for holding small (fancy feast) cans.
Upper left is an 1/8 x 3 inch toggle bolt and clockwise from there
is an interior part from an old door lock, a washer with 1/8 inch hole, the toggle for the toggle bolt
(acts as a wing nut), next are paper shim discs to adjust the width of the cutting area
and finally the knob plate from a door deadbolt with the knob removed
This assembly and a small can with a centered 1/8 inch hole in the bottom
is held together with the toggle bolt and provides a convenient and
safe way to cut small cans with an X-acto razor saw.
Picture above shows the jig with can's top rim removed
(end of toggle bolt can be seen extnding to right)
Above shows bottom of can being removed with razor saw
( your left hand would grasp the jig side and rotate the assembly as your cut advances).
Note:
Don't try to cut through the can initially; but make three
medium strokes with the saw, advance to another section and repeat
until you have a nice bright cutting line showing all around the can.
Repeat the process until your saw blade begins to break through.
the blade will begin to bind so be careful and hold the jig firmly.
You may find that drawing the saw backwards more than a forward motion will help at this point.
Picture above shows all jig parts and cut can parts.
On the bottom row from left to right are the can bottom, the upper rim and the sidewall of the can.
Another view showing the assembled jig with the completely cut can
(with the can bottom still held in place on the jig).
To make a jig for the larger (standard can) just put an 1/8 in center hole
in a can you intend to dedicate as a jig and use the same toggle bolt and washers to hold the can to be cut in the jig.
(the cans are meant to nest bottom to top on your grocer's shelf).
See Below
Large can jig (jig can is on left)
The rim of the jig can is the cutting guide.
Distance and Length Converter
Use PayPal To Buy, Sell, and Pay your Bills!
also easier to send money to anyone with an e-mail address
........Cost free!
/
A really great service and nice folks too!
Screamin' Mimi's Ice Cream
--A Sebastopol Sensation
A Road MAP To....Screamin' Mimi's --Tell'em Mac sent you!
Clan McCullough Home Page & Index