Mason jars make trendy glassware in chic bars and restaurants. I'm going to get out ahead of the trends and assume that the next cup of choice will be banged up tin cans.
There aren't a lot of sensible reasons to add a handle to a tin can, but using it for hot drinks is chief among them. There are three different methods of attachment that I could think of without using a welder or fasteners, and I tried them all. I think the one I like the best has the crimped top attachment and the string at the base of the handle, so this tutorial will be for that type and I'll describe the other two at the bottom.
WARNING - Lots of risk of small and large cuts here. Be careful and deliberate and respect the edges of the cut can.
Requires:
-One can in good condition
-One sacrificial can to make handles
-String
-Kitchen shears
-Needle-nose pliers
-Something that can punch a small slot in a can (I used multi-tool can opener)
I would just check out the pictures first, then read the instructions if anything is unclear.
The sacrificial can
should be cut once down the length with shears, and then cut into circumferential bands of about an inch and half width. Clean up the edges of the cut band, then use a hard straight edge, like the edge of a table, to fold over a 1/8" to 1/4" hem on the top and bottom of the band. Hammer the hem flat. If you are having trouble getting the bend started for the hem, pliers help a lot.
Now punch a slot about 3/8" wide just below the upper rim of the can in a flat orientation. You may also have to punch a similar sized slot in the remaining flange inside the can if it was a peel-top type. The type of can opener shown in the pictures works well for this. If you put a large stick inside the can to support the inside wall, you can tap on the back of the can opener with a hammer.
Now use needle-nose pliers to roll one end of the handle over as tightly as you can toward the side with the hems. About one and half times around should be good. Bend the handle shape you want into the rest of the handle (hems should be pointed out, away from the where fingers will go in). Trim the length of the handle to what looks good with about an inch extra. Now cut that last inch to just the 3/8" strip in the middle, and cut some slight chamfers on the end of the strip so it can
feed through the slot in the can.
Attach the handle by sliding the strip through the slot from the inside of the can to the outside, then fold it back up over the lip of the can and crimp it down to the rim with pliers as tightly as you can. Now put the final shape you want bent into the handle so that the coiled part is stitting against the side of the can, then run string around the can and through the middle of the coil two or three times, and secure the whole thing with a
constrictor knot as tight as you can. I tied off the ends tightly with a square knot as well and then cut them short. Congratulations on your new can-mug-thing.
If you use a similar slot and crimp method to attach the bottom part of the handle, it looks cleaner and is heat proof (no string), but it is going to leak through the lower slot. I made a dog food scooper with this technique, and it is great for that or other dry applications.
The last method of adding a handle involved only half-opening the lid of the can (so you have to think ahead), then cutting a strip into the lid and rolling it over to the outside of the rim and crimping. This was a pain when I did it because I left wings on the can lid to keep it from peeling off when the handle is used. That might not have been a necessary step though, I'm not sure. Either way it is going to be a pretty small one-finger handle with this method, but it can go directly over heat and it doesn't have any holes along the side to leak.
This is part of the
MoPID series of permaculture innovations that I am working on during my time at
Wheaton Labs. Check out the
thread if you'd like to follow along.
Toxicity of the polymer can liner at different temperatures... anyone have any data?
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