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does anyone know how to make a chinese lantern from empty beer cans? or indeed anything else i can make from them?

thank you

cant help with the lantern, but i watched something years ago as to how the gypsys made clothese pegs - the put a band of tine can round the top of the split to stop it splitting further.

Lantern: not chinese!

found this on a website which tells oyu how to make your own nuclear fallout shelter (:shock:)
http://www.ki4u.com/free_book/nw149.jpg

or you could try my aunt's idea:
full can to 1 inch from top with water then freeze solid.

take a philips screwdriver and hammer.
hammer out a hole in the side of the can, near the bottom- this is to put the candle in. do it like the perforations round stamps; you'll remove it later.

hammer out a nice design. Deb seems to favour sun, moon and stars from the lanterns she's got around the place. if the ice starts to melt, put back in freezer.

leave somewhere to thaw and drain.

once drained, use a pair of strong scissors or secateurs to cut the metal between the perforations on the doorway. be careful of your hands when you put the candle in.

I have to admit I've only personally used this method to make a beantin lantern; but I'm assures it actually works better with beer cans. I can give diagrams if needed.

Do what MrsF says, ie fill with water and freeze.

Then take a stanley knife and make cuts down the length of the can, every 1/2 inch or so, don't go to near the top or bottom, (1/2 inch again, poss.)

When the ice has thawed and drained awy push the top and bottom together, thus creasting a chinese lantern

You will need to play around with the design a bit to perfect it (I have never done it myself) and you will need to cut the lid out too I guess.

2 beer cans. cut bottom off one then cut large window in the other - about 1/2 out of the side.
Punch a hole in the bottom that you cutt off.
cut a strip of cotton - such as denim and roll tightly to about 5-1cm around.
wind a strip of can around a pencil tightly to make a roll and push the denim wicking through it.
put the metal encased wick through the bottom section you put a hole in, then flip it upside down and slide into the bottom of the other can that you caut the window in.

Fill with oil - canola or olive are what i use, and some essentials if you want. let the wick become soaked and then light it. you will periodically need to use a needle or similar to raise the wick up a little.

Not a lantern of any description, but another use for beer cans:

I've got a book - Eco Deco - which shows a drawer front covered in flattened out beer cans ie the cans are cut down their length with tin snips then opened out & flattened, attached to a board which is then attached to the drawer front, handle attached with longer screws to go through extra thickness.

Haven't tried it myself, but it looks good & would certainly personalise a room.

There's a mirror on Craftster that uses pop cans in the same way, Thy've been cut into smallish squares and nailed on so hat it looks like they've been weaved.

Very pretty it is.

thank you all so much for your replies

i have my cans in the freezer at this moment and plan to try the chinese lanterns and stamped designed lanterns, one day when i make lots of olive oil from my 70 olive trees i will make the olive oil lantern...

you are all superstars

Sounds great - can we see photos when you've finished please

oooh yes please. I'd like to see pics!

just been looking through old posts (gettin to know the site) and found this one for uses for beer cans. heres a link to one i hope to try from thr fantastic make magazine website.

definitely worth a look as they have loads of cool ideas.

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2007/0 ... arage.html

Oooh, i like Makezine,. good link!