101 uses for tin cans

[Boots]

1. Plant pots
2. Seedling protectors
3. Bird Feeders
4. Dodgy Telephone
5. Slow release plant waterers in clay soils
6. Can-man bird scarers
7. Toothbrush/pen holders
8. Cookie cutter
9. Sorting screws, nails, odds & sods in shed

[albert onglebod]

drip catchers where you havent got a water butt
open out and cut strips,pop rivet together in fancy shapes as biscuit cutters

[hedgewitch]

Punch holes around the sides in a pretty pattern and pop a tea light inside for funky lanterns - they can hung up as well.

[ina]

13. Container for washing paint brushes in
14. Stick something over open top, turn round and make longish slit to use as piggy bank
15. Stand the legs of your bed each in one, fill cans with paraffin to deter bugs (read that somewhere as tip for bug-ridden countries)

[Mandyz]

16. Use in pot of boiling water to make your own candles.
17. Fill with dried peas,beans, etc for a musical shaker.
18. Half fill with rice for an incense holder.
19. Makeshift rolling pin.
20. Smooth-sided cans can be used as candle moulds.

[hedgewizard]

21. Tie several onto a length of baling twine (ok, ok, or string) and attach to tripwire as makeshift burglar alarm. Also works if attached to henhouse door if you have lightfingered neighbours.

22. Rain gague

23. Use for two cans: If using lengths of guttering for bringing on salad seedlings in the greenhouse, support on board and raise one end an inch or so higher than the other. Place tin can on the ground under the low end. Water from the high end from tin can with a little hole in so that it drips slowly, and stop when you hear the *ping* *ping* *ping* of the first drips hit the can. I'm going to give this a try this summer. If the guttering is too long to use one tin can's worth of water you might use a 2L feeder (use 6 for 2L lemonade bottle in that thread)

[albert onglebod]

24. A large coffee can with string attatched and painted around the sides would make a great Drum for a littl'un.
25.well washed out and dried with safe edges would make a hamster house.
26. two with lids would make those stilt pots(you can buy plastic ones in Early learning centre) if you add long string handles.The lids stop them from buckling.

[Millymollymandy]

27. Eat the contents

[Shirley]

28. tie several together with baler twine and attach to the rear bumper of a newlywed couple's car

[Boots]

29. A billy - use wire to create handle and suspend over open fire or place on camping cooker to boil water for cuppas.

30. Tin cans were also used in World War one by our diggers, but I can't remember the name of the missiles they made with them and hurled from the trenches... AND... can't really think of a situation where one might actually need to reintroduce that use....

...so will shut up now..

[albert onglebod]

31.Tie a piece of string round rim,make holes in sides,fill with rags and set alight.Whirl around and around and then warm your hands up on it. My dad used to do this when he was a littl'un in about 1920.

(Ooh look,Im Tom Good...going up in the world)

[wulf]

32. Cutting your fingers

Not something you'd particularly want to do but I've done it enough times by accident that it probably warrants a mention!

Wulf

[hedgewizard]

33. Cookie cutter

34. Slug trap (with beer in)

[Shirley]

35. get a magnetic strip and 'stick' some cans on it - you can get little lids for food cans too. Assuming they don't rust you could use to keep spices/herbs in.

[Boots]

Sorry - another literacy lesson needed for Boots...

What is a water butt? This is the second thread I have seen that... what is it?

..Magnetic strip has me giggling too Shirlz. I can just see my kids flinging cans at the walls and cheering when they stick! Might be a good way to get them to put things back.