Press Aluminum Cans into Ceiling and Wall Tiles

Step 6 Cut and stamp cans

First cut the raw material, the soda can.
This gets sharp, so wearing gloves is important. Use scissors or tin snips to cut the top off the can at the seam where the can bends. Cut down the center to the bottom and then cut off the bottom of the can. You should now have a rectangular piece of aluminum sheet metal.

Cutting lots of these little aluminum sheets in advance is nice

Lay a sheet in between the dies to make a little sandwich. Give it a few light raps with a ball peen hammer until you feel the deformation of the can. Open it up and see the tile; if you dies aren't perfect, this may take some practice and some dremel adjustments until everything works. Actually my stamp still tears and breaks the cans often, I think it has something to do with the sharp angles of the design.

Comments

[strmrnnr]

The tears and rips could be from the sharp angles but the main cause is likely the sharp raps you give with the hammer. You might try a press of some sort using timber and a long lever to squeeze the plates together slower. The metal then has a little time to heat enough to deform around the angles. It would be easy with an upright on the front of your bench and a timber lever that gives you a 4:1 ratio pressing down on the plates. I like this idea of the pressed metal. You make it look real easy too. Thanks.

[robbtoberfest]

Thanks for the tips. I actually tried this in the bench vise and it did work better, but those sharp parts still cut the aluminum can in certain spots. I figure the gap between the positive and negative die needs to be more consistent too.

[strmrnnr]

Sounds like you may want to get fancy and put in guide pins so the plates are coming down the exact same everytime. Also if the positive is made first, the sharpies filed off, then a layer of latex or something the thickness of the working metal being used, then a negative made with that - the gap should be exact to match the latex - all around. Hope it helps

[kai_gehn]

when we die mold something in jewelry usually we bevel the edges about 45 degrees, and press using a softer material like strmrnnr says but we use a urethane rubber in sheets and a hydrolic press. {spell checker isn't helping today} i like the idea of the wooden press

[jaythedogg]

Eww Natural Light... :P Good instructable man!

[joymama]

I love the idea about using the soda cans, Just not making the die. I appreciate you explaning how though. Can't you make me one? JK:)

[robbtoberfest]

I thought about opening an Etsy shop selling either the tiles or the actual die. I don't know what kind of money should be charged for something like that though. I need to fix the tearing problem first.

[WilderLust]

hmmm... i doubt you will get rid of the tearing... if you make your tool less deep you might but then you will loose definition of the image... the aluminum in cans is very low grade stuff... now if you bought higher quality sheets... but then you would not be recycling! have you thought of puncturing instead of stamping the way you are? it will be like pierced metal work. i had a friend years ago who made pierced metal art work. you can have just about any design on the sheets and using a nail and hammer just pierce holes showing the design... you could even make a tool like you have here to do stamp piercing if you have a hydraulic press :-)

[robbtoberfest]

Puncturing does sound fun; just need to find a good way to do it. Maybe a slab of wood with lots of screws in the puncture pattern.

[clamoring]

fwiw, I'd buy the die for about $20. I'd love to try this project but don't have the space to deal with the casting portion. If you do end up selling the dies pretty please let me know? *upvote*

[WilderLust]

i doubt $20 would cut it... it takes a lot of time and a lot of expense to do this... melting aluminum requires a lot of energy and the rest of the work is rather intense.

[kai_gehn]

I think $20 would cut it. the trick with cutting cost in art work and other production is numbers. if there is a way to produce more work in steps the time each piece is produced with is cut down considerably.  in my own work i come up with this problem a lot.  in jewelry we do this by soldering pieces in groups, and pouring molds in multiples. even the cost of machinery used is cut down the more work is done with it. check out  science.jrank.org/pages/558/Assembly-Line-History.html for the history it's pretty cool.

[sonaps]

Right, "soda" cans......*wink*

[Marksson]

haha! right? now I've got a use for all my 'soda cans' too lol.