Press Aluminum Cans into Ceiling and Wall Tiles

Step 7 Install metal tiles

To cover an area, it takes about 4.5 can tiles per square foot. Install with a staple gun or something similar. Start from the end farthest from the entrance on a ceiling or start from the bottom when installing on a wall, this helps hide the overlapping seams.

Each little can isn't perfect, but when they're all installed the effect is nice.

Comments

[timothybena]

This is cool and all. But why do i need to cast a die to press aluminum cans? Seems liek a lot of trouble when i could just mill, or dremel, or route a couple of wood blocks.

[Tetsu57]

Not to knock casting but I agree, it's not worth the bother to produce dies suitable for relief forming of soft metals like aluminum or copper. I have used masonite and plastics to great success. Make a simple hydraulic press frame, use a bottle jack for a ram and amazing things can be accomplished.

[sharpstems]

Do you think masonite would hold up to repeated use as well as poured aluminum? I was thinking of carving a foam positive as this guy did and pouring a negative in some sort of hard castable plastic - and then using that to pour the other piece of the die, also in plastic. How do you carve masonite? Do regular woodcarving knives work? Thanks

[cathrynm]

Carve your design in soap (take the leavings, melt them down, pour into a square the right size, let cool), create a negative of this design in rubber molding material that you paint on the soap positive, let it cure, peel it off and you can then create positive plaster castings of your design, as many as you want to use in pressing the aluminum cans with your original design. Crack one? No problem! You can make as many positives as you like with the negative rubber mold!

[sing1ejack]

I like the idea of a press of some sort - something quick & streamlined since so very many cans would have to be pressed. How exactly have you done this in the past?

[robbtoberfest]

I've use a bench press and a hammer only so far. I have a compound lever press in mind for the near future. I built a lego mock up here.

[robbtoberfest]

Casting is not that bad once you have a small foundry settup, stuff can be made in under an hour and be ready to use. Also, making this die with foam is way easier than carving wood or some other material into shape. Ideally, this could be very neatly done on CNC for a cost, but I've spent almost no money on this project except for the charcoal.

[timothybena]

Fair enough!

[awupper]

If you are using steel staples and aluminum cans you will get galvoic corrosion and the staples will rust badly very fast. Unless that's the look you want....

[bobank]

I am not very excited about final project, but I give you full 10 for idea and possibility what else can come from there. You just open my view and if I do anything in a future, I will send you photos. The only problem, I am 54 yrs old and have about 15 projects in mind and on paper to overcome this "black economy", so I do not know when I can do this, but one of my ideas is to design couple patterns, put them together on the wall and let water running from the top. On the bottom is clear ( poliester- heated and bent) pool where fishes can swim. Excellent idea and thank you for giving me starting point. Maximus

[tcase]

Many people have their oppinion on whats good, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I prefer the smooth look better.. everything depends on how it appeals to the person creating this artwork. Myself, I would prefer a perfect look, other prefer the roughness. All in all, either way, It does have character, and in my case, I thought a press brack that is used to bend aluminum would be the ideal way to go, with a mold either like above, or made in other ways. And with wood, you could also try to hand chisel the mold for a rough look also. Nice job, and it does look good... you could also use a basic hand press brake to use aluminum cans for making siding, and metal roofing ( also another instructable here. So you may be able to come up with many ways to get a nice looking finish product.

[robbtoberfest]

Awesome, I'm glad you like. I definitely would like to see other people's design ideas. You're right on with this being a good starting point; I think this could really use some tweeking and perfecting. I'd like to make less wrinkles.

[fgibbs]

Using a hydrolic jack in a press would provide a more even pressure, probably reducing the wrinkles. Also, an slight angle, 15 or 20 degrees, on the relief of the plates would help. Otherwise, it is an awesome project.

[robbtoberfest]

 I think you're right on with the angles. The "real" tin ceilings all seem to have curved and angled edges in the details.

[Benson1]

you'd probably get less wrinkles if you had a way to put more pressure on the press. Also if the rims went out a bit more around the indent it would give you a bigger space around the shape that is flat.

I would suggest something like: http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/metal/Sheet-And-Plate-Metal-Work/images/Double-Arm-Screw-Press.jpg

[3DCadMan]

Don't disappear, the wrinkles and the hand carving roughness add character that the so called perfect CNC designs don't have, love the look and feel

[user669]

Hey Robbroberfest, I have enjoyed a couple of your instructables so far. Very good job. If you lived in Tennessee I'd buy ya a beer.