Introduction: Pyramid of Horizontal Pencil Holders (Made of Tin Cans)
I did this to use some special edition Coke cans with funny illustrations, that I wanted to keep, but were also cluttering my drawers.
I use it to keep stuff I don't use that often, while still keeping it in display. It's nice to put on a high place, like the top of a closet or a high shelf.
Step 1: Material Needed
You will need:
- 6 tin cans - you can take home the ones you drink or ask for some at a café or restaurant. To put them in my bag, I push a napkin inside and leave a bit covering the hole, to make sure I don't get sticky stains on my stuff.
- A pair of pliers
- Some super-glue
Step 2: Tear the Aluminium Cap
Pliers work best, both to cut pieces out and to smash the resulting sharp edges to the side. Work at it until you are satisfied, i.e. to be reasonably sure that no one will lose the skin of the fingers during the intended use of the holders. Turning the sharp edges outwards is better than inwards.
You can now wash the can, with a brush or just shaking hot water and soap.
Step 3: Glue to Cans to Make a Pyramid
Apply a straight line of super-glue at the desired contact edge to pair 2 cans.
The best strategy is to initially glue them together in a vertical position, to make sure they are even. Then, put them in the horizontal and let the glue dry.
Glue together 3 cans in a row.
Place 2 more cans above the base, so that they lay in the interstices. Apply two lines of super-glue at the contact edges with the 2 cans immediately below. Place 1 more can in the interstice of the 2nd row. Again, start gluing in a vertical position and then letting the glue dry in the horizontal.
Step 4: Use the Holders
Place the pencils, pens, markers, brushes or whatever in the cans.
If the objects get lost inside the can, smash a piece of soft paper or roll some cloth and push it to the bottom to decrease the depth. That way, you don't have to put your fingers near the potentially sharp edges.
