Recycled fish-tin desk tidy.

I was about to put the dirty tin cans in our recycling box when I noticed five identical mackerel tins. Always a fan of 'direct' recycling, I came up with this handy storage unit for small components.

It took around five minutes to work out the best configuration, and another five minutes to make. I will now save you five minutes by showing you how to make the RECYCLED FISH-TIN DESK TIDY.

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Step 1: Materials, tools and constructing the base level.

Take five empty mackerel tins. If mackerel is not your fish of choice, pilchard or sardine tins would be equally at home in this project. You will also need a way of sticking the tins together. A hot glue gun is the ideal weapon to use here.

Wash the tins out well. Wash them out VERY well. No-one likes a desk tidy which smells of fish.

Turn one of the tins upside-down and run a couple of lines of hot glue down one of the long sides. Hold the tins together until the glue cools. Don't hold too close to the glue - those tins are excellent heat conductors.

darman12 says: Aug 28, 2012. 9:35 PM

Hmmmm....Is it just me, or does something seem..........fishy?

AndyGadget (author) in reply to darman12Aug 28, 2012. 11:42 PM

Things are a lot less fishy if you put them through the dish-washer first #;¬)

darman12 in reply to AndyGadgetAug 31, 2012. 3:14 PM

True, true.

darus67 says: Nov 4, 2008. 8:56 PM

Cool. You could also remove the lids from Altoids tins and do something very similar.

AndyGadget (author) in reply to darus67Aug 28, 2012. 11:40 PM

Altoids tins have too many other uses for this. The great thing about buying an Altoids project box is you get free mints with it too #;¬)

darman12 in reply to AndyGadgetAug 31, 2012. 3:13 PM

Haha...I love your perspective! You are buying the tin, and altoids come with it XD

darman12 in reply to darus67Aug 28, 2012. 9:37 PM

Or leave the lid on O.o That way you don't knock it over and spend the next 30min picking up components; and spend the next month stepping on them on your white carpet, haha.

KreaKatri says: Nov 11, 2008. 2:43 AM

Very nice :) You don't by any chance have a smart way to make a lid, just for the top one in your construction?

Cabbages and Kings in reply to KreaKatriSep 8, 2010. 1:20 PM

The way to make a lid would be to open the tins with one of those openers that cuts sideways through the seam rather than pulling the tab or using a downward cutting opener. The side cutting type automatically create a lid as they cut. Look on the advertising / packaging - the manufacturers often use the 'lid' thing as a marketing point.