Soda Can Mobile

This reuse project shows you how to turn soda cans into a spring that you can use for a mobile. A fascinating eye-catcher that is moving up and down when pulled.

Step 1: Use Soda Can Strip Cutter to Make Aluminum Rolls

We are going to start with a regular soda can and transform it into a long strip of aluminum. I already posted an Instructable how to make such a strips with a cutter for soda cans. You find it under this Link.

Step 2: Aluminum Rolls With Mechanical Tension

When producing the aluminum strips, they are rolled onto a strip winder first. At this moment you already have to decide which side of the soda can you want to have on the outside of your mobile .... the outer colored side of the manufacturer or the inner shiny side. The pine cones on the first picture of this Instructable have the colored side outside whereas the ball ornaments have the inner shiny side outside. Load the strip winder accordingly and finish the roll.

Then the aluminum roll is carefully removed from the strip winder. The roll is then immediately secured with tape. The aluminum roll still carries a certain mechanical tension so it will explosively unfold if you do not secure it (watch the video).

But how can we work with such aluminum rolls if they unfold all the time? The trick how to relax the aluminum and turn the roll into a spring type shape is shown in the next chapter.

Step 3: Trick to Relax Aluminum Rolls

Those of you following my projects maybe remember the video how to flatten soda can sheets (Link). There we used the heat from an iron. We will use heat here also, but instead of the iron, we will place the aluminum rolls in an oven.

First, carefully remove the tape. It would not survive the temperatures in the oven. Instead of tape, wrap the aluminum roll with wire to protect the aluminium roll from unfolding.

Place the rolls in an oven for around 30 minutes at 200°C Celsius or 392 Fahrenheit. Thereafter cool the rolls with cold water. Now you can transfer the rolls to a piece of paper for drying. You will already recognize that the wire around the rolls will fall off and nothing happens.

Step 4: Make a Spring Out of the Relaxed Aluminum Rolls

So now we are ready to use the aluminum roll as a spring for our mobile. Form a hook with the inner end of the aluminum strip. Then form a second hook with a pin that is sticked into the object that will be hung on the mobile. Here it is a pine cone. Now connect these two hooks and slowly pull the inner end of the roll out to form a spring. Repeat the step with other objects you want to have on your mobile.

Step 5: Use the Spring for the Soda Can Mobile

Now combine the individual elements by hanging them on a rod, for example ..... and this is how the finished mobile looks like.