Introduction: A Quick'n Dirty Way to Add a Padlock to Your Ammo Tin

By Farcyde's Stuff

My first Instructible after ghosting around here and getting Ideas for some years! Finally I made something, that I think is worth of and suitable for posting here. Please be patient with me since english ist not my mother-tongue and I'm doing this for the first time.

I have some Ammo Cans here that I got hands on for little money on the Internet. I use them for storing practically everything except Ammunition :-) But now I wanted to store some private belongings in one of them and wished for a lock. This is how I did it.

Step 1: What You Need

  1. An Ammo Tin (wow - who would have thought of that...)
  2. A Padlock, not too large
  3. A Metal-Drill-Bit a little bit larger in diameter than the shackle (is that the correct word?) of your padlock
  4. A Hammer
  5. A Dremel Tool or Angle Grinder

Please be cautious when working on metal with electric tools. Various hazards exist, so always wear your protection equipment and get yourself some help if you are not used to working with these tools.

Step 2: Find the Correct Flap and Bend It

First you want to want to find the flap that is under the latch of the Tin when it's closed. Then grab your hammer and give it some courageous blows from below to bend it up to about 90 degrees. A strong pair of tongs will help adjusting .

Step 3: Adjust the Latch

Since you have bent the flap to stand away from the box in a straight angle the latch will no more fit over it. Just take your angle grinder (a small dremel tool did perfectly for me) an cut off a triangle-shaped portion of the latch where it meets the flap. Do a little filing or sanding to avoid sharp edges. Close your box.

Step 4: Drill Holes

Grab your padlock and hold it to the closed latch to determine where your holes have to go - you don't have to be too precise in this step. Mark your holes to drill and begin. Just make sure your drill bit is a little larger than the diameter of the shackle of your lock, otherwise, later it will be difficult to run the shackle through the holes. Again sand or file the holes a little to avoid sharp edges.

And that's it. Close the box, put the lock in and lock it up.

I hoped you people liked the idea, I, personally find it great and useful. Comments and suggestions welcome!