Once you finish a soup can, you could wash it out and use it as a pencil can. You know, to keep your desk tidy, but there's one problem, that's boring. Instead, using a couple of other materials you already have, like rivets and bottle caps, you can transform it into your very own stylish caterpillar pencil can! Because, who doesn't love caterpillars?

Step 1: Materials and Tools

For this project you will need:
A soup can
4 bottle caps
4 pop rivets
An inch or two of thin magnet wire

Tools
Drill with bit for rivet
Riveter
Tin snips or pliers to cut the wire
Rotary tool with conical drill bit

Step 2: Belly of the Beast

You have four bottle caps. There should be two of one type and two of another. Put these in an alternating pattern. Drill three holes in the center of three of the bottle caps. Then, drill a hole into the middle area of the soup can. Attach it to the can using a pop rivet. Then, align the bottle caps in a straight line to the original bottle cap. Then, rivet those bottle caps onto the soup can. Now, you have the body of the caterpillar.

Step 3: Antennae

Use the conical drill bit on the rotary tool to drill two small holes into the side of your last bottle cap. Slide your piece of magnet wire through these two holes. Then, if you think that the antennae are still too long, curl the ends as I have done in the picture. Braiding the wire adds extra flare for you over-achievers out there.

p.s. This step is extra hard if you rivet on the head and then put the antennae in. I did this the first time I made one of these.

Step 4: Head and Face

Now rivet the last bottle cap slightly above, but still attached to the other ones. The rivet makes a good nose, and for the eyes you can just drill two holes. For the mouth, use the conical drill bit to engrave a smile into the bottle cap. Or, you could cut out a smile, but I wanted to practice with my Dremel.
*It looks sort of bad in the pictures, but it looks good in person.

Step 5: Legs

The legs can also be engraved in a similar matter, I used one leg per body segment, and found that that was enough. You could do two, but the would need to be smaller. I would honestly recommend using a different way to make the legs, because these aren't incredibly prominent.

Step 6: Finish

Finish and enjoy! Your pencils, pens, and co-workers will thank you! No more gross soup can, and now your friends will beg you to make some for them. And if you don't you will have the coolest pencil holder in the office!