Fully Functioning Spray Can Diversion Safe: Keep Your Valuables Protected

About a year ago, my house was broken into and a lot of my personal things were taken. I started to rethink my security as a whole. I came up with this project with the hopes of keeping my small valuables safe. I am aware that I'm not the first person to create diversion safes from canned items, but my method is simple, easy, and effective. To the best of my knowledge, it is also rather unique in its ability to maintain (to a certain extent) its original function. This extra use gives it an additional touch of realism, so that it looks, feels, and even functions like the actual thing. For the past year or so, I have been given a little extra feeling of security. More recently, I have remade this instructable in order to share some of a sense of confidence at a very affordable price (< $15)

Step 1: Things You Will Need

To construct this type of diversion safe you will need
1 empty spray type can (I used Pam, but really any can, that can be opened on the bottom with a can opener, can be used)
1 full spray type can that matches the empty one
Scissors
A can opener
An empty Jar or bottle with a screw on top that will be a close fit inside the can
Rough sandpaper
Cardboard
Thick, wide, and strong tape (i.e. duct tape)
A small section of plastic
Paper towel
Very strong glue or epoxy (in the example, I use a brand called E-6000)

Other things that may prove useful, but aren't absolutely necessary:
Wire cutters
Smooth sandpaper
A circle cutter
Lighter
Wooden skewer
Sharpie
Multi-tool

Step 2: Preparing the Can

If you only have only one spray can, you may want to practice this technique on the top of a soda or beer can. To cut it open, place the can opener onto the bottom edge, so that the blade is just barely under the lip. This will ensure that the seam isn’t visible on the finished product. Begin cutting along the bottom edge. Make sure to go slowly, stay as close the lip as possible, and use only the amount of force absolutely necessary. The cut should be very smooth. Once the bottom is off, rinse out and dry the inside of the can. You should also sand the lower inside portion to prep it for gluing later on in the process.

Step 3: Preparing the Bottle

First, pry or cut off any child safety devices. Then, remove anything left inside. Next, sand the outside and cap thoroughly with rough sand paper, so that the exterior of the bottle is no longer smooth. Wrap it in duct tape until the bottle is just barely able to fit into the can. This will keep the bottle centered.

Step 4: Adding a Bottom Inside the Can

Cut out a few circles of cardboard that will fit snugly into the can. Use sand paper to make the cardboard rougher. Then, glue the circles together in a stack. Glue the stack on bottom of the bottle. Finally glue and/or rubber band a small circle of plastic (such as from a bread baggie) over the cardboard, to keep it dry. This new bottom will be where the liquid gets sucked up from. It could potentially also function as the seal, but this is much harder to achieve than the method of simply placing your seal at the very bottom.

Step 5: Resizing the Internal Tube

You will find a long thin tube on the inside of the can, which must be cut to fit the new size of the internal cavity. You will need to take off about the length of the bottle and cardboard. One possible method that works well is to take a wooden skewer and mark the height on it with a sharpie. Then, push the skewer into the tube until it reaches the mark. Cut off the tube at the tip of the skewer. Save the cut off section of the tube because it will be used later.

Step 6: Sealing the Bottle in Place

Slide the bottle into the can with the cardboard end first. The end with the cap should be just barely inside of the can. Take a very strong epoxy or glue and apply it to the area on the bottle just below the tape. It is very important to completely seal the gap with a very thick layer of glue, or the can will be unable to hold any pressure.

Step 7: Attaching the Cap to the Bottom of the Can

Thoroughly sand the two surfaces to be attached. While the glue on the bottle is still wet, gently screw the cap onto it. Apply glue or epoxy to both surfaces (cap and metal bottom). Follow the directions specific to the brand of glue or epoxy you are using. Push down on the bottom of the can to set the bottle in place. Allow proper time to dry, so that the glue sets up very well.

Step 8: Refilling the Can With Fluid

Gently pull of the tips on both the full and empty cans. Cut a short section of the tubing you previously cut out of the empty can. Put it over the protruding nozzles (without the tips). It may help to use a lighter to get a tighter fit on it. Making sure that the full can is right side up and both cans are connected to the tube, open the valves by pushing down on both nozzles simultaneously. If you made a good seal in step 6, your can should begin to fill. (Keep in mind that you shouldn’t fill it too much because it would be bad to put too much pressure on the seal.) However, if the bottle wasn’t well sealed you may experience a leak. Try adding another thick layer of glue and repeating this step once the new layer is dry.

Step 9: Finishing Up

Remove or sand down all ragged edges, scrape off any unwanted glue, fill it with whatever you want, and place it somewhere that it will be inconspicuous. With any luck, your things will be kept safe.