Large Scale Central

Eric's tin can for 21

The MIK - Annual Build Challenge
#1

I have two old large size olive oil cans and i would like to use the tin from them to make something that rolls…perhaps a simple tip car or metal tool car to go with a work train. I also have quite a few wheel sets for such projects. I have to find a napkin…and a pencil…and narrow down my ideas. I may even do a couple of things…the cans are large and the metal plentiful.

Right now my computer is down. The power supply isn’t supplying power. Sue wants to upgrade me to one of the boy’s gaming machines which is fast and powerful, and has ordered an infinite hard disk for me and my videos. Until i am up and running, i cannot post any photos.

#2

I, for one, will be waiting patiently to see what you come up with Eric. Hope you get your new (to you) computer up soon. I always hate changing PC’s, lots of work.

#3

Uh oh…i am already behind.

Sue is still fixing my “new” computer and i havent even done a sketch yet to take a photo of and post…

I did get to the railway museum today for inspirstion, some cool stuff there you know. A couple little tip cars which would be the easy way out of this project, maybe a tank car… big round tank from a square can? Lots of rivits…i mean REALLY A LOT! How a bout a rail bus? Any votes? This is not a democracy though…

#4

Eric… I do think that a “SPAM” can would make a good box engine cover for a 7/8 rail car/bus

Dave T.

#5

I half expected you to make your own can first then bash the can into a project.

#6

Rail bus … hell yeah (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

#7

Railbus! With a tipper for a cargo bed! Pulling a tool car!

#8

Well the stealth project has begun, dang i wish i could share photos…

I used a regular hand can opener to remove the top and bottom from the two large olive oil cans. It is kind of hard to do. I ran the canopener on its side so the top comes off with the ridged seam. The “barrel” of the can was left with sharp cut edges. Gloves would have been a good idea but i do still have all my digits!

Next i used some of those fancy gold plated heavy duty scissors from the hardware store. To cut down along the weld line so i could unwrap the tin.

I did two large olive oil cans and got two sheets of tin about 9 inches by 20 inches i guess…s’pose i could measure them, but that is OK. You get the idea. I then took a straight edge and marked a straight line along the long, canopener cut nasty edge and made a nice clean straight cut with my golden scissors.

I practiced making some little bits, first a channel beam made from a strip of tin formed over a chunk of 3/8 thick metal with a hammer. It came out pretty well, mostly straight and fairly strong. I bent the channel and soldered it together into a loop…maybe the basis of a tip car.

I also rummaged through my bins of odd stuff. Wheels gears, motors…hmmm! Still gotta do a sketch i guess…no pictures it didnt happen…dang!

#9

Yep, all that work and it never really happened. But nothing wrong with practicing (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

#10

No pictures means it didn’t happen

#11

Well Sue got me a working computer, Yahoo!!!

so for my Napkin sketch on a note book page. who needs napkins if you dont dribble food on yourself?..or if your clothes are worth less than a disposable napkin? anyhow I cant draw well on a napkin, I just tear it up!

erics can plan

so the plan is to make something out of a can! maybe throw in some wheels and use scissors and a hammer? it is just a sketch after all.

#12

love it. solid starting point

#13

Eric Schade said:

Well Sue got me a working computer, Yahoo!!!

so for my Napkin sketch on a note book page. who needs napkins if you dont dribble food on yourself?..or if your clothes are worth less than a disposable napkin? anyhow I cant draw well on a napkin, I just tear it up!

erics can plan

so the plan is to make something out of a can! maybe throw in some wheels and use scissors and a hammer? it is just a sketch after all.

I don’t know…is lined paper an acceptable suspect for a napkin??? (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-foot-in-mouth.gif)

#14

raw materials

these are some of the cans for me to work with. I model really large scale so I want really large cans!

mining for gold

I used a regular hand operated can opener to remove the top and bottom from two of my large olive oil cans. it is hard work but it works…

#15

I think its gonna be fun to see what you do with rectangular cans. My instant thought is 7/8ths side tank loco.

#16

Or use “Plum” as an inspiration it is made from part of a Spam can by Matthew Foster, Facebook link to Takasaki Light Railway below, looks like he uses cans quite a lot.

(3) Takasaki Light Railway | Facebook

There is a letter to Garden Railways in the June 2009 edition titled “Critters” from Al McWhorter in Eugene Oregan which has a picture of a small diesel made with a tin can and ukulele wood similar to “Plum”.

Worth a look if you can get a copy

#17

Oh, I like plum! those little square coaches too, wider then they are long!

#18

I vote first prize for Best Raw Material.

#19

Lots of good metal in an Olive Oil can.

Check out those golden scissors!!!

I cut strips from the can so that I would make stuff…

Then formed them into a channel around a bit of steel using my trusty hammer…See Sketch…

#20

Nice sheet metal work, Eric.