My boyfriend made me these for Christmas last year, but actually they are pretty neat for summer time so I’m giving it a go myself – the plan is to put them out on the windowsill (the closest I’ll be getting to a garden in my London flat) while the nights are still warm enough to go to bed with the window open. If you get the patterns right you’ll find you can stare at them flickering away for hours.
You’ll need a bit of patience, as there’s a lot of waiting around for water to freeze (best bet is overnight), and paint to dry. And then also a bit of skill depending on how complicated you want the patterns to be (notice I’ve kept it pretty simple but the patterns can get as elaborate as you wish!).
You will need
Tin cans
Hammer and nails/screwdriver
Metal paint
Paint brush
Turps (to wash the brush)
Sticky tape (optional)
Step One – Clean up Cans
Remove labels and clean up the empty cans. When you remove the label, try and take off in one piece. It might help to score/cut it with a knife to do this.
Step Two – Fill with water and freeze
Fill the cans with water and leave to freeze overnight
Step Three – Create Design
If you feel confident then you can punch the holes into the can freehand. But if you’re worried about how the pattern is going to come out, it’s a good idea to draw it out on paper first and stick it onto the can. I think the best way to do this is to use the label from the can and draw on the back, as it’ll be the perfect size. Otherwise you can use greaseproof paper as you can cut it from the roll to fit the size of the can. Then draw out your pattern and stick it around the can to use as a template.
Step four – Make Holes
Now for the fiddly bit. You need to hold the tin cans one at a time (I suggest using a cloth) and then hammer the holes in. Depending how big you want to make the holes (obviously the bigger the holes the more light’s going to come through) you can use nails of different sizes or a screwdriver. If you have screwdrivers with different ends, this can be useful for making different shapes of hole which can look sweet.
You will have realised by now what the ice is for – it’s much easier and safer to hammer the nails/screwdrivers into something solid behind the can.
Step Five – Paint
Once you’ve finished making the holes and all the ice has melted it’s time to get painting. Make sure the whole tin can is dry. Metail paint is oil-based and it’s hard to get out of things so make sure you cover the area you are working.
It is also slow to dry, and you’ll probably need about two or three coats, so be patient!
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