Flatten soda cans

The "flatten soda cans" project can be found on Instructable: www.instructab...
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WHERE TO BUY
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After having prepared "flatten soda cans" I use the following tools for cutting and embossing:
Embossing: s.click.aliexp...
Cutting: s.click.aliexp...
Blades: s.click.aliexp...
Full disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link. I get a small percentage of what sale they generate. Thanks for your support!
Intro:
This video shows you an easy way to flatten soda cans completely and turn them into shiny sheets of aluminum that you can use in your DIY craft projects.
The reason for presenting a solution how to flatten soda cans is that after recycling normally the obtained aluminum sheets keep the round shape of the can. This makes it cumbersome do work with. It is much easier to work with a flat sheet where you can transfer you design onto and then cut it out with scissors.
The current method to flatten soda cans that I could find in the Internet was to bend the round sheets over a tables edge for flattening. However, I did not like the results and therefore was looking for a better way which is presented here.
As an example, I attached a small project how to use the flat aluminum sheet to make a 3D-star. Thereafter it is up to you to check out paper craft books for ideas that you can realize with the flat aluminum sheet. I am looking forward to see your ideas.
Step 1: Parts List
To flatten soda cans, you need the following household items:
• A clean soda can (you can remove the ink before or after flattening)
• Knife
• Small piece of wood
• Scissors
• Electric iron
To make the 3D-star you will need additionally:
• Pliers
• Marker
• Cardboard
To remove the ink from soda cans you will need:
• Pressure cooker
• Nail polish remover or another solvent like Acetone, EtOH etc.
Step 2: Remove the ink
Before you start you can remove the imprints on the outside wall of the soda can. I already posted an Instructable that demonstrates a method for ink removal from soda cans. You can find the Instructable here: • Ink removal from soda can
Step 3: Separate top and bottom of the soda can
Clean the emptied soda can by rinsing twice with water and then let it dry. Now we start a procedure to carefully cut off the upper and lower parts of the can. Pay attention to your fingers during this procedure, as aluminum edges can lead to heavy cuts. Use a knife to mark a groove around the can. Hold the knife on a piece of wood at a level plane and then rotate the can around. It is not necessary to cut through the aluminum. Apply some pressure with your fingernail near the groove to separate the top and the bottom part (see video). Separate the tube with scissors to obtain an aluminum sheet.
Step 4: Flatten the Soda Can
Now comes the trick: To flatten the aluminum sheet, use an electric iron. Adjusted it to the maximum heat (Linen) and then hold it over the sheet for 3 minutes. I could not see any damage to the iron after using it on various sheets however I have to admit that the iron I use is only for waxing alpine skis. Let it cool down and the you have completely flat aluminum sheets ready for any kind of DIY projects. I recommend scrolling through old paper craft books for ideas how to use the sheets. The advantage of aluminum is that your crafts later can be put outside because it will withstand any kind of weather.
Step 5: How to make a star
Draw a star on a piece of cardboard. Cut out the star and place it on the flat aluminum sheet. Transfer the design by following the star with a marker. Cut out the star with the scissors. Mark even lines between the opposite corners of the star with the back of the knife. Bend the aluminum along the lines to form the star (see video).

[@matildo4ka7]

Vielen dank. Quick tip, I flaten them in oven (specially used for plastic and cans, NOT for baking). 450F and interestingly enough, afterwards you can remove paint with steel wool and nail polish remover ;) Just FYI as some ppl are afraid to use pressure cooker))

[@timeenuf4200]

This is great! I saw something I wanted to make out of soda cans but thought it was too much trouble to get flattened. You not only showed how to do that you made cutting the cat much easier, you added cleaning the ink off, and a special project. So much in one video. Great job. Thank you for sharing you knowledge.

[@LeFreak]

thank you - that is what the internet is made for!

[@LapisCyborg]

@Time Enuf What did you make?

[@timeenuf4200]

@@LapisCyborg oh wow this was a long time ago. Well I tried to make some little windmills but the aluminum just didn't hold up to So Cal winds. Fun trying though. Thanks for asking

[@shanaharrison4402]

Holy moly! We have a Waterloo obsession in my house AND a painting/crafts obsession. This is life changing!

[@Simplylisette]

I immediately subscribed to your channel! Thank you so much, this was like magic to me😊

[@cacevedo07]

One of the best trick I ever watched. Thanks!

[@pirateking4234]

Thank you for this video! I am planning on making some plant labels, and being able to work on nice flat can is such a great help. 😁

[@danielwallengren2564]

Holy cow I haven't seen an iron like that in a long time

[@nadronnocojr]

. ? that ain’t old

[@epic.6608]

@@nadronnocojr this comment is tho

[@mikewaddell8814]

I drink to much beer hope I can pay for with these amazing ideas 💡 very talented sir.

[@ifferl8781]

This is a well made video. I'm experimenting with the foil used as a patch. The stars are a great idea.

[@carlavandepas2344]

Hello, I looked at a few videos. I don't know if you already know but you can cut the aluminium sheet with a Cricut machine. 😊 . And make for example leaves from a flower. And attached that together to a beautiful tin flower. The sky is your limit. Thank you for your video's !

[@LeFreak]

... thanks for telling me - so far I could resist to buy one, but I think I will some day

[@carlavandepas2344]

@@LeFreak it's really a nice machine. You can do so much with the machine. 🥰...look special for a Cricut machine where you can cut thin tin! Have fun 👋

[@diymaster101]

Thank very much thanks 🙏

[@DiscoverRajivVlogs]

Now, you made it behave like you want😂🤣nice video.

[@moniquehamerslag3379]

Great, thank you!!!

[@rwetta]

Thanks for these step by step instruction. Your method works efficiently and produces great results. I am going to try this with a sheet of paper or cardboard, on the ink side. Some cans have great colors I want to preserve.

[@LeFreak]

I used baking paper for this job - but you immediately feel that you loose heat - so if you have a paper between the iron and the soda can it takes a little bit longer... have fun

[@kevinramsey2055]

@@LeFreak hey can you make a video on how to re ink from a soda can but not use a slow cooker

[@cartographicprojection]

Thank you! Such a simple idea that will make things SO much easier! 👍👍

[@craftmamanl]

I have a clothing press.. that should work!

[@gwynnew317]

Absolutely brilliant! Thank you for sharing!❤

[@gabriellavalerio6783]

this vid is just what i needed. thanks!

[@fshs1949]

Beautiful work. Thank you.

[@lyricwritertoo]

I like with my adding machine tape you can just run it over the sharp edge of a table. In opposite direction of curl. Curl up. I’d maybe do that first then iron a tiny bit if you want total flat and shiny. I also warped my green cutting matt without thinking and putting a warming tray on it to press flowers. The heat was still near enough it permanently made a bump.

[@IshmaelDoe]

man this way way more professional and neat way to cut a can, thanks for sharing! You have my sub sensei!

[@graywoulf]

That is one of the best instructables I have seen in a while! I would like to know where you get soda with 7% alcohol in it though. LOL! And the stars are great too!

[@LeFreak]

thanx for your feedback - and sorry having use a beer can (smile) ... have drink on me

[@graywoulf]

LOL! No apology necessary. I know you were trying to keep it "G" rated. ; ^) And thanks, I think I will take you up on that.

[@christyl7698]

@@LeFreak Agree with the super clear instructions! Thank you for saving my fingers

[@kevinramsey2055]

LOL

[@alicelefae]

this is life-saving. I don't have an iron so I'm using a cast iron pan which works just as well. Thank you!!!

[@LeFreak]

Cool - so you heat up the empty pan and then hold it over the aluminum sheets?

[@alicelefae]

@@LeFreak yeah, pretty much use it the same as the iron! I also have a cast iron griddle that I rest the aluminum on so it heats on both sides.

[@jasonjamrs7413]

Love it dude I love it well done and keep up the good work

[@buentaste]

love it👍🏻

[@marioexpropiacionpetronilo2753]

Nice video! Useful and enjoyable!!!

[@macplastering]

That's brilliant mate

[@charlenehumphries8019]

I'd did this but made aluminum more brittle. I was unable to fold without snapping. Was fine for embossing

[@LeFreak]

for folding watch this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/emW6iql7a9egqbM

[@napk1n.s586]

Thank you so much really helped

[@vickierusard7512]

Thank you

[@duster.]

Brilliant, thank you

[@annekevangorkum]

VERY useful, thank you!!!

[@IndrZit]

Nice, specially the stars 👌

[@top_g_mr_producer]

Great video mate, and exactly what I was seeking 👌

[@tuurelindstrom1238]

Thanks

[@neatrepeat]

Wow very good video, best one i have seen on aluminum cans

[@LeFreak]

Thanx

[@jeramydupree4205]

Fantastic

[@violettracey]

Thanks!

[@jjj9220]

Thx! Great tips

[@blackinferno57]

I feel like a good way to get this result en bulk would be placing a baking dish atop a stack of sheets and putting it in the oven on low for a few minutes. great stuff though, definitely helped.

[@Resolute900]

Good idea, did you try that out? Do let us know of the results dear.

[@lisajarvis3820]

Thank You!

[@adamadamadamadam]

I don't have an iron, but if the maximum temperature is about 450F/220C, maybe one could use an oven. The can section could be placed between two flat pans or cookie sheets with a little weight on top. What do you think?

[@LeFreak]

There are even videos showing this

[@susansobon]

Thank you so much!! Love your channel

[@hildaalintria7484]

Really cool, Gonna try this

[@user-tr2dh4xx6u]

I would just a hot cast iron pan instead, easy faster though paint might burn. I would turn one pan upsidedown on the stove then sandwich the sheet between it and another pan.

[@buildwithgraceandlace]

Great!

[@craftingwithlaura]

Thank you for sharing! 🥰

[@LeFreak]

Welcome - I like your video with the blue earings

[@pipelinecowboy]

Unintentional asmr my friend

[@penelopepennington3838]

Thank you‼️

[@jaynaarsenault2863]

*AWESOME SAUCE*

[@lenhowl]

Well done

[@Marbella993]

Wow I love this! Thank you you got a new subscriber!!😊😊😊

[@LeFreak]

thanks - always motivating to get positive feedback

[@Marbella993]

Can I do this on aluminum cookie sheets?

[@SharonLippincott]

I do not have a pressure cooker, so I put a can in the oven at 350° F and cooked it for an hour along with dinner. The ink came right off.

[@jolenethetoolwomantaylor5973]

This is awesome! Thank you!

[@thegrayman69]

“Soda Can” - beer can “Old Newspaper” - magazine “Watch” - clock on an iPad “Eye- Ron” - iron

[@kimyooii]

Thank you for good video !!!

[@Suzuki_Hiakura]

could i do this by putting sheets between two pans and putting in oven? figure it could work as well... possibly... right?

[@ioanbenzar2941]

I say its easier to use a can opener for the bottom and the top, then cut down the middle and flatten it woth this trick

[@IAMGiftbearer]

I never knew you could iron tin to make it flat!

[@isisphlyx]

great tip.. iron to flatten it

[@fruitytarian]

Very nice! subscribed :)

[@truthbetold4178]

👏👍 Thank you so much~❣️

[@the_real_foamidable]

Very cool.

[@LeFreak]

thanks - was looking at your videos - I do have also some depron wings - happy landing

[@jeramydupree4205]

Roofing shingles vs recycled aluminum can sheets

[@noobbuilderproductions7865]

love this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@keekwai2]

MUCH easier and faster to pull the sheet down over the edge of a table in the opposite direction of the bend. Takes 2 seconds.

[@DenaturedProtein]

Subscribed! Thanks a looooooooooooooot

[@LeFreak]

hey thanks - you seem to like it!

[@sebaseduardo16]

Is it possible to glue them together to make them stronger???

[@LeFreak]

I never tried it - maybe difficult to choose the right glue

[@ヴィネット-l3z]

Will eddy current be generated in aluminium sheets? Need your help for school project. 🥺

[@LeFreak]

I'm not sure what you mean, but aluminum from beverage cans can conduct electricity like copper.

[@ricardo6023]

Hi, I was wondering if this works with all cans? As I have heard that cans have a plastic lining on the inside. Thanks

[@LeFreak]

The flattening works with soda cans that are made of a very thin aluminum wall - the best is to try - it does not take much time.

[@evanevan6548]

They really said there is a how to for everything with this one

[@neatrepeat]

Wow you just saved my fingers from me amputating them trying to cut cans and trying to flattening them.

[@sjm8510]

You know you could sell them online for crafters or peeps looking for thin blank aluminum sheets.

[@singingandy]

I wonder if you can do a stack them with a weight in the oven?

[@LeFreak]

It is possible - you will find Videos on youtube

[@marychandler8097]

I love your voice, nice video.

[@LeFreak]

Thanks

[@Starduster2000]

Der Moment, wenn du ihn Englisch sprechen hörst, aber alles an Schrift, auf den Magazinen usw., auf Deutsch ist! ;-)

[@LeFreak]

Tja es geht einfach darum ein Sprache zu nehmen welche von möglichst vielen verstanden wir ... das ist Deutsch nicht .. u dä Dialäkt scho grad gar nid😁

[@Starduster2000]

@@LeFreak ach du ich hab mit Englisch kein Problem. Zu mal es ja bei dir auch sehr gut zu verstehen ist.

[@Starduster2000]

@@LeFreak Grüße ausm Saaletal 07745

[@LeFreak]

Grüsse vom Zürichsee

[@vtt3808]

Hi. TQVM for the teach how :) I need a big sheet of aluminium to cover cabinet door. May I know is there an easy way to join many small pieces of these flatten soda cans pls?

[@WorkVideo100]

Hi! I want to stay creative and cover a plastic bin (that I use as a planter outside) with aluminum cans. That means I need to protect them against the elements… Do you have a recommended product that is not too expensive to put on the cans so they don’t corrode? Please let me know - thanks!

[@LeFreak]

Hi - it is aluminum! It will not corrode...... maybe the color will fade out. Have a look at my other video about the pin wheel. This piece is standing on my balcony for more than two year and nothing happens (slight color change). If you start painting on the aluminum then I would protect the painting. So I just recently made a licence plate for my boat. First I flattened the aluminum sheet and then I put the number on it. Then I sprayed several layers of transparent synthetic resin lacquer (for outdoor use) over it for protection. The aluminum sheets then were glued on the outside of the boat. Maybe that's what you are looking for ..... l I like your idea!

[@JefferyMewtamer]

Anyone know if this method also works for flattening the thicker, tin-plated steel sheet one can salvage from food cans? This stuff is quite a bit more rigid and thus is more likely to hold a shape you bend it into, but the sheets still stubbornly cling to some of the can's original curve unless I decide to fold parallel to the corrugations.

[@sdjhgfkshfswdfhskljh3360]

It failed for my ~0.2mm thick can. I was hammering it before however :)

[@AKingZWldAQu33nZUnVZ]

Great Information However You Need Some Suede Or Cut Proof Gloves And Maybe A Heat Resistant Glove or Oven Mitt. Don't Harm Yourself To Show Us A Video Tutorial You Can Purchase These Items Online Ebay, Amazon,Walmart etc. Hope This Helps Thanks And Hope To See More Videos!!!!! Also To Cut The Top Off A Old Fashion Can Opener!!!!! Have A Great Day!!!!!

[@GetUrPhil]

Wow, for a scientist, you would think that you would have learned that the aluminum is still hot. Even the second time you touched it after removing the iron. YUP, Still HOT! Besides that interesting video.

[@GUNVALKERIE]

Do you need water for the flattening? 🤔

[@LeFreak]

No - just a regular iron

[@Chaz.hands.]

Is this possible to do with a food can to get the ridges out?

[@LeFreak]

No - those tin cans are much too thick it works only with the thin beverage cans - sorry

[@Chaz.hands.]

@@LeFreak Thanks for letting me know!

[@sdjhgfkshfswdfhskljh3360]

Do anyone know how to flatten tinned steel cans (0.2-0.3mm thick)? I was trying hammering it (with wooden hammer), bending over edges, rubbing with wooden block - nothing help, still wavy like a crap. Instructions which I can found show how to deal with thicker and softer material. Cans have specific that if you apply force to bump, sheet clicks and concavity appears at the place of bump. Turn it over - and exactly the same happens :/

[@kellytabbutcomedy]

I want to flatten a beer can to glue to a wood piece that will be a Christmas ornament - the can has a glued on label on it that I want to keep the label on (its a craft beer can). Can I do this same method just ironing it on the inside so as not to ruin the label? Hope I'm making sense. thank you!

[@LeFreak]

it depends how heat sensitive the lable is - if it is plastic it will melt

[@Jamessmith-kj9ot]

For some reason my glass wont cut the can any tips?

[@WanderlassS]

can u weld aluminum

[@etchisinoga8593]

Hello Sir, I am from the Ivory Coast in West Africa. I live in another country called Mauritania. One of my activities is to buy used aluminum cans, plastic cans and bottles with a view to sell them to a Chinese company, which transforms them into various finished products. I want to become like them and like you by making large-scale finished products myself. What advice can you give me to achieve this?

[@LeFreak]

I don't have to live off my soda can experiments. If you want to make a business out of it, you should work customer-oriented. So ask the customer what products he would buy from you and negotiate the quantity and price beforehand. The best thing is to make a few prototypes and use them as showpieces. I hope it works

[@valerietachias2205]

How did you get the can wrapper cut so smooth from the can?

[@LeFreak]

you mean after 0:54 seconds in the video?

[@ystes23]

Does it make any difference if you pressure cook the can before or after you flatten it?

[@LeFreak]

I have not seen a difference - the flatten ones just do not fit in the pressure cooker no more (smile)

[@vickierusard7512]

Thank you

[@ahhaha779]

Do I need water in the iron?

[@johnmiller9219]

will this work with brass?

[@petronilosarraga8323]

Soda cans ca substitute to shim stock

[@bencastile4211]

Gru is that you

[@rofllol255]

Is there a way to make it so the edges aren’t sharp?

[@jenshaw8085]

Sandpaper maybe?

[@Eryzo_Chaztivalto]

Does this work with hard aluminum cans like canned milk, food or anything?

[@LeFreak]

Hi Ezra - no I don't think that it will work. I only tried with soda cans. They have a very thin wall in contrast to food tin cans.

[@Eryzo_Chaztivalto]

@@LeFreak too late

[@Eryzo_Chaztivalto]

@@LeFreak i've tried it on a bear brand milk can an it worked for a little bit, but the longer you iron it the can will get stained (note : there's no ink printing on the can, they use plastic to wrap and label all of them and it's easy to remove it)

[@cdoublejj]

i bet i could use an antique iron from the heat of my wood stove in winter so i'm spending electric bill money to flaten

[@begonaarnalnonay2065]

Con que quitale las tintas ?

[@LeFreak]

No, mira mi otro vídeo sobre cómo quitar la tinta -> kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnm6f6SueL6AqqM

[@roodeahmed2652]

ماده ازله الاحبار

[@Donnado-fd9pw]

Hi