Recycle Food Cans to make your own Lampshades

I came across these wonderful light shades made by recycling aluminium tin cans and thought that this was a great idea for a DIY craft project.

13/04/2020

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Recycling everyday items is a great way to add unique decor to a home, and I came across these wonderful lampshades made by recycling aluminium tin cans. What a fun DIY craft project. All you really need for this project is a Dremel MultiTool and cutting disc if you need to cut cans in half, although you could try cutting the cans using tin snips or a junior hacksaw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, for those sitting at home twiddling their thumbs and trying to come up with ideas for something to do, you're bound to have a few cans lying around that can be cleaned and recycled for this project.

 

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You can recycle cans of any size to make custom lampshades or shades for pendant lights. You can choose any design that you like for the cans, but do bear in mind that it will be tricky to do very intricate designs in the beginning - so start off simple.

 

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Be creative when it comes to selecting a design for your tin can light or lampshade. There are some many great designs that would look amazing once the lights are switched on.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/581820097/tree-shadow-lamp-forest-pine-tree-metal

 

YOU WILL NEED:

Empty, clean tins (small tins, coffee tins, and even paint tins)

Designs to draw or print out for your cans

Masking or painter's tape

Rust-Oleum spray paint in your choice of colour

Lampholder and fittings

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOOLS:

Drill / Driver plus 3mm HSS drill bit

Dremel Multitool with cutting disk and grinding stone

Hammer and long nail

Safety goggles

 

 

CONTINUES BELOW

 

 

HERE'S HOW:

 

SAFETY FIRST: Safety goggles on before you start!

1. Print out your choice of design and attach this to a clean, dry can with masking or painter's tape.

 

2. Use a hammer and long nail to make an impression on the surface of the can. This will make it easier to drill the holes in the next step and prevent the drill bit from sliding around.

 

 

3. Use the drill / driver on full speed to press down with the drill bit and drill a hole in the can. Now you can follow the pattern to complete the design.

 

 

GOOD TO KNOW:  Owning a Dremel Multitool lets you insert a grinding stone into the tool and use this to sand down any sharp edges.

 

 

FINISHING:

If you want to add some colour or a metallic finish to your lampshade, grab a can of Rust-Oleum spray paint in your choice of colour.

Now all that's left to do is to drill a hole in the base (top) of the can and wire up a lampholder, cord and plug.