Upcycled Rusty Can 2 Ways, Planter, Candle Holder
- By Joan
- November 19, 2020
- 2 Comments
Upcycled Rusty Can
Today I bring you scavenger chic at its finest featuring this beautiful, rusty, pitted and holey industrial can. I found it in a dump a few years ago and you can probably guess which side was facing down. What appealed to me were the knobs on two sides of the can which set it apart from your normal, run of the mill coffee can. I had no clue what it was used for in its past life but that didn’t stop me from sticking it into my backpack.
I normally like converting any object with a nice tall slender shape into a lamp, but this one was a little too far gone.
The side of the can with the most holey damage had to be removed. I’ve marked the can where I wanted to make my cuts.
An angle grinder with a cutting tool attached makes a very nice straight cut.
I changed out the cutting tool on the angle grinder and replaced it with sandpaper to smooth some of the jagged cut metal edges.
I don’t know if you remember the FLOOD FLD4-04 Penetrol I shared with you a couple of weeks ago to treat the rust on an old tray. The can on the right has been painted with the same Penetrol. Let dry 24 hours.
The rust on the inside of the can really absorbed the Penetrol so the interior got a second coat.
When I initially started this project I was creating a candle holder. I was going to put a removeable screen on the front and drill holes in the back, probably in the shape of a star to allow some of the candlelight to seep through. Can you picture it?
After cutting out the old holey rusty metal, I started seeing my rusty can in a new light. Now I envisioned a planter.
It doesn’t take much of a change to make the switch from candle holder to planter. I did have to line the can with a layer of heavy duty plastic, both to protect the metal from further rusting and to prevent leakage.
The little knob on the side of the can prevents the can from rolling.
I loved the idea of succulents in the planter but since I had a couple of African Violets in need of a home that’s the direction I went.
Hopefully, the next time you happen upon a rusty can, you just might stick it into your backpack.
Stay safe, stay well, stay inspired.
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That is so cute! The “flood” chemical really did the trick.
Very clever, my favorite is the planter! Thank you.