Soft drink aluminium cans can be useful.

[Jimmy]

I seem to use quite a lot of aluminium soft drink cans.
They are quite easy to cut into a rectangular sheet using scissors.
You need to be careful as they are very sharp, bend the edges over is a good precaution.
I use them for
1) Repairing holes in my shed.
2) Flashing at the bottom of my shed windows.
3) Flashing for the top of posts and fences.

Also I am going to make some wooden seed trays from old pallet slats.
I plan to use the aluminium as brackets for the corners. Probably stapled using a good staple gun, if that will work !

Do you think it will work ?

Thanks
Jimmy

[KevinM67]

I've got quite a few aluminium 'hard' drink cans I need to find a use for.

I love the idea of using them for repairs and flashing for the shed and posts.
Would they work stapled round the bottom of posts to save them from rotting ?

Regarding using them as brackets - would they be sturdy enough ?

[ESBkevin]

I've seen a few yootoob videos of people using them to make solar hot air boxes. The idea is a glass fronted box facing the sun (temp unimportant, it's the sunlight that counts). Inside the box stacks of cans with a small hole in the bottom and all painted black, absorb the suns rays and heat the air, a small fan brings the inside cold air fron the house/greenhouse/shed into the bottom of the box and forces the hot air from top of the box indoors.
It only works during daylight hours but I'm tempted to connect one to a greenhouse just for giggles.

[Jimmy]

I've got quite a few aluminium 'hard' drink cans I need to find a use for.

I love the idea of using them for repairs and flashing for the shed and posts.
Would they work stapled round the bottom of posts to save them from rotting ?

Regarding using them as brackets - would they be sturdy enough ?

As for post bottoms probably not as the water would still get through.
Used on the top just keeps the rain off.
Jimmy

[bikermike]

I'm using a beercan as roof covering for my bug hotel.

Also have a stash of SMA tins that are a good source of stiffer sheet metal

[KevinM67]

Also have a stash of SMA tins that are a good source of stiffer sheet metal

I honestly don't know how you can drink that stuff.

[bikermike]

It does mean no b*gger nicks your tea...

I'd think the aluminium from a tin can wouldn't be strong enough to hold trays together (well, it would, cars aren't made of much thicker, but the million pounds you'd need to spend on CAD design and pressing would probably put you off). One of the German supermarkets has just done bags of metal corner fittings - might be worth a quick look.

[nickdub]

The main problem with wood lasting when in contact with compost or soil is rotting. I use ranch type paint on seed trays I make and a mixture of creosote/bitumen on the bottom of posts. Obviously the wood needs to be as dry as possible before you treat it.

I have heard that charring the surface of wood with something like a blow-torch makes it more resistant to rot - but I have got round to trying this.

[lottieguy]

Hi Ya, I have heard that if you use weed fabric to plant you can use a cut off tin geat it up with a blowtorch or similar and cut holes out and stop the fabric from fraying. I am interested but haven't tried it yet and think the ordanary alloy tins would be to flimsy. Maybe a bean tin would be more substantial, any any ideas?

[ESBkevin]

Nick is right that charred timber resists rot much better and is a technique used in the far east. You need to prevent water getting inside the timber from any point though else it rots inside out.
Another cheap alternative for fence posts is used engine oil BUT beware because of all the contaminates contained in the used oil. You can do fence posts if they are not next to the growing area, but I would not recommend the sides of a timber raised bed treated this way.

[Paulie]

The bottom end of my allotment is very wet. I knew wooden posts would not last so I used concrete posts...hoping they'll last many years...

[Jimmy]

One of the German supermarkets has just done bags of metal corner fittings - might be worth a quick look.

Which one please.
Jimmy

[bikermike]

Which one please.
Jimmy

Aldi *I think* pretty sure I saw them on my last trip and Aldi is nearer than Lidl
sorry to be vague

[Jimmy]

Would that be
https://www.aldi.co.uk/workzone-angl...95466189676400
Jimmy

[bikermike]

sorry - probably - shopping sites are filtered on our work web access