RMweb Gold tomparryharry Posted May 15, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 15, 2021 Hello folks, I hope you are all doing OK. A quick couple of questions from the collective, if I may. Now, I like corned beef, so I make no excuses. But! Those cans, what can I use them for? It's the same with certain drinks cans. Some are Aluminium , some are steel. The scrounger in me can't abide seeing potential raw material asset going in the bin. Has anyone tried soldering these, or am I a sandwich short of a picnic? Views, pointers, etc, gratefully received, as usual. Cheers, Ian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
didcot Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 My Grandfather used to make cake tins for my Grandmother from tin cans. He used folded joints to hold them together rather than solder which could potentially melt in the oven. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hodgson Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 I know a large O gauge railway which has lever frames constructed from scrap given the post-war shortages. The levers themselves were made from the spokes of broken umbrellas, and the quadrant plate from salvaged tinplate from cans. One of my soldering iron stands was made by cutting and bending an old tin can. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold john new Posted May 15, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 15, 2021 Always worth salvaging potential raw material. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Doesn't he play for the Arsenal? There was an article in Model Railways about 1982 where someone built a locomotive out of tin cans. An LSWR M7 I think. The problem with modern ones is I think they are lined with plastic or a lacquer of some description. Jason 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted May 15, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 15, 2021 I tried a Fray Bentos about 10 years ago, because I have read about them. My conclusion is that perhaps the can, is the most useful part! 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
didcot Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 12 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said: The problem with modern ones is I think they are lined with plastic or a lacquer of some description I think you are right. I once had a tour around Metalbox near Denchworth. I seem to remember the metal sheet was covered in a white plastic film on the side that would become the inside of the can. The thing that impressed me most was the large plastic test tube thing that would become a 2 litre Coke bottle. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
simontaylor484 Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Ah the pre form plastic bottle its a brilliant invention. It is a plastic bottle supplied as a test tube shaped moulding to a bottling plant. The tube is put into a mould air is injected to form the larger bottle 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM42 Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Chop em up and make a scrap load for your wagons. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestTom Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 I recall an 009 layout in a very old modelling magazine (we're talking late 60s, early 70s) where the builder made his locos out of Oxo tins. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mike Bellamy Posted May 18, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 18, 2021 As well as being one of the organisers of the Derby Exhibition, I also belong to the local narrow gauge group. Several years ago, our layout was to be in the show but when I looked at the hall plan - all different bits of paper pinned to the master plan, I couldn't see the layout anywhere. I was then shown a cut out square called 'Corned Beef' as the exhibition manager couldn't remember the layout name when preparing the plan but as there is nothing available ready to run in 7mmNG (O 16.5), he thought we made all of our models out of corned beef tins ! Ever since then any narrow gauge layout at Derby has been known as 'Corned Beef'. . 6 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zomboid Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 On 15/05/2021 at 13:39, kevinlms said: I tried a Fray Bentos about 10 years ago, because I have read about them. My conclusion is that perhaps the can, is the most useful part! To get the least damaging "nutrition" you have to eat the packaging. They're the same as pot noodles in that regard. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEATH STATION Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 I read a number of the US Model Railroader and Model Craftsman magazines of the 1940's-50's which carried articles by M D Thornburgh and others showing O scale builds of B&O and other railroad equipment where tinplate coffee cans were the main source material. Other cans with corrugated metal sides were favoured for boxcar doors and ends. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
5050 Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 Tin can usage was very common around war time - there was nothing else. J N Maskelyne who edited Model Railway News had a favourite saying -'a coat of paint hides a multitude of tins'. 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
russell price Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 I once built a dean goods out of Castrol cans, fully soldered with cored flux solder. Not sure what became of it. Sat on a Triang 060 chassis. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binky Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 On 15/05/2021 at 22:12, SM42 said: Chop em up and make a scrap load for your wagons. Andy I remember a great article in an old Model Railroader where someone used real rusty metal that fell out the wheelarch of his Pontiac as scrap metal loads. Any steel cans could be chopped up and left to rust for a while to produce the same effect and I believe there are a few tricks to accelerate the rusting process if needs be. The ridged sides of some food cans could work as scrap corrugated sheets and I've seen aluminium foil screwed up and pressed into cubes to make scale bales of crushed metal. It seems model scrapyards and their traffic are ideal for metal recycling, just like the purpose of the prototype! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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