Can Spinners 2024-12-24
I came up with these little spinning doodads a few years ago around Christmas, and I haven't seen anything like them online, so I'm writing about them here as they are quite fun to make. I've just been calling these things "can spinners" (ChatGPT suggested "twirluminum").
They remind me a bit of candle carousels that I would see at my grandparents' house, but in this case they are cut from recycled aluminum soda cans and spin on sharpened tips of wire from the heat rising off the lamp.
I got my family to create their own this year and it was interesting to see the variety of designs they came up with (see the gallery below).
All the spinners shown above are made from sides and bottoms of recycled soda cans.
My process usually goes like this:
Sharpen pivot wire.
The spinners need a fine pivot point to sit on with low friction. I used some steel craft wire that was laying around and sharpened it on a bench grinder. Paper clips and sandpaper would probably work too. Sharpened bit of wire
Other ways to make a pivot. Left: Square of aluminum folded over wire and cut to a point. Right: Long strip of aluminum with point at the end. Cut out blank
I've made these from the sides and bottoms of cans. Can sidewalls are much easier to cut and bend, so I'd recommend starting with that. Also be careful with the sharp scraps. I've been jabbed a few times making these. Create the central dimple
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