The Tin Can Rose

Why give a rose that is going to die in a week when you could go all out and make an everlasting one. I have seen metal roses in the past and always thought it was a good Idea. So this is my take on metal roses. These make perfect gifts for anniversary or if your into giving bae romantic gifts make a few. ;)

You are more than welcome to ask me any questions and I will answer them as best as I can.

And I would be honored to have your vote in the contests that this rose is in.

Tools you will need.

• Hammer
• Pliers, you might want a few different kinds.
• A punch
• and tin snips, scissors will work though.
• sand paper
• and a small belt sander is handy
• It is a good Idea to wear gloves when you are working with the cut cans, they are very sharp.

Materials

• Tin Cans
• 4 gauge copper, of brass rod
• some small washers
• supper glue

So to make this a cheap project, I use tin cans. Your going to recycle any way so put it to good use. I like using tomato paste cans because they are gold on the inside and silver on the outside, witch gives the rose a cool look in the end. but the best cans to use are the ones that you can open both ends with a can opener. In the Picture notice the one that is rounded. You can not cut the rounded one with a can opener. you could do it with a grinder but it would be more messy, so try to find ones with a lip on both ends.

Once you get the can cut you have to flatten the whole thing. You have to get the ruffles out of it, so I just took a hammer and pounded the metal all over. And as you can see I got a nice flat piece from it.

Here are my petals I cut out, each one is a little smaller than the last so that when you bend them up you end up with the layers of peddles.. The metal will be very sharp, so you have to sand all of the petals down. This is where a small belt sander comes in handy. The last thing you have to do is punch a hole in the center of each petal blank, and get ready for mounting.

Now take the piece of thick wire and push each petal on the wire. Then peen over the top like in the picture. The best way to peen over the wire is to put it in the vise and start tapping the end with a hammer, it should start to form a mushroom shape. All of the pedals should be staggered so that the small one is on top and the big one is on the back of the stack. Then slide the small washer on the back of the petals and put super glue around it, this is so the petals can not move once they are mounted, and helps in the shaping process.

Once the rose is glued you have to shape it. The best way to go about shaping, is to look at a picture of a rose you would like to replicate and start bending. A needle nose works best I have found for shaping, also make sure you start from the center and work your way out. The pictures are of me shaping one, the other thing you have to do is make sure all of the pedals over lap each other. But in the end it is up to you on what you want it to look like.

One last tip, if you want the rose to stay shiny it is a good idea to get some spray on clear metal finish on it. This prevents any tarnish that might build up on the rose.

This is a very simple, and a fun project. the total cost for one rose is about $3 if you use copper wire and tin cans. And for something that is going to last a long time that is a pretty good deal. I hope you have enjoyed my version of this instructable.

I would like to thank my Dad, for always encouraging me to try new things and to not give up no matter what. He shaped the two silver roses in the cover photo.

Thank you for taking a look, Caleb.