Tin Can Pencil Holder: An Easy First Recycled Craft

A tin can pencil holder is about as simple as a recycled craft gets: one clean food can, something to cover it with, and glue. It is useful the same day, it forgives small mistakes, and it teaches the two habits that carry over to every container project, careful preparation and patient gluing.

Below is the preparation every can needs, followed by three coverings to choose from: decorative paper, twine or a fabric remnant.

What you need

• 1 clean food can, roughly 4 to 4 1/2 in (10 to 11.5 cm) tall, the size that holds soup, beans or tomatoes
• A covering: decorative paper, about 20 ft (6 m) of twine, or a fabric remnant
• White (PVA) glue or tacky glue, and a flat brush for spreading it
• Masking tape or cloth tape for the rim
• Ruler, pencil and scissors
• Optional: felt or thin cork for the base

Use a can that held food. Cans that contained paint, solvents or other chemicals are not suitable for crafts. Shorter cans suit crayons and paper clips, while a standard can is the right height for pencils, pens and brushes.

Prepare the can

Preparation takes longer than decorating, and it is the part that decides whether the holder is pleasant to use.

Wash and remove the label

Wash the can inside and out with warm soapy water, rinse it and dry it completely, including the seam at the bottom where water collects. Peel off the paper label. If glue stays behind, soak the can for a few minutes and rub the strip with a cloth and a little cooking oil, then wash again so the surface is free of grease. Glue does not hold on an oily can.

Check the rim

Look at the inside of the rim before touching it. A can opened with a smooth-edge opener, the kind that separates the lid along the outside seam, leaves a rolled rim that is the easiest to work with. A standard opener leaves a thin cut edge on the inside, sometimes with a small burr where the cut started and ended.

• Press any raised burr flat against the inside wall with the back of a metal spoon.
• Then fold a strip of tape over the rim, half inside and half outside, all the way around. Overlap the ends by about 1/2 in (1.3 cm).

If you are deciding which containers are worth keeping for projects like this, the guide to craft materials to save covers washing, drying and storing them.

Covering 1: decorative paper

Wrapping paper, a map, a magazine page or scrapbook paper all work. Thicker paper hides the ridges of the can better than thin paper.

1. Measure the height of the can between the top and bottom rims. Wrap a strip of scrap paper around the can to find the distance around, and add 1/2 in (1.3 cm) for overlap.
2. Cut a rectangle to those measurements. For a standard can it is about 4 x 10 in (10 x 25 cm).
3. Brush a thin, even layer of white glue over the back of the paper, right to the edges.
4. Lay the can on its side at one short end of the paper and roll it slowly, smoothing from the center outward with your fingers.
5. Press the overlap down and hold it for a minute. Let the can stand for about an hour before filling it.

Covering 2: twine wrap

Twine gives a textured, rope-like finish and hides the can’s ridges completely. Jute, cotton string and thick yarn all work.

1. Lay the can on its side. Brush a band of tacky glue about 1 in (2.5 cm) wide around the bottom.
2. Press the end of the twine into the glue just above the bottom rim and hold it until it grips.
3. Turn the can and wind the twine around it, pushing each row down against the last so no metal shows.
4. Add another band of glue and keep winding. Working in bands keeps the glue from drying before the twine reaches it.
5. At the top, cut the twine, glue the end flat, and hold it for a minute or pin it with a clothespin on the rim.

White glue is slow to grab on bare metal, which is why tacky glue is suggested here. For a comparison of adhesives on paper, fabric and metal, see the guide to the best glue for recycled crafts.

Covering 3: fabric remnant

Cotton prints, denim from old jeans and felt all make good covers. Wash and press the fabric first so it lies flat.

1. Cut a rectangle the same way as for paper, adding 1/2 in (1.3 cm) to the height as well as the length.
2. Fold the extra height under along one long edge and glue it down to make a neat hem for the top.
3. Brush tacky glue over the can itself, not the fabric, in a thin even coat.
4. Wrap the fabric around the can with the hemmed edge at the top, smoothing as you go.
5. Fold the short end under before gluing the overlap, so no raw edge shows.

Felt does not fray, so it can be cut to exact size with no hems at all.

Add a soft base

The bottom rim of a can may mark a wooden desk. To prevent that, trace the base on felt or thin cork, cut the circle slightly inside the line and glue it to the underside. Four small dots of felt work too.

Using it and what to make next

Let any covering dry fully, a few hours for paper and overnight for twine or fabric, before loading the holder. Wipe it with a dry cloth to clean it; a paper or fabric cover should not be soaked. Keep it for pencils, pens, brushes, scissors and other dry desk items.

Once you are comfortable preparing cans, tin can planters are a natural next step, with drainage holes and a painted finish.