The spray can will still be useful

No matter how much humorists joke about repurposing items that have served their purpose, a DIY enthusiast’s soul won’t allow them to throw away something that could still be useful around the house.

I’d like to share such an experience of using an empty aerosol canister. Indeed, it’s a pity and not rational to throw away an item made of good metal with a sturdy construction.

Such a canister came in handy for me when I was about to do repairs in my apartment. The old paint roller had dried out, and a new one costs quite a bit these days. So I decided to make this little thing myself. I came across an empty aluminum canister from the insecticide “Prima-71.” However, the name isn’t important—any other will do. Whatever the canister, it’s practically a ready-made roller. You just need to attach a handle and stretch a soft cover for paint.

What did I do? I found a rod 6 mm in diameter and 410 mm long, bent it as shown in the figure, fitted a suitable washer at the bend, and soldered it. I drilled holes of the same diameter, that is, 6 mm, for the rod. (Be careful! First make sure the canister is empty by fully releasing the pressure from it.) After passing the rod through the canister holes, I screwed a nut onto its threaded end.

A plastic bottle from silicate glue, which was also at hand, came in handy for the handle. I filled it with epoxy resin and filler (sawdust), put it on the rod, and let it harden.

For the soft covering of the roller, I used a piece from an old sheepskin coat, lightly coating it with the same silicate glue. I sewed the edges directly onto the canister—the roller turned out better and more convenient than a factory one.

«Modelist-Konstruktor» No. 6’98, V. BURMASOV