attosa Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts
February 28, 2018
If I'm not taking my aluminum cans to the recyclers, I'm making things with them. These pinwheels are easy to make and a delight to watch spin in the wind. There are certain spots in our garden where squirrels wreak havoc, so we place them there to keep them at bay with the bright reflections. Please wear heavy duty gloves when cutting and shaping aluminum cans.
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Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1 pinwheel
Supplies:
1 aluminum can
1 serrated knife
scissors
ruler
marker
hole punching tool
piece of wire or straightened paperclip
medium-sized bead
wire cutter
pliers
drinking straw
Steps:
Use your serrated knife to puncture a hole into the can, then use your scissors to cut off the top rim.
Puncture the bottom of the can, then cut it off.
Cut the rectangle of aluminum into a square with 4 equal sides.
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Use a ruler to find the very center of the square, then mark it.
Cut a line from every corner of the square to about an inch from the middle.
Punch a hole into every upper left hand corner of each segment, then punch a hole right in the center.
Insert your piece of wire in from the back (the coloured side of the can).
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Bring down each corner that has a hole and thread the wire through.
When all four corners are threaded, place the bead over them.
Use your pliers to bend the end of the wire over the bead so it's secured.
Using your pliers, bend the long remaining wire piece in the back of the pinwheel downward to create a stem.
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Slide the drinking straw over the wire stem. It's ready to plant outside for your twirling enjoyment!
Thanks. This looks easy enough, and I'm going to try it. Anything to keep those adorable squirrels at bay, not excluding a 20 gauge double barrel shotgun.
I make no apologies. When every year, hundreds of bedding plants are dug up and die because their roots are exposed to the Sun, the only good squirrels with character are dead squirrels with character.
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I worked long and hard to grow these pansies from seed, only to have squirrels dig them up, merely for the hell of it. Yes, I wish they all were dead.
Yes, I could love a squirrel as much as any dog, cat, or bird I have made friends with. But it hurts to see what you have worked so hard for destroyed just for fun.
If I'm not taking my aluminum cans to the recyclers, I'm making things with them. These pinwheels are easy to make and a delight to watch spin in the wind. There are certain spots in our garden where squirrels wreak havoc, so we place them there to keep them at bay with the bright reflections. Please wear heavy duty gloves when cutting and shaping aluminum cans.
