Upcycling a Twine and Tin Can Birdfeeder

This instructable is how to build a bird feeder from a used tin can and twine. I built this for my mom for her birthday and she absolutely loved it. I works phenomenally and the birds seem to love the twine perch to stand on. To my surprise, you really cant tell it's actually a tin can until you get really quite close, and the twine serves as a great contrast to the metal. This is a design that is versatile enough to fit in any location, and you can change the wrapping material on the outside to make it fit any style.

Materials consist of:

- Tin Can

- Jute Twine

- Scissors

- Razor Knife

- Can opener

- Large Popcicle Stick/ Tongue Depressor

- Hot Glue

First you have to prepare the can by removing the labels and using the can opener to cut around half of the lid. Then fold the loose lid back in the can. Make sure to not leave any sharp edges around the rim which might injure or cut the birds in some way. This is why you should not cut off the other half of the lid, and rather fold it, because if it is cut, it exposes a sharp edge which could cause injury to the birds while they eat.

In this step it you need to pick which size of can to use because that will determine some design choices later on. I think it would look really cool to build around 5 or more of all different sizes, and hang them scattered around in a small tree. The rustic twine and the reflections and modern appeal of the tin can would really go nice together, especially on a large scale design.

In this step you have to wrap the can with your twine. You can use thin twine like I used or use twine up to half an inch and have it mimic rope you might find on a dock. This step is where you can determine the overall design and anything from a quaint bird feeder in a rural area, to a rustic style bird feeder near the beach.

I used hot glue to tack it down in the middle of the bottom of the can, and started my wrap there. On the bottom side I had to glue it down in multiple spots each spin, but once I got over to the sides, I was able to tack it down about every 5 turns. Make sure to wrap the twine around the base really tight because the bird feeder will be out in the elements.

After about and inch or so of wraps around the side, make sure to glue your popsicle stick down as a perch for the birds, and wrap around that as well. When I got the the very end of my can, I entirely glued the string down for the last few wraps, and then continued to wrap around the popsicle stick on the bottom. I glued the end of the twine to the tip of the popsicle stick, and added a small length of twine to hang it with.

At this point all you need is to fill it with bird seed and hang it up in your back yard or garden. The birds love it, and even though there is only one perch, the same amount of birds still hang around it. It is a great replacement for our old feeder, and it surely looks a lot better. Another added bonus is it is squirrel proof, and nearly impossible for them to land on the small perch.

This is my first instructable, so thank you very much for viewing it! This is a great project to do over the summer with your kids, and you can teach them about birds, wildlife, and nature. I hope you can use it and make one of your own!

- Brandon, 16 (Modern Rustic Workshop)