Good Use For Empty Tins?

[FLDRD]

Not a bit. My town paid a bundle of moneys for our newest landfill, complete with a million dollars of liner. Once filled, the land will be sold to unsuspecting folk as home building lots. I'm helping to reduce property tax increases by creating land to be taxed. Not to mention the jobs created so the trash can be separated, compacted and buried. Then there are the jobs created so that the land can be reclaimed after years of poisons and such being buried. Not to mention the moneys claimed by lawyers from any settlements. Then ... there are the new homes to be built for the residents whose homes on the landfill have been condemned. Contractors, employees and of course the local government all benefit from the care and concern exhibited by me and many other residents who participated, years earlier, in creating the landfill. It's a win-win for all concerned. Even environmentalists gain as they have something to do with their time, walking back and forth with their signs.

Fantastic! That sounds almost as charitable as the Federal Reserve money printing machine! Good for you. I've lots to learn from old trappers like you. ?

 

[Jaylotw]

I love my empty tins. I use the larger Rattrays for bookends on my shelf, and the others as wall decorations, guitar pick storage...I once put some BBs in one and used it as a shaker for recording.

I love the look and feel of certain tins, SG, Rattrays, MacBarens especially, and have far too many decorating my end of the living room.

 

[romaso]

Like @johhnyreb, I use the small round ones for camping ashtrays, keep one in the camper and take one with my pipe kit on hikes (don't want to drop hot ash when it's dry out). I'll glue in the top of a champagne cork as a knocker.

They also work great for making char cloth. Just poke a hole in the top, fill with all-cotton scraps of fabric and toss in a fire. Remove when smoke is no longer coming out of the hole. You use char cloth to catch the spark from your flint & steel when making fires the old-timey way.

 

[FLDRD]

Like @johhnyreb, I use the small round ones for camping ashtrays, keep one in the camper and take one with my pipe kit on hikes (don't want to drop hot ash when it's dry out). I'll glue in the top of a champagne cork as a knocker.

They also work great for making char cloth. Just poke a hole in the top, fill with all-cotton scraps of fabric and toss in a fire. Remove when smoke is no longer coming out of the hole. You use char cloth to catch the spark from your flint & steel when making fires the old-timey way.

So you "char" the cloth that's inside? Then it's ready for catching a spark to start an [emergency] type of fire? Ok. How big of a hole would you make for the initial venting when charring?

 

[romaso]

So you "char" the cloth that's inside? Then it's ready for catching a spark to start an [emergency] type of fire? Ok. How big of a hole would you make for the initial venting when charring?

Here's an article on making char cloth with photos:
How to Start a Fire: Make Char Cloth | The Art of Manliness

Here's an article from the American Mountain Man magazine on the whole fire making process in pre-Bic days:
TLR-FIRE-2019-APRIL-28.pdf (americanmountainmen.org)

You just need a small hole, like by using the tip of an awl or nail. Just to let some air transfer. In the second article, he just counted on the gap from the lid not sealing (square tin). With a round tin (like I use as they don't fall open as easy in your pack) you do need a small hole.

 

[FLDRD]

Here's an article on making char cloth with photos:
How to Start a Fire: Make Char Cloth | The Art of Manliness

Here's an article from the American Mountain Man magazine on the whole fire making process in pre-Bic days:
TLR-FIRE-2019-APRIL-28.pdf (americanmountainmen.org)

You just need a small hole, like by using the tip of an awl or nail. Just to let some air transfer. In the second article, he just counted on the gap from the lid not sealing (square tin). With a round tin (like I use as they don't fall open as easy in your pack) you do need a small hole.

That's cool. I'll look into those, thanks.

 

[Briarberg]

I have one Mississippi River Special Reserve tin that I use for guitar picks. But I lose those so fast, it's a one tin job. I have held onto the others so far, I like the idea of repurposing. Although I haven't been smoking a pipe for all that long and a lot of what I have has been bulk so not too many have built up.

 

[sandollars]

I have one Mississippi River Special Reserve tin that I use for guitar picks. But I lose those so fast, it's a one tin job. I have held onto the others so far, I like the idea of repurposing. Although I haven't been smoking a pipe for all that long and a lot of what I have has been bulk so not too many have built up.

Just don't lose the tin....

I too, use them for Guitar picks. And also thumb tacks, fly tying hooks, and various other fly tying stuff....

 

[Searock Fan]

Every couple years we have a garage sale. Right up front, where people driving by can see it, I put a big box marked "Free Stuff". Among other things I put in it are a bunch of empty tobacco tins. It's amazing how fast they disappear.

 

[That Guy]

Man cave trophies and guitar pick containers ?

 

[mingc]

I put empties in the recycle. Except for a GLP Renaissance and a DT Holly's Non Plus Ultra, the likes of which -- hand on heart -- will never be seen again on this side of the rainbow bridge.

 

[burleybreath]

Just make a redneck chandelier out of them. When finished and the thing is hung, call the neighbors over to swoon over your skills and excellent taste.

 

[Searock Fan]

Just make a redneck chandelier out of them. When finished and the thing is hung, call the neighbors over to swoon over your skills and excellent taste.

View attachment 106065

Actually, that's a pretty cool idea!

 

[romaso]

That's cool. I'll look into those, thanks.

I forgot to mention you don't need actual flint to make a spark, you can often find other local rocks that will work. I've got a friend who knows all about rocks and will find pieces of chert, etc. that spark. He'll just try them with his steel, which he carries with him

This is partially why people were still using flintlocks even in the late 1800's, because you could find flint substitutes and cast your own lead balls (even from recovered lead), so all you really needed from the outside world was powder (though you could make black powder too, one of the Foxfire books shows this).

 

[bullet08]

Makes good slingshot targets.

 

[The Clay King]

I'm saving my empty tobacco tins to store my slow match and in the longer term I'd like to learn to light fires (and clays) with flint & steel; they'd be good for my fire lighting kit.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I've used a couple for shaving soap samples. They're basically the same size as shaving soap tubs.

 

[fishmansf]

I'm starting to see that I'm going to need to have a plan for all my cool empty tobacco tins and I don't know what to do with them yet. The little boy in me still likes treasure chests, cool little boxes, neat containers, etc., so throwing them out seems wrong. OTOH, I really don't know what to use them for. Someone must have some neat ideas, this is certainly not a new conundrum. If you're so inclined, please LMK your solutions.
Thanks

Haven't done this myself yet (since I usually prefer to hike in the PNW summer and ski in the winter) but I think tin's would actually be a pretty efficient way to store items for backpacking. You could have one tin that was an emergency kit (gauze, quickclot, some thread, surgical needly, micro scissors, etc.), have one that has fire tools in it (flint, vaseline, cottonball, etc.), you could also put coffee grounds with some microfilters for your camp coffee, or you could bring a full tin of some good bac

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

Probably been said already, but I use mine for ashtrays around the house and ship. I buy the cork balls and glue em to the bottom. I also use em for n fishing tackle (weights and hooks, by size). Besides that, I toss em because I have far too many.
As far as the lids, I nail em up around my barn and shop.