Kailashas's blog

Materials:
Utility knife
Tin snips
Pliers
8 empty, clean beer cans
1 wire hanger
Awl or long nail
Ballpeen hammer
Block of scrap wood
1 bottle cork
a small length of 4 mm tubing, or insulation stripped from a 4 mm wire

Techniques for joining metal (no soldering)
1. "Rivetless rivet" for joining two surfaces together: Align the two pieces correctly and place on the wooden block. With the hammer and awl, drive a hole through both pieces. Turn the pieces over. With the ballpeen end of the hammer, tap the hole to flatten the flanges of metal around the hole tight against the surface.
2. Tab joint for joining two pieces at an angle: With right-angled cuts, trim the end of one piece into a tab shape. Cut a slit the same size as the tab into the receiving piece. Slip the tab through the slit and flatten the tab on the reverse side of the receiving piece. For extra strength, use a double-thickness of metal for the tab piece and spread the tabs apart like an envelope clasp.

Cut the tops and bottoms off six cans. Discard the tops. Tap a hole in the center of each bottom. Cut the can bodies from top to bottom and smooth the rectangular sheet flat.

From one sheet, cut six long struts 1" x 3 1/2". Fold in half lengthwise, crimp, shape the ends into tabs and set aside. Cut two short wing struts 1/ 1/2" x 2", fold in half crosswise, crimp, shape the ends into tabs and set aside.

Wheels: Carefully press two bottoms together, convex sides out, and ease the rim of one bottom around the other. Repeat for second wheel. Wheel strut: Cut a 7" length of wire hanger. Cut a 5" x 3" rectangle; fold in half lengthwise with the wire tightly crimped into the fold. Tap a hold in the center of the sheet, trim the metal.