metalworks meritbadge

[gayankee]

One of my counselors has this delema- I am inclined to give him full lattitude to substitute- any other ideas?

Requirement 3 g of metal work merit badge requires the following:

Using metal cans, practice using the basic metalworking tools and techniques by making at least two tasteful objects that require cutting, bending, and edging.

The metals cans routinely available today have side walls that are ribbed or corrugated and I feel are not suitable for this requirement. Do you know sources for smoothsided cans? Alternatively may I substitute other materials such as sheet metal for the requirement?

[West]

require cutting, bending, and edging

To me, this would be the spirt of the requirement. Unless there is something else they are trying to teach by makeing them use cans?

If you really decide it's important that the metal come from cans, why not have him use sheet metal to make somthing that resembles the cans, and then make something out of them?

I have to agree with the part about modern cans being a bit of a pain for this.

[optimist]

Tomato sauce cans tend to be flat sided. Le Suer peas cans are flat sided if I recall correctly. Keep looking, they're out there

[t305spl]

When I took the merit badge we used tomato sauce cans.

[West]

hey, you're right. I wonder why that is? But yeah, do what they said and get some tomato sauce

[optimist]

FYI -- My son says that in summer camp they used soft drink cans...

[Mrw]

Paint cans would be straight sided and you should be able to pick up clean and empty ones at your local Home Depot or whatever.