PANEL TIME

Now that we have our templates, it’s time to work on the actual panels. I stopped drinking energy drinks years ago and don’t drink a whole lot of beer or soda, so the first thing that caught my eye in my recycling bin was the punchy design from a can of Liquid Death. Looks edgy, has a cool logo and a cool font—perfect.

Using the templates, I mapped out exactly where I wanted each portion of the design. This is where the paper templates really help, as they easily bend around the shape of the can, allowing you to see exactly where the design will end up. As for how many cans you’ll need, that will depend on the size of the panels and the parts of the design that you like. I used a small-scale Capra for this job, so I was able to get away with using a single tall can for the whole set of panels.

Once you’ve roughly gauged the design, it’s time to remove the top and bottom of the can. This part requires a bit of care since the aluminum will be sharp. Starting at the top, make a cut with the utility blade and trim around the neck of the can. I found the best place to trim was just where the can starts to bend into the smaller-diameter section. Cut all the way around the can, taking care not to cut yourself on the trimmed aluminum or the supersharp utility blade. I used scissors to trim the last half-inch or so of the cut. Repeat this process for the bottom of the can. Once the top and bottom have been removed, cut the body of the can lengthwise with the straight scissors, or wherever makes sense for your panel layout. Take your now fully cut aluminum can and lay it out onto your cutting mat so it’s nice and flat. The can will still want to curl up and curve, which is natural, but do your best to keep it flat. Mark the outlines of each template on the face of the can and set the templates aside.

Now that we marked off each panel with our templates, it’s very easy to cut them from the material. Take your scissors and carefully remove each panel from its respective section. Once the panels have been cut out, it’s time to punch the screw holes and trim any possible excess. Using the template, set it against the silver side of the aluminum. This allows for quick comparison of the template to the cut piece. Mark off any excess with your marker and mark out the screw holes as well. Using the pin vise and drill bit, carefully press and twist the bit on the marked holes. With a little bit of pressure the hole will start to open, leaving a centering point on the other side of the panel. Don’t worry about drilling all the way through from the backside; simply flip the panel over to find the point of each screw hole and continue from there. A minute or two later you should have cleanly punched screw holes. Alternatively, if you have a good center punch or a small enough metal hole punch, that will be even better for this process.