You can put a can insided a can to make a gift box. Just leave a crack in the top rim (so you can peel away an opening) and tape up the rim with clear Scotch Tape (so it has no sharp edges).
The gift box can also be secured with superglue or rivets. If you don't know how to use a rivet, click here.
If buried, the gift box makes a nice waterproof-ish time capsule.
It also makes an excellent Faraday Cage for blocking electromagnetic radiation-- such as wifi signals or cellphone signals.
You can also use an ordinary can as a gift box if the items you want to put inside of it (e.g., currency and a rolled-up note) will fit through the opening. Just remove the top of a second can and rivet it onto the top of your original can. Write your label (e.g., "Happy Birthday! From Emma to Alyssa") on the exterior with a permanent marker. Then make a narrow slot in the side near the top using a pushpin, and then a steak knife. They can start tearing open the can from this slot.
The Instructions page of this website explains how to remove the top and install a rivet.
The gift box can be easily converted into a fun fragrant wax melting dish.
Sometimes you want to make a smaller container by cutting the can in half. The middle section isn't as stiff as the top and bottom ridges, so it is more difficult to slice the can accurately. It helps to brace the area around the cut with two Aluminators, as shown in this photo below, so that you get a clean cut.
Here, I've put in a thick stack of can lids to prop up the can to the correct height, but you could use pushpins to anchor it in place, or you could use a roughly-cut half-can to elevate it to the desired position.
A long giftbox can be made by: (i) pricking airholes in the bottom of one or both cans with a pushpin, (ii) opening the top of the inner can with a can opener, (iii) removing the top of the outer can with the Aluminator, (iv) placing your gift inside, and (v) shoving them firmly but carefully together until you meet strong resistance. If desired, you can make a slot in the side to turn it into a coinbank instead.
This long gift box can be transformed into a cheap and effective mailing tube.
Just seal it with a rivet and/or superglue if desired, then wrap it with white letter-paper, tape it up, and write a mailing label on it. Voila! You saved $1.50 by not buying a small mailing tube or cardboard box. You may need to make sure it is at least 6 inches in length under USPS packaging regulations. If you need to make a side rivet-hole, it helps to put the assembled tube into the Aluminator first, so it's braced appropriately, before you poke-in the pushpin/punch/slider.
