Can transformer

You can see some HP41C overlays I made using the can transformer in this video:

There's some other materials I tried out as well. 

When I started using cans as raw materials I did try to mount a can on my mini lathe, and found that it isn't easy to do. It's an awkward shape and then you have the problem of cutting the material.  Hence the work towards making the can transformer. The two key parts to it are the spring loaded mounting (with a shaped part that fits into the drinking hole for rotational grip) and the rotary tool with a d bit for cutting. I thought about making those parts for the mini-lathe, but it was easier and maybe less work to build a dedicated machine to do the work. Trying to find ways to mount things on the lathe would probably have been just as much work, after making a DRO for it.

I've detailed all the failed parts I printed when I was developing the transformer:

https://trochilidae.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-failures-of-3d-printing-not-3d.html

They are all in the recycle bin now...

Something that is very time consuming is to write on the metal sheet.

using the can transformer it's pretty easy, just draw text in a CAD tool, convert to gcode and run it through the transformer:

this application was one of the reasons I made the transformer. I wanted to label some shelves that were outdoors and I thought that cut up cans would make a good weather resistant material to make the labels out of. Cutting cans up was relatively easy, if a bit painful when I got poked by a sharp corner. I then used some number and letter punches to stamp IDs on the labels. That was tedious and the stamped IDs didn't turn out as legible as I'd have hoped, due to the size of the text and the lack of contrast between the stamped letters and the background. Using holes like this has no such problems.

The can transformer can easily cut patterns in the can like this:

You can then pop a light source inside and use it as either a lamp or a personalised display like this:

When cutting a pattern you do have to be careful to use tabs to keep any areas that would otherwise fall out, like the triangular piece in the 'A' above.