I was Plutonium’s brand ambassador. I awscompensated for my work, but all opinions are 100% my own.
When I first started working with Plutonium, I was told that they could send me empty cans for DIY projects. I was excited at the prospect, and I am finally getting around to using one for a project today. I turned an empty can of Plutonium paint into a cool new can pendant lamp for my work space.
I used a pendant light kit form IKEA and a can opener to turn my can into a pendant lamp. BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER I WANT YOU TO READ THIS BIG, GIANT, BOLD WARNING!!! I WAS SENT AN EMPTY CAN TO USE FOR THIS PROJECT. I DO NOT RECOMMEND TRYING TO OPEN OR PUNCTURE A STORE-BOUGHT CAN OF SPRAY PAINT.
I was trying to figure out the best way to get the bottom of the spray paint can off. Finally, I decided that a can opener would probably work just as well on a spray paint can as it does on a regular can. I have a Pampered Chef can opener that runs perpendicular to the sides of the can and leaves a smooth finish (no sharp edges).
The can opener did the trick, but it did dent the sides of the can a bit as I ran it around the bottom of the can. I was able to pop most of the dents out with a pair of long-nose pliers.
Because this was an empty can, I didn’t have to worry about removing any internal components. Just a clean, empty can from top to bottom.
As I went to thread my pendant kit through the can, I found that the plug was juuuuuuuuust slightly too big to fit through the top of the can. I used a pair of scissors to trim off just a bit of the rubber on each side so that it would fit through.
My IKEA kit came with two clips that fit around the cord so that you can hang it from the ceiling. I just those clips to hold the cord in place inside of the can.
I added in a small light bulb to the pendant kit and threaded it all into place.
I used the second lamp kit clip to secure the cord in place.
All that was left to do was to hang the lamp and plug it in!
Because the can is metal, the light shines straight down like task lighting.
After I took those pictures in our sunroom, the lamp made its way up to my craft room to join my Plutonium painted desk and my spray painted storage boxes!
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A few questions actually. Is there a line switch on the IKEA light kit? Are there any surprises when removing the top of the can components? Because of a chance of injury do you have any suggestions for dealing with a ragged edge if one of the rimmed edge can openers is not available. Usually the metal is so thin that files won’t work so I guess a high speed grinder would be the next best solution. Remember the eye protection.
Thanks for a good solution looking for a place to live.
This IKEA kit is turned on by plugging it in and off by unplugging. My can came to me from the manufacturer empty, so I didn't have to remove anything from the interior of the can. Unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions for a ragged edge because I didn't have to deal with that. I would be very careful!