Aluminum Can Caterpillar Plant Charm – Metal Metamorphosis
If you are like me and are a little challenged when it comes to growing things, you can simply use these little creatures as shelf decorations, but they also look good in plants. 🙂
The Caterpillar is my fifth aluminum can plant charm creation. I have also made a bumblebee, an ant, a ladybug, and a dragonfly. If you are interested, you can find those tutorials linked here.
I have had a lot of fun creating these whimsical creatures. And if you have already seen these other plant charms, you know that they all start the same way. If you haven’t seen my other tutorials, this project may seem like it starts in the middle. If you need to back up to the beginning, the three video links below will get you caught up.
If you are already familiar with tearing down, flattening cans, and making the soda can beads, you can scroll down to the supplies list and start the assembly process.
Video 1 – How I Breakdown Cans Into Four Usable Parts
Video 2 – Three Ways To Flatten Aluminum Cans
Video 3 – How To Make Beads From Aluminum Cans
Supplies
- 20 (or 22) Guage wire
- Two black 5mm round beads
- Round-tipped jewelry pliers
- Needle nose pliers
- Clear E6000 glue
- Ten oval soda can beads (or similar 5/8″ length 7/16″ diameter)
Step 1 – Wire Cutting
For this project, you will need to cut two pieces of wire 22 inches long and five pieces 4 inches long. Either the jewelry pliers or the needle nose pliers will work for cutting the wire.
Step 2 – Shaping the Head
The first step in shaping the head is to make a small loose coil at one end of each of the long pieces of wire.
Next, bend the wires at a 90-degree angle approximately 1 inch below the coil.
Note: For more detailed assembly instructions, please see the video tutorial at the top of this post.
Slide one small black bead on each wire and thread the wires through one soda can bead in opposite directions. Hold the wires so that the 90-degree bend is tight to the large bead, and fold the long ends underneath the bead.
Twist the long ends of the wire 3 to 4 times in the center of the bead to secure the wire.
Step 3 – Assembling the Body
To assemble the body, thread the wires through the second bead in opposite directions and pull the wires evenly to the center underneath the head bead. Start by pulling the wires by hand to finish and pull tight; you may need two pairs of pliers.
Twist the wires once between each bead.
Continue assembling until all ten beads are attached. Do not twist the wires below the last bead.
Step 4 – Adding the Legs
Before attaching the small pieces of wire, the back pair of legs are made from the excess wire from the last bead. To achieve this, the ends of the wire are wrapped back around toward the head of the caterpillar and threaded through the second to the last bead (bead #9). Next, the 4-inch pieces of wire are threaded through beads 2,3,4,7, and 8.
Center the wires and bend them at a 90-degree angle to the body. Secure the legs and the black beads with E6000 glue. Allow time for the glue to set up before proceeding.
Step 5 – Final Shaping
Once the glue has dried, trim the legs to even lengths and use the jewelry pliers to make tight coils in each wire.
Finish by shaping the antenna head and body to desired position.
Happy Upcycling,
Cindy
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