Well, I have gone and done it again. I think my latest project is pretty cute, but as always, it might come across as a little complicated. So, I will break it down into a three-step process.

• The first step is to clean and prepare the beer and soda cans.
• The second step is to make the beads.
• The final step is to assemble the grasshopper.

For this post, I am primarily going to concentrate on the final step, which is the assembly of the grasshopper. If you are not familiar with working with aluminum cans, the following two videos will show you how I prepare most of my aluminum beer and soda cans for craft projects. And the third video will show you how to make metal beads from aluminum cans.

If you have seen some of my other drink can projects, you may have already seen these videos, so you can skip right to the assembly.

1- How to break down beer and soda cans into four usable parts.

2) – Three methods for flattening cans into aluminum sheets

3 – How to make beads from beer and soda cans

I know that making the beads from aluminum cans might seem overwhelming, but once you master it, you could be, like me, a little bit addicted. The process is similar to rolling paper beads and you will need a bead roller. I recommend this one. It is less than fifteen dollars, and I have used mine to roll literally thousands of beads. The beads made from aluminum beer and soda cans are heavier than paper and can be colored with lovely shades of alcohol ink or rolled with the print side out as well.

So, if you are ready, let’s get started on the third step and assemble the Grasshopper. Believe it or not, this little grasshopper is actually pretty simple to make. Once you understand the process and have all your supplies ready to go, it only takes about half an hour to put one together.

If you are interested in making your own grasshopper, I recommend watching the video tutorial below for all the detailed instructions.

Supplies

• Aluminum can beads
• 20 gauge wire (I like the copper)
• Two small round black beads 5mm
• Clear E6000 glue
• Round-tipped jewelry pliers

Here is a detailed look at the soda can beads you will need for this project.

Step 1 – Cut two lengths of wire to eight inches and use the round-tipped jewelry pliers to make a small loose coil on one end of each wire. Next, slide one of the 5mm black beads onto each wire.

Step 2 – Thread the ends of the wire in opposite directions through the oval bead. Bend the coiled ends to make the antenna, cross the straight ends of the wire under the bead, and twist several times to secure the wire.

Step 3 – Cut four pieces of wire twelve inches long. Make a two-inch bend in two of the wires and a three-inch bend in the other two wires. Start with one wire with a two-inch bend and wrap the long end of the wire around the twisted wires two to three times to secure the wire in place. Next, take the second wire with a two-inch bend and wrap it in the opposite direction. Repeat this process with the other two wires.

Step 4 – Take the two longest wires on either side and twist them together. Repeat this process with the other two long wires and trim the twisted wires to five inches.

Step 5 – Slide the two partial oval beads onto the two center wires below the head and twist the wires together. Holding the beads in place, trim the twisted wire and use the round-tipped jewelry pliers to make a coil to hold the beads in place.

Step 6 – Shape the front and middle legs. I trimmed the front legs to about one and a half inches and the middle legs to about two inches and then used the pliers to make small coils on the end of the wires. Next, I used my fingers to make a smooth curve in the legs, bending the front legs forward and the middle legs backward.

Step 7 – To shape the large legs, I first threaded one oblong bead and one small round bead on each of the twisted wires and then used the pliers to coil the end of the wire. Next, I bent and shaped the wire into the general grasshopper shape.

Step 8 – Once you have the basic shaping done, you will want to secure a few things in place. I use a toothpick to add a little E6000 glue to attach the eyes and the beads on the legs. I also place a little glue under the head to keep the head and body from swiveling.

Step 9 – Once the glue has cured, you can do some final shaping to make the grasshopper stand more level and achieve the finished shape.

Happy Upcycling,

Cindy

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