MAKING TIN CAN TOYS
Army truck constructed entirely from used tin cans
MAKING TIN CAN TOYS
BY
EDWARD THATCHER
ORIGINATOR OF TIN CAN TOYS AND INSTRUCTOR OF METAL
WORKING, TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
NEW YORK CITY, 1904-1919
DRAWINGS MADE AND THE
AUTHOR’S MODELS PAINTED
By ISABEL THATCHER
PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A.
INTRODUCTION
Tin can toys were invented after a fruitlesssearch of the toy shops for a large tin locomotive. Ihad a long can in my shop at home that I thoughtcould be very easily worked up into a toy locomotiveboiler by adding a few fittings, such as a piece of tinrolled up into the form of a smokestack. Part of asmall can could be used for a steam dome, or I coulduse the top part of a certain tooth-powder can, thedistributor top of which would look very much like awhistle. A cocoa tin came in very handy for a cab,and a thumb-tack box served for a headlight. Thewheels were made of can lids soldered together, andthe toy locomotive was made, much to the joy of myvery young son, who has had it in constant servicefor over a year, and it is still good for many trips atthe end of a string.
I had always used tin cans for making such articlesas water motors, glue pots, melting ladles,mooring buoys for model yachts, etc., but the locomotivewas the first toy, made wholly from tin cans,that I had produced, and this suggested other toys.The steam roller was next made.
I found that the cans lend themselves very easily[2]to the making of toys, so much of the work beingalready done.
The materials used to make these toys are plentifuland inexpensive—cans are everywhere. Thetools needed are few and easy to use, and I foundthat so many different and amusing durable toyscould be made from used tin cans, and also thateveryone seemed to have such fun making the toys,that I decided to use them for teaching purposes.
Tin can toy making has been thoroughly triedout in a grade school under a very able teacher, whounderstands making them. Pupils of ten, eleven andtwelve years of age have proved that these toys areeasy to make, and many schools now have the workwell established.
The steam roller, shown in Plate XI, was madeby a boy of ten after a model which I made for it.This same boy developed quite a trade of his own bysoldering up various pieces of tinware for his motherand the neighbors.
But, better still, working with the tin cans hasdeveloped the inventive faculties of my class to asurprising degree. The pupils ha