Cake Tin Garden Lantern

I’m not quite sure what happened to this cake tin but the base no longer fits tightly, so all the batter leaks out. It’s baking days are over. The nice thing about these tins is that they are lightweight and relatively rust-resistant. And in my case, free!

I washed it with soapy water and a scrubbing brush and then sanded it down.

I wasn’t sure whether I should use primer, the instructions on the Rustoleum Metallic refers to a rust-proofing primer but I wasn’t sure if it was necessary in this case. Needless to say, the lazy butt that I am decided not to prime...

Mistake...I’m not sure if it was the type of metal ( perhaps there was some of the non-stick covering left) or the general lack of primer or my spraying skills. It wasn’t bad but the paint had a bit of a ‘texture’. I decided that I actually liked it and so I left it as is.

To make a secure base for the candle, I cut two wooden curtain rings in half with a hack-saw and found a squar(ish) piece of scrap wood. It would have been perfectly square if I had the tools but alas. It could also then have been made to match the size of my candle but as it was, I matched the candle to the base.

I removed the screws and sanded everything lightly. Then I put the candle holder in the centre of the wooden block and spaced the 4 curtain ring parts around it. The rings must cradle the candle so that it doesn’t shift around in the wind but at the same time allow you to remove and replace the candle. You could also stick the candle holder to the wood and put a loose candle inside. I used a glue gun.

I gave the wood a coat or two if Krylon ColorMaster Acrylic Chrystal Clear. You could, of course, stain or paint it instead.

Next, I knotted string around the spring mechanism to hang the ring from. I kept the mechanism in the Ioose position. The position of the mechanism may affect the general balance so you don’t want it to move around. I then held the whole thing up by the string to find the centre point where I needed to stick the wood base. I tested the position of the base and took note of where it actually touched the metal - not as obvious as it may seem. After dabbing some hot glue on those spots I stuck the base down inside the ring.

All that was left to do was to add the candle and hang my creation. As mentioned, you could also stick on more decorations to match it to a holiday.