Make a Junky Birdhouse or better yet an entire White Trash Park for the Birds!
THE HOME: Think of all those holiday tins collecting dust. Put them to good use. Any thin metal container will work for your birds home.
MAKING YOUR HOLE: You can start the hole for your birdhouse with an ice pick or large nail and a hammer or a drill with a metal drill bit. The trick here is to get a some support on the inside so your house doesn’t collapse while your starting the hole. Use a piece of wood that’s close in size to the interior diameter of your house. Make small starter holes larger by inserting a large screwdriver and or chisel. Manipulate it against the sides and strike it with a hammer until you get the shape and size you want for your entry.
PERCHES: Bird perches are easy to make using eating utensils. They are easily bent to shape and inserted directly into the hole. A not so easy perch was had by using the business end of a coke bottle. I had to carefully brake off pieces of glass to fit the shape of the wood at the base of this Coca Cola house. It was tapped into the wood somewhat then secured with hot glue.
SECURITY: Give your home weight to withstand winds and secure utensil perches in place by pouring one inch of Quick Crete inside your container.
ROOFS: I found used 4″ x 4″ fence post caps at a garage sale for a dollar piece. They already had that weathered patina I was looking for. You can buy them new if you need to for a few dollars each. Paint with a light coat of Latex then sand off the high spots for an aged look. Protect with Polyurethane Sealer for longevity. The Saltine Tin was the perfect fit for my roof. The Roof slides on and off like a lid. For the Coke Tin I used hinges.
CHIMNEYS: A Recesses Peanut Butter Spreader slides into a slender hole I made by drilling multiple holes side by side. The Pop Bottle Chimney was made the same way the Perch was (described above).
ACCESSORIES: Dots of melted solder were glued to the front of the tins for decoration. I recommend using Super Glue.
Okay this was your starting point. The rest is up to you. Have fun and let me know how it turns out.
THE HOME: Think of all those holiday tins collecting dust. Put them to good use. Any thin metal container will work for your birds home.
MAKING YOUR HOLE: You can start the hole for your birdhouse with an ice pick or large nail and a hammer or a drill with a metal drill bit. The trick here is to get a some support on the inside so your house doesn’t collapse while your starting the hole. Use a piece of wood that’s close in size to the interior diameter of your house. Make small starter holes larger by inserting a large screwdriver and or chisel. Manipulate it against the sides and strike it with a hammer until you get the shape and size you want for your entry.
PERCHES: Bird perches are easy to make using eating utensils. They are easily bent to shape and inserted directly into the hole. A not so easy perch was had by using the business end of a coke bottle. I had to carefully brake off pieces of glass to fit the shape of the wood at the base of this Coca Cola house. It was tapped into the wood somewhat then secured with hot glue.
SECURITY: Give your home weight to withstand winds and secure utensil perches in place by pouring one inch of Quick Crete inside your container.
ROOFS: I found used 4″ x 4″ fence post caps at a garage sale for a dollar piece. They already had that weathered patina I was looking for. You can buy them new if you need to for a few dollars each. Paint with a light coat of Latex then sand off the high spots for an aged look. Protect with Polyurethane Sealer for longevity. The Saltine Tin was the perfect fit for my roof. The Roof slides on and off like a lid. For the Coke Tin I used hinges.
CHIMNEYS: A Recesses Peanut Butter Spreader slides into a slender hole I made by drilling multiple holes side by side. The Pop Bottle Chimney was made the same way the Perch was (described above).
ACCESSORIES: Dots of melted solder were glued to the front of the tins for decoration. I recommend using Super Glue.
Okay this was your starting point. The rest is up to you. Have fun and let me know how it turns out.
Make a Junky Birdhouse or better yet an entire White Trash Park for the Birds!
THE HOME: Think of all those holiday tins collecting dust. Put them to good use. Any thin metal container will work for your birds home.
MAKING YOUR HOLE: You can start the hole for your birdhouse with an ice pick or large nail and a hammer or a drill with a metal drill bit. The trick here is to get a some support on the inside so your house doesn’t collapse while your starting the hole. Use a piece of wood that’s close in size to the interior diameter of your house. Make small starter holes larger by inserting a large screwdriver and or chisel. Manipulate it against the sides and strike it with a hammer until you get the shape and size you want for your entry.
PERCHES: Bird perches are easy to make using eating utensils. They are easily bent to shape and inserted directly into the hole. A not so easy perch was had by using the business end of a coke bottle. I had to carefully brake off pieces of glass to fit the shape of the wood at the base of this Coca Cola house. It was tapped into the wood somewhat then secured with hot glue.
SECURITY: Give your home weight to withstand winds and secure utensil perches in place by pouring one inch of Quick Crete inside your container.
ROOFS: I found used 4″ x 4″ fence post caps at a garage sale for a dollar piece. They already had that weathered patina I was looking for. You can buy them new if you need to for a few dollars each. Paint with a light coat of Latex then sand off the high spots for an aged look. Protect with Polyurethane Sealer for longevity. The Saltine Tin was the perfect fit for my roof. The Roof slides on and off like a lid. For the Coke Tin I used hinges.
CHIMNEYS: A Recesses Peanut Butter Spreader slides into a slender hole I made by drilling multiple holes side by side. The Pop Bottle Chimney was made the same way the Perch was (described above).
ACCESSORIES: Dots of melted solder were glued to the front of the tins for decoration. I recommend using Super Glue.
Okay this was your starting point. The rest is up to you. Have fun and let me know how it turns out.
THE HOME: Think of all those holiday tins collecting dust. Put them to good use. Any thin metal container will work for your birds home.
MAKING YOUR HOLE: You can start the hole for your birdhouse with an ice pick or large nail and a hammer or a drill with a metal drill bit. The trick here is to get a some support on the inside so your house doesn’t collapse while your starting the hole. Use a piece of wood that’s close in size to the interior diameter of your house. Make small starter holes larger by inserting a large screwdriver and or chisel. Manipulate it against the sides and strike it with a hammer until you get the shape and size you want for your entry.
PERCHES: Bird perches are easy to make using eating utensils. They are easily bent to shape and inserted directly into the hole. A not so easy perch was had by using the business end of a coke bottle. I had to carefully brake off pieces of glass to fit the shape of the wood at the base of this Coca Cola house. It was tapped into the wood somewhat then secured with hot glue.
SECURITY: Give your home weight to withstand winds and secure utensil perches in place by pouring one inch of Quick Crete inside your container.
ROOFS: I found used 4″ x 4″ fence post caps at a garage sale for a dollar piece. They already had that weathered patina I was looking for. You can buy them new if you need to for a few dollars each. Paint with a light coat of Latex then sand off the high spots for an aged look. Protect with Polyurethane Sealer for longevity. The Saltine Tin was the perfect fit for my roof. The Roof slides on and off like a lid. For the Coke Tin I used hinges.
CHIMNEYS: A Recesses Peanut Butter Spreader slides into a slender hole I made by drilling multiple holes side by side. The Pop Bottle Chimney was made the same way the Perch was (described above).
ACCESSORIES: Dots of melted solder were glued to the front of the tins for decoration. I recommend using Super Glue.
Okay this was your starting point. The rest is up to you. Have fun and let me know how it turns out.
filename: Bird Houses 7-17-2007 12-43-16 PM 7-17-2007 12-45-22 PM |
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