How To Do Everything

Here’s another great Altoids Tin Project!  Make a Pintoid or Pinhole Camera using an Altoids tin.  This isn’t a high-tech camera by any means….it will be great for capturing scenery or still life and that’s about it.  But it is a nifty little thing…and it makes a great gift for any photography enthusiast.

1. Drill a hole in the can: you will need to drill a hole about 1/4″ into the nutrition info on the can.  Be sure to file off any sharp edges and to sand the inside of the can.  Then spray paint the inside of the can flat black.

2. Make Pinhole Apparatus: You will need an acupuncture needle, 3 porcupine quills, and a sewing needle that has been glued into a clothespin.

3. Cut some small pieces from a metal pie tin: Using a piece of cardboard as backing, you will want to turn and press while holding the clothespin in a vertical position.  You are creating a round groove in the tin for the next step.

4. Make a Hole: Using the acupuncture needle make a hole in the tin. You will want to check the holes to ensure that they are round.  If the hole isn’t perfectly round, you will want to throw that piece away and start over.  The hole must be perfectly round.

5. Tape the Pinhole: Using Gaffer’s tape you will want to tape the pinhole to the inside of the 1/4″ hole you drilled.  Gaffer’s tape is a special type of black tape, it is cloth-like and flat black, unlike electrical tape.

6. Put tape on the outside of the Pinhole: You will want to make a shutter by placing a piece of black tape on the outside of the pinhole.  You can also use black cardboard.

7. Move to a Completely Dark Room: Next you will want to put the film inside the can.  You will need to move to a completely dark room then tape a strip of film inside the lid to the camera.  The emulsion side should be facing the pinhole so it will capture the image.

8. Close the lid: Now you will want to close the tin and wrap it with black electrical tape to prevent any light from leaking inside.

9. Make a Picture: Holes that are sewing needle size will need about 4 seconds of exposure on a sunny day.  If you are taking the photo inside, you may need anywhere from 10 minutes to hours depending on the amount of light in your home.  Acupuncture needle holes will need more time, about 1 minute on a sunny day.

10. Process and Develop:  If you know how, you can do this step by yourself.  If not, I would suggest going to someone who is familiar with developing film.

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