We've been hiding caches like fiends the past couple of weeks. We've hidden four Terracaches (two virtual and two physical) and an ALR geocache. I was really nervous about the geocache we hid but it seems to be well received. That will teach me for reading the GC forums too much. LOL. Our ALR cache is a challenge I dreamed up named Calliope's Challenge. In order to log the cache you must find thirty consecutive caches and have an online log length of fifty words.
We had both my nieces and my nephew over at the house all day today. All the kids just love hanging out together. My oldest niece even helped me paint an ammo can which gave me the idea for this post.
I enjoy painting caches we are going to hide. I'm not very good at it but I believe it adds something special for the finder to have a camouflaged ammo can waiting. I even leave a little note on the cover of the logbook thanking them for hunting our cache. I try to stock them with really good trade items. We can't afford much but thanks to A to Z in Alma we at least have some nice toys. Hardly anybody ever lists what they trade so it's hard to tell what most cachers think of the trade.
Anyway, I thought I would talk about how I camouflage an ammo can and maybe get some input from anyone reading, especially if they have never attempted it before. I'm interested in getting better at it so any input would also be most appreciated.
We buy our ammo cans from a scrap metal dealer in Glenwood, AR. He literally has hundreds of 50cal cans that he sells for $1. Pretty sweet huh! The downside is you have to look through them (which he encourages) and sometimes mix and match lids. So the first step in preparing an ammo can for a hide is to check the rubber seal. Without that the can will allow moisture in and ruin all the contents. The second thing to look for (in older cans) is holes. The best way to do that is simply hold it up to the light while looking in the interior for any light a hole may let in. Now that you have a can in good condition it's time to paint!
The first step in camouflaging a can is sanding off any rust. You'll want to be sure to do that outside since I was told some older cans used lead based paint. I'd err on the side of caution and wear a mask or at least be outside when you do this. Once you've sanded all the rust off go ahead and cover the can in a coat of primer. I do this to protect the can (hopefully) from rusting any further.
Once you've let your primer dry cover the can in the primary color you wish to have. I usually use OD green or brown. I use the Krylon camouflage paint mostly. Their oD green is a little light compared to some darker ones made by BLP Mobile Paints that I sometimes get from the army surplus but they dry very quickly and can also be used on plastic which is an added bonus. You could use a cheaper version of brown though. It would just take longer to dry.
When that's dry then you need to paint the secondary colors of your camouflage. This really depends on what you want. For this can I randomly sprayed light beige (ColorPlace..cheap at Wal-Mart) and then went back over part of it with some Krylon camouflage beige. I also reapplied some OD green in some places I felt were too light. I try to stay away from the edges when using the lighter colors. You can also get shades of your color choices by varying how close to the can you hold the spray paint. This takes some practice (I'm still working on it. LOL.) but it is worth it.
Next I'll choose some leaves and/or grasses to use. This again depends on where you're hiding the cache or just what you have available. I use some small maple leaves I picked up in the crafts department at Wal-Mart. I've also used grasses form a nearby field and leaves from a neighbors bush (shhh..don't say anything). Just anything you want would work. First I'll hit the edges of the can with black and then lay whatever material I'm using on the can and Highlight around it with the black. I really recommend the Krylon black since it dries faster and you won't get any streaks from moving your material around but you can use the cheaper stuff, just be real careful! Keep repositioning and spraying until you have the look you want. Remember that the lighter colors will darken after a couple of hours. Don't be afraid to experiment! You can always repaint the can if you're not happy with it. Here's what I ended up with:
The lighter colors darkened some after a few hours and I was really pleased with it. You can affix a geocaching label to it or make a stencil and spray one on there. Which is what I do. You can download a PDF at Sissy-n-CR's website. I just bought some blank Mylar sheets at Wal-Mart and, using the copy I printed from their store, laid the template under it and cut it out with an exacto knife. It works okay. I'm going to buy some later. Just so I don't have to cut anymore out. They have both Geocaching and Terracaching stencils available so check them out.
Well that's all I've learned so far. I keep experimenting and so far I've made a lot of improvement. I've also had some abysmal failures. You should have seen how my attempt at digital camouflage came out. Ugh! LOL. It was horrid. I'm currently working on trying to paint an ammo can to make it look like bacon!? I'm almost there. Happy Caching!
