Idle hands create snuff boxes. An old blues player I knew used to make these jailhouse tobacco tins, so used the technique on an old toque can. Wonder what I would get on ebay?..

Is that an upside-down cross on the lid?

how can the cross be upside-down, if it appears upside-down it is only because he is holding the tin upside-down but it looks right to me.

Well, Nigel is friends with the dyslexic New Yorker in the picture who made the tin while in prison. Awwww, hell,…I’m gonna quit trying to read into these pictures…it’s starting to wear me down pretty fierce. I thought I was “gifted” as they say, but evidently not.

Catdog say what?!!

I think that’s a great idea… can you emboss other designs or just the cross?

I just did a cross as I’m not much of an artist. Just take the label off, scrape the surface down to bare metal and using something blunt, like an old ball point, draw the design firmly enough for it to be visible on the underside of the tin. Then work on the design on the underside, effectively pushing it out and raising it from the surface as seen from the top side of the can. You then have a raised ‘repousse’ design on the lid. Its the same technique as used on old silver and gold snuffboxes. You can then use a pen knife or some such to put in cross hatching or other designs to enhance the effect. A quick rub with metal polish, if you have any, will keep the bare metal brilliant. The can in the picture took 20 minutes but done with care, and by someone with a bit of skill, the effects can be superb.

That is obviously a Church box which obligates you to now go use it in church. I’m just saying!

Well I do (sometimes) anyway, so no problem there!