How do you reseal an open drink can?
An open can on a workbench is a spill with a countdown on it, and if it's outside it's also a wasp trap you're going to drink from.
Applies to
- Process
- Not spilling things
- Materials
- Standard aluminium beverage cans
- Setup
- The cap from a used grease cartridge, or any similar snap cap
- Bonus
- It's a cap that otherwise gets thrown away
Why it matters
A knocked-over can on a bench full of tools, paperwork or electronics is a genuinely annoying afternoon.
It also keeps the carbonation in and the insects out, which if you've ever drunk from an outdoor can in summer is not a small thing.
What good looks like
- The cap snaps on and stays on when the can is tipped
- It pulls off cleanly for a drink and goes back on
- The cap is clean — it came off a grease tube
How to apply it
- Save the cap off a used grease cartridge and wash it properly.
- Snap it onto the top of the open can.
- Pull it off to drink, snap it back after.
Exceptions & tradeoffs
Wash it. It lived on a grease tube. Nobody wants a hint of lithium complex in their drink.
It's a splash cap, not a pressure seal. A can on its side still empties itself, just slower.
Common mistakes
- Using it straight off the grease tubeWash it first, obviously
- Expecting it to hold carbonation for daysIt slows the go-flat, it doesn't stop it
Snapping a grease-cartridge cap onto a drink can to reseal it — Grease Tube Cap Does What?! Nooo Waaay! ↗ at 0:43–1:25.
Summarized and independently edited by Start Here. Starting values and cautions are our editorial notes, not a quotation from the creator.