[WalterBright]

P.S. I still use tin cans as a source of sheet metal. There was a big storm a while ago, with tree branches whistling by at high speed. (Not a good time to be outside.)

Three holes were punched in the house by the branches, 1-2 inches in diameter. What to do, what to do. I took a coke can, slit it and unrolled it into sheet metal. Then cut a disk bigger than the hole, and epoxied it into place. Worked like a charm, and cost nothing.

I've used coke can metal for shingles and flashing, too. They don't rust.

[psd1]

I like that story. I fixed a microwave door latch with a beer-can shim and some decorative ribbon; we used it another 11 years.

[fragmede]

there's also a plastic liner on them that I'm sure helps.

[echoangle]

It also helps that they are made from aluminum which doesn’t rust like iron does.

[hdrz]

It rusts just like iron, but the rust (AlOx, or alumina) stays bonded to the metal and actually protects it.

[lloeki]

Rust being literal Fe2O3 makes a convincing argument that aluminium sure oxidises but doesn't rust pretty much by definition ;)

[wongarsu]

In other words: it rusts, but it doesn't rust like iron. It rusts in a much less destructive way because the aluminum oxide protects the rest of the aluminum from oxygen

[redeeman]

it does not rust, it corrodes :)

[euroderf]

And epoxy binds to aluminum just fine ? Epoxy is weird. What solid material does it NOT bond to ?

[AlotOfReading]

Polyethylene, like they use in food containers. Virtually nothing sticks to it unless specifically designed.

[mjanx123]

It does not bond to polypropylene and other low surface energy plastics

[psd1]

Terminology question - I understood those to be "high-energy" surfaces, because the chains are strongly bound. Is it a typo, or am I wrong?

[mjanx123]

It is really called low energy, it refers to the low attractive force of the surface, liquids bead up and do not wetten, in epoxy that results in small contact area and a weak bond, on a high surface energy material it flows into all the crannies and has enormous contact area and a strong bond.

[ridgeguy]

Teflon.

[cen0b]

Yummy, my favorite!

[echoangle]

Actually should be mostly fine since it’s pretty inert, unless you eat the stuff used to make it.