I bought some Heineken kegs to make a few pots (I smashed an old one...and I'm thirsty) and I noticed that they changed the shape of the can.

Uh-Oh!

My safety opener can't cut off the lid without denting up the can.

On the older cans, there are concentric rings at the top, very different from the bottom.

The new can I'm using has a top that is a mirror image of the bottom...too fat with a weird angle- my opener won't fit it.

Now do I have to mod my opener to mod my cans?

The life of an SUL idiot....

???

Every man should have a RotoZip cut-off tool and/or a Dremel in his toolbox. Adjust it to a slow speed and secure the can. I haven't tried it one an aluminum can. But have cut up all kinds of material.

I wonder who drinks all the beer over at Trail Designs (Caldera Cones).

Rand does! I bet he'll be chiming in a bit :D

Rand is a drunk then. LOL They sell those things like hot cakes.

I had to cut/file off the little plastic guide on my side cut can opener to not damage the cans. Started with a knife, moved to a file and sandpaper, works great now.

Yep! We ran into that same issue with our can openers. James' solution is the correct one. You will notice a raised plastic feature right below the cutting wheel.....you need to grind/sand/cut that off to get your opener to work again on the new Heinie cans......same problem with the new Fosters.

As to who drinks the beer here at TDesigns.....well.....we try to spread it around over 3 or 4 folks to ensure no one person's liver gives out for the sake of commerce! :-) Did briefly consider pulling the BPL community into the effort with a "We'll buy your properly opened cans for a dollar" like thing....but ultimately realized that the shipping and effort didn't pay off. So, unfortunately, we're forced to keep drinking beer on your behalf.

Rand :-)

I came from a village so small that we didn't have a town drunk, so we took turns being one.

Anyone have a neat SUL potlifter for these pots or do you just use a glove to pick it up?

I use a Trail Designs silicone band on the middle part or a glove.

Rather than go to the trouble of buying and then modifying a can opener (I tried two different side cutters and modified them with no success) Simply get some high-grit sandpaper and sand down the rim of the can until you see a line appear around the entire lip. What you've done is separated the lid from the can itself where the lip was folded over. Then simply pull up and pop the top off. The easiest way to do this is to empty the contents (in the best manner you see fit :-P ) and then simply flipping it upside down and using circular motions on the sandpaper until the desired effect is achieved. I like having the hole there because it prevents boilover, though it does affect efficiency.

Double-tap

I wrapped mine in some fiberglass drywall tape. Works like a charm so far.

Sounds like a good excuse to get the dremel out.

+1

Exactly what I did. It is always a good time to get the Dremel out!

I have a Pampered Chef sidecut can opener here at home and decided I wanted to give the Heineken pot a try. Maybe it's a new design or my cutters but I can't get a grip on the lip without denting the can. Are there any other well documented methods of removing the lid intact? What about cutting the can down along one of the lower rims? Would you first drain the can, fill with water and freeze so it's easier cutting without denting it?

Any help is appreciated!

solution to your problem is only a few posts up. Remove the bump on the can opener.

-Tim

I just made my first two keg pots, and I used an IKEA style side cutter, and I noticed two things. First, you have the ability to squeeze to the depth you want to cut to. I didn't realize this until after the first can I cut right thru the top as well, and seperated it from the ring so it wouldn't work as a top! I also noticed that the slope at the top now precludes me from using a silicone band like I had seen in some pics before. It just slides up and off hte pot top! So on the second keg, I just didn't squeeze the cutter as much and it worked well.

I've found that the safety can-opener that works the best is the $8.95 "Essential Home" model from KMart.

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_011W956473110001P?keyword=95647311&viewType=gal&sLevel=0&prop17=95647311

There is a small plastic bit at the bottom, designed to help you keep the thing aligned against a regular can. I just took my dremel and cut it off and it works great.