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I just got an altoids tin. It still has candy in it. :) After I finish the candy, I would like to make a cache out of it. Would it be waterproof enough?

Is this a serious question?

 

Well, maybe the answer will be helpful to someone even if you just ask this in jest. No, they're not remotely waterproof. In addition, if exposed to moisture, they get rusty.

 

I haven't seen this response for a while, but for a while in the past, the answer was "yes, if you hide it inside an ammo can" :)

 

Edit : wow, in the time it took me to type this, 4 responses got posted :D

Edited by Chrysalides
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We have a local cacher who is addicted to altoids! :laughing: She is a very experienced cacher and has hidden quite a few, most are attatched to something metal using magnets and sheilded from the elements (undersides and insides of things)... those hold up fairly well. However, I have also seen some (hidden by a different cacher) that now look like the photo above... not pretty at all. One in particular was tucked into an old tire... that fills up with water each and every rain. *sigh* :rolleyes:

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I just got an altoids tin. It still has candy in it. :) After I finish the candy, I would like to make a cache out of it. Would it be waterproof enough?

Is this a serious question?

Well, maybe the answer will be helpful to someone even if you just ask this in jest. No, they're not remotely waterproof. In addition, if exposed to moisture, they get rusty.

 

I haven't seen this response for a while, but for a while in the past, the answer was "yes, if you hide it inside an ammo can" :)

 

Edit : wow, in the time it took me to type this, 4 responses got posted :D

 

Oh. If this is I should probably apologize. It just didn't occur to me that it could be.

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I just got an altoids tin. It still has candy in it. :) After I finish the candy, I would like to make a cache out of it. Would it be waterproof enough?

Is this a serious question?

 

Well, maybe the answer will be helpful to someone even if you just ask this in jest. No, they're not remotely waterproof. In addition, if exposed to moisture, they get rusty.

 

I haven't seen this response for a while, but for a while in the past, the answer was "yes, if you hide it inside an ammo can" :)

 

Edit : wow, in the time it took me to type this, 4 responses got posted :D

I am serious. I thought it might not be waterproof enough cause the lid was sort of loose, so I just asked to make sure. :grin::omnomnom:

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I did a little experiment one time when this came up:

I just happen to have an Altoids tin sitting on my desk. Decided to take a look at it when I read this thread.

 

After putting the mints safely out of the way, I took a look at the hinge assembly. If the holes punched out to form the "body" side of the hinge (that is, not the lid) could be sealed from the inside without impeding the hinge you'd be halfway there. A bit of rubber gasket cut to fit the inside of the lid would seal the container when the lid is closed. If you really really really wanted a waterproof Altoids container you could do this and I suspect as long as you didn't screw up it'd be more waterproof than a Kodak film canister.

 

As I put the mints back into the can, guess what I see on the side of it? A big old patch of rust! :) This is a tin that hasn't been outside since I brought it in from the store. I guess the last stage of my plan would be sealing the whole thing with Rustoleum or the like.

 

At least then it won't rust on my desk.

I changed my sig line last night, the second part is in honor of what I've been up to.

 

After writing my suggestion about how to waterproof an Altiods tin, I decided to give it a try.

I took a look at the hinge assembly. If the holes punched out to form the "body" side of the hinge (that is, not the lid) could be sealed from the inside without impeding the hinge you'd be halfway there. A bit of rubber gasket cut to fit the inside of the lid would seal the container when the lid is closed.
I've done everything except the Rustoleum so far. Sealed the holes by taping off the back of the tin & applying epoxy over the holes inside. The gasket is craft foam, which should work ok I think. It's a little thick, but once it's held together for a bit it should form to the tin nicely.

4bda14a6-a0ed-49f1-95f0-c9e4fdd945a9.jpg

I'm gonna go sink it for a bit. Anyone want to bet on how it does?

 

;)

Well, I put "logbooks" in my "waterproof" Altoids tin and an "off-the-shelf" tin as well.

 

I sunk them in water, took them out for a peek after 10 mins. Below are the results:

 

The containers. Left is the "waterproof" one, right, the "off-the-shelf" one. As you can see, I used green marker to write on the logs. It came off...

9baf394c-aafe-4e48-8f5c-4aa17da0678f.jpg

The logs read "Logbook in the 'waterproof' Altoids tin. (Wintergreen Container)" on the top and "Logbook in the 'off-the-shelf' Altoids tin. (Ginger Container)" on the bottom.

bd1aa2b2-c52b-40fa-82d1-f603d0d14f4a.jpg

1b305ed6-b29e-4f03-963a-5694bf21dc01.jpg

It looks like my treatment helped, it might actually work if I had the proper gasket material, as that appears to be where the leak came from.

 

What can we take away from this? Altoid tins are tough to waterproof. Even if you can do it, there are simpler and more reliable ways to make a quality geocache container.

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I just got an altoids tin. It still has candy in it. :) After I finish the candy, I would like to make a cache out of it. Would it be waterproof enough?

Is this a serious question?

 

Well, maybe the answer will be helpful to someone even if you just ask this in jest. No, they're not remotely waterproof. In addition, if exposed to moisture, they get rusty.

 

I haven't seen this response for a while, but for a while in the past, the answer was "yes, if you hide it inside an ammo can" :)

 

Edit : wow, in the time it took me to type this, 4 responses got posted :D

I am serious. I thought it might not be waterproof enough cause the lid was sort of loose, so I just asked to make sure. :grin::omnomnom:

 

The best test I can recommend is to take any proposed cache container and put some tissue into it. Then lay it on its side in a bathtub of about 1/2 inch of water and with a slow but steady drip of water on it. Return about 12 hours later and see if the tissue is wet.

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I just got an altoids tin. It still has candy in it. :) After I finish the candy, I would like to make a cache out of it. Would it be waterproof enough?

Is this a serious question?

 

Well, maybe the answer will be helpful to someone even if you just ask this in jest. No, they're not remotely waterproof. In addition, if exposed to moisture, they get rusty.

 

I haven't seen this response for a while, but for a while in the past, the answer was "yes, if you hide it inside an ammo can" :)

 

Edit : wow, in the time it took me to type this, 4 responses got posted :D

I am serious. I thought it might not be waterproof enough cause the lid was sort of loose, so I just asked to make sure. :grin::omnomnom:

 

Yeah. I hadn't noticed that you were a relatively new cacher. I am glad you are enjoying your donut though. :mmraspberry::omnomnom: Put the two together and it is kinda like having ice cream and cake. :cool:

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I just got an altoids tin.

If you regularly finish a tin of Altoids, swap the cache container out with a fresh tin. You could completely coat it with a rust protective paint, so it takes a little longer to rust. It's not at all waterproof, but the container might be somewhat good protection for a ziplock bag.

Edited by kunarion
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The best test I can recommend is to take any proposed cache container and put some tissue into it. Then lay it on its side in a bathtub of about 1/2 inch of water and with a slow but steady drip of water on it. Return about 12 hours later and see if the tissue is wet.

 

I agree. I've done similar tests, with toilet paper. I learned that facial tissue (Kleenex) is somewhat moisture repellent.

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Overall, my opinion of Altoids tins as cache containers mirrors those above. Not waterproof, rust and degenerate to a nasty mess.

 

But then....I have an Altoids-tin cache that's been out 3.5 years now. Much to my amazement, to this day it has remained dry, rust-free, looks just like when I first put it out - even though it's not sheltered from the weather and has no protective covering. The container is exposed to the air and attached to the side of a wooden bridge railing. I don't know why it remains in such good condition, but I'm not complaining.

Edited by hydnsek
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Overall, my opinion of Altoids tins as cache containers mirrors those above. Not waterproof, rust and degenerate to a nasty mess.

 

But then....I have an Altoids-tin cache that's been out 3.5 years now. Much to my amazement, to this day it has remained dry, rust-free, looks just like when I first put it out - even though it's not sheltered from the weather and has no protective covering. The container is exposed to the air and attached to the side of a wooden bridge railing. I don't know why it remains in such good condition, but I'm not complaining.

Showoff. :lol:

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I just got an altoids tin. It still has candy in it. :) After I finish the candy, I would like to make a cache out of it. Would it be waterproof enough?

Is this a serious question?

 

Well, maybe the answer will be helpful to someone even if you just ask this in jest. No, they're not remotely waterproof. In addition, if exposed to moisture, they get rusty.

 

I haven't seen this response for a while, but for a while in the past, the answer was "yes, if you hide it inside an ammo can" :)

 

Edit : wow, in the time it took me to type this, 4 responses got posted :D

I am serious. I thought it might not be waterproof enough cause the lid was sort of loose, so I just asked to make sure. :grin::omnomnom:

 

Yeah. I hadn't noticed that you were a relatively new cacher. I am glad you are enjoying your donut though. :mmraspberry::omnomnom: Put the two together and it is kinda like having ice cream and cake. :cool:

No problem. Ice cream and cake(or doughnuts)does sound delicious :mmraspberry::omnomnom: . They should make a Signal eating altoids emoticon. :grin::laughing:

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Just throw it in a baggie and you're all good.

Take the baggie outdoors. Open it wide. Close it up and leave it lay for a bit. Check it in the evening and in the morning. What do you think you're gonna find? Probably moisture beaded up on the interior of the baggie.

 

Ask me what I think of baggies.

 

To be fair, all you are seeing is condensation. Condensation is strictly a result of humidity and temperature. It has zero to do with the container used. An ammo can would show the same degree of condensation.

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I had one that lasted quite awhile in direct exposure to the elements. You seem to be a tinkerer and on the right track with the water proofing. Mine lasted a couple of years until it got stolen.

 

Here's what I did.

 

First I lightly sanded the the container inside and out then sprayed it with a good auto body primer. When that was dry I spray painted it the color of my choice with a good spray paint that was designed for outdoor patio furniture or auto body use. I did the silicone on the hinge holes too but I oiled the moving part of the hinge with a Q tip first to keep the silicone from sticking to that part and possibly tearing away. The next trick was to oil the lip of the container with a Q tip then put a bead of silicone all the way around inside the edge of the lid. I let it sit for an hour until the silicone got tacky then closed the lid. The oil kept the silicone from sticking to the lip and prevented the container from getting glued shut. I let it sit undisturbed for 24 hrs. The silicone bead custom formed to the lip of the container and made a nice gasket.

 

Would still advise putting the log in a little zip lock baggie.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Happy Hunting!

Edited by potshot
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If you want a good, cheap micro that keeps the water out a little better, invest in PET preforms.

 

product1-s.jpg

 

When I shopped for them I could only get them in boxes of 100, but now that cache stores have caught on, you can get them in smaller numbers (and sometimes preloaded with pencils and logs).

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I had one that lasted quite awhile in direct exposure to the elements. You seem to be a tinkerer and on the right track with the water proofing. Mine lasted a couple of years until it got stolen.

 

Here's what I did.

 

First I lightly sanded the the container inside and out then sprayed it with a good auto body primer. When that was dry I spray painted it the color of my choice with a good spray paint that was designed for outdoor patio furniture or auto body use. I did the silicone on the hinge holes too but I oiled the moving part of the hinge with a Q tip first to keep the silicone from sticking to that part and possibly tearing away. The next trick was to oil the lip of the container with a Q tip then put a bead of silicone all the way around inside the edge of the lid. I let it sit for an hour until the silicone got tacky then closed the lid. The oil kept the silicone from sticking to the lip and prevented the container from getting glued shut. I let it sit undisturbed for 24 hrs. The silicone bead custom formed to the lip of the container and made a nice gasket.

 

Would still advise putting the log in a little zip lock baggie.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Happy Hunting!

 

:blink:

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I had one that lasted quite awhile in direct exposure to the elements. You seem to be a tinkerer and on the right track with the water proofing. Mine lasted a couple of years until it got stolen.

 

Here's what I did.

 

First I lightly sanded the the container inside and out then sprayed it with a good auto body primer. When that was dry I spray painted it the color of my choice with a good spray paint that was designed for outdoor patio furniture or auto body use. I did the silicone on the hinge holes too but I oiled the moving part of the hinge with a Q tip first to keep the silicone from sticking to that part and possibly tearing away. The next trick was to oil the lip of the container with a Q tip then put a bead of silicone all the way around inside the edge of the lid. I let it sit for an hour until the silicone got tacky then closed the lid. The oil kept the silicone from sticking to the lip and prevented the container from getting glued shut. I let it sit undisturbed for 24 hrs. The silicone bead custom formed to the lip of the container and made a nice gasket.

 

Would still advise putting the log in a little zip lock baggie.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Happy Hunting!

 

That seems like an awful lot of work to go through when a match safe is less than a dollar and already waterproof.

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That seems like an awful lot of work to go through when a match safe is less than a dollar and already waterproof.

It sure does, but then, I notice that many people like to tinker and improvise. There's also the sense of accomplishment that comes from doing something on your own.

 

As long as it is something that you enjoy doing, and does no harm to others, I say go for it. For someone just looking for a good container, there are many other choices.

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I just got an altoids tin. It still has candy in it. :) After I finish the candy, I would like to make a cache out of it. Would it be waterproof enough?

Is this a serious question?

 

Well, maybe the answer will be helpful to someone even if you just ask this in jest. No, they're not remotely waterproof. In addition, if exposed to moisture, they get rusty.

 

I haven't seen this response for a while, but for a while in the past, the answer was "yes, if you hide it inside an ammo can" :)

 

Edit : wow, in the time it took me to type this, 4 responses got posted :D

I am serious. I thought it might not be waterproof enough cause the lid was sort of loose, so I just asked to make sure. :grin::omnomnom:

I'm gonna go out on limb here and hazard a guess that anytime a lid is "sort of loose", odds are it won't be sort of waterproof.

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Just a good paint job on a an Altoids tin would be an improvement and keep it from rusting particularly if your going to put it where it is out of direct contact with rain and sprinklers like under a lamp post skirt or a beam. Being able to survive water tight after being submerged is probably over kill. My Ghost Mall container is an Altoids like tin that's hidden under a beam. All I did was paint that one and silicone the hinges and it's held up so far. I didn't bother with making a gasket.

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