Pictures - Cool Cache Containers (CCC's)

July 10, 2004

Hello I love this idea on cool cache containers, well I like building these and my latest is a a large piece of wood that has been cut out and a lid that is an off cut fits on top.when the lid is removed you will be looking at a computer cd drive there are the normal buttons, but I have re wired them so when you press one the cd tray slides out revealing a small log book held into the cd tray.another button pulls the cd tray back in ,and another button activates a recording of a familiar piece of music with a voice over of some instructions to follow,the responce has been quite good but time will tell how long the batteries will last . keep the ideas coming,

how do I put a picture on this message ?? any help please.

Major Tom and family

Edited July 11, 2004 by major tom

July 10, 2004

Can anyone give me an idea of where I may buy a "magnetic sheet" of the type used in that dumpster cache? Great idea...

--IntotheWoods

1.4k · July 10, 2004

Office Depot, Staples or any office supply store.

July 10, 2004

Maybe from a shop that makes signs? Office supply and craft stores might have them, too.

July 10, 2004

Can anyone give me an idea of where I may buy a "magnetic sheet" of the type used in that dumpster cache? Great idea...

--IntotheWoods

Note that none of these have actually been compared for price, availability, or suitability. They're just from the first page of results retrieved by doing a Google search for magnetic sheet.

You might also check American Science and Surplus, as they often have that sort of thing, in large quantities, at very good prices. They've got magnetic sheets here for a few bucks.

(AS&S is also a great place for trade items, too)

July 10, 2004

A golf ball would be cool too.

I've got one of those sitting at my house right now. I'm going to hide it in a park near a golf course.

July 11, 2004

Can anyone give me an idea of where I may buy a "magnetic sheet" of the type used in that dumpster cache? Great idea...

Get the kind of sheets they sell at home depot for covering vents. They're a little thicker. And you should really use stick on letters or numbers (like for a mailbox) - they give the thing a little more rigidity, which is important - the average stuff they sell in office supply stores doesn't survive climatic changes well. This is from experience, folks.

July 11, 2004

I got my sheet of magnetic material at Michael's crafts store. I think it was 12 bucks for a huge sheet.

Still got the bulk of it stuck to my freezer, just waiting for some inspiration.

20.7k · July 11, 2004

I've been kicking around the idea of casting my own fake rocks out of tinted concrete for a while. I have had a bit of time on my hands during the last few weeks, so I finally tried it. This is the first one...

July 11, 2004

Nice job, sbell111 - looks like a rock!

20.7k · July 11, 2004

Thanks.

I'm also making some that are slate-colored and some that are reddish.

July 12, 2004

Here is an "enlarged" version of an container i saw on this site. The bolt is 6" long and 1/2" diameter.

"Before"

And with part of bolt welded into the nut and the entire thing coated/dabbed with JB Weld, then painted with brown and black flat paint..hole drilled into end of bolt of course for the log sheet. I put a piece of flat cork in the nut as a gasket, is water tight now!

Inserted into a downed fence post.............

Have had good logs about it, some have come back a few times to find it, but enjoyed the hunt!

20.7k · July 12, 2004

Great job, AZRob!

I've experienced two problems with the 'drilled bolt' micros. First, sometimes they are drilled too large. They then leak through the threads. Also, I've seen them placed in places that are inappropriate, such as drilling through public property.

1.4k · July 13, 2004

OK... now that my latest has been out a few weeks, I will share the photo of the hide. Look carefully, can you see the cache container????

Take a guess. Maybe later I will post the answer here.

July 13, 2004

Let me guess............. It's The Cactus!!

July 13, 2004

I first thought the cactus, but maybe it's one of those spiny plant like things.

EDIT: I think the rock is just a little of an obvious choice

Edited July 13, 2004 by Beta Test

July 13, 2004

Lacking additional info, I'll vote for the little cactus too. That's without doing any second-guessing about your deceptive photography skills.

July 13, 2004

If those are Yucca plants I see, I wouldn't stick my hands in there. Those spines are evil.

Given that, I vote the little cactus on the ground.

July 13, 2004

I vote for the little barrel looking cactus.

July 13, 2004

OK... now that my latest has been out a few weeks, I will share the photo of the hide. Look carefully, can you see the cache container????

The little patch-of-grass-looking-thingy just above dead center of the pic...it looks as if maybe there's something angular in shape, but very well disguised, hidden beneath that.

July 13, 2004

Tetley Fuzzy Elfkins, trying to hide behind my new cache container.

It's a plastic Folger's coffee "bucket", wrapped in camo duct tape; it's air and water-tight. I let it sit for several weeks with the lid off, to eliminate the coffee smell, even though I don't think animals are attracted to coffee. In addition, I put it next to the litterbox for a while; I don't think smaller rodents will be too terribly enthusiastic about getting close.

It should hide very well in the woods, dontcha think?

July 13, 2004

I've been kicking around the idea of casting my own fake rocks out of tinted concrete for a while. I have had a bit of time on my hands during the last few weeks, so I finally tried it. This is the first one...

Where did you get the tinted concrete of that color? All I've found at "Home Desperate" (Home Depot) is charcoal, a brick red, a tan, and a brown.

The real rocks here in West Texas are mostly limestone, and whitish-grey. Even untinted concrete is a bit too dark.

I've been thinking of using some tile cement / mortar, which is a lot more expen$ive but also comes in much lighter colors, but haven't done the experimenting yet.

What kind of concrete aggregate size did you use? Ordinary Sack-crete with gravel up to pea/marble, or a finer mix like sand mix?

Or did you get the special white cement (costs about 5x the gray) and then use that to more closely match the color of native rocks?

Anything else special, like fiber reinforcing strands (structural strength), or even chicken wire?

We have a meet n greet event this weekend I want to bring some interesting stuff to.

July 13, 2004

I've been kicking around the idea of casting my own fake rocks out of tinted concrete for a while. I have had a bit of time on my hands during the last few weeks, so I finally tried it. This is the first one...

One more question - how did you get the shape?

Did you use uncured latex painted over a real rock to get a negative master, and then pour into the cured mold, or did you free-hand the shape? Or use the crater left in the soil after carefully digging out a rock?

Or some other casting technique?

6.4k · July 13, 2004

It's a plastic Folger's coffee "bucket", wrapped in camo duct tape; it's air and water-tight. I let it sit for several weeks with the lid off, to eliminate the coffee smell, even though I don't think animals are attracted to coffee. In addition, I put it next to the litterbox for a while; I don't think smaller rodents will be too terribly enthusiastic about getting close.

Should hide well, but I'll be interested to see how it holds up.

The plastic used in those isn't UV stable, it's probably actually designed to disintegrate faster outdoors (like in a landfill). The other problem I've seen with coffee cans in general, is they aren't designed to handle any major temperature changes. The ones I've seen tend to either pop the top when the air inside heats up and expands, or suck in air and moisture when the air inside the can cools down and contracts.

You'd also be surprised about the scent thing. Leave it closed up for a week or 2 and take another wiff. Critters may or may not actually like coffee, but it sure smells tasty (think coffee isle in the supermarket) and that will attract the animals.

July 13, 2004

It's a plastic Folger's coffee "bucket", wrapped in camo duct tape; it's air and water-tight. I let it sit for several weeks with the lid off, to eliminate the coffee smell, even though I don't think animals are attracted to coffee. In addition, I put it next to the litterbox for a while; I don't think smaller rodents will be too terribly enthusiastic about getting close.

Should hide well, but I'll be interested to see how it holds up.

The plastic used in those isn't UV stable, it's probably actually designed to disintegrate faster outdoors (like in a landfill). The other problem I've seen with coffee cans in general, is they aren't designed to handle any major temperature changes. The ones I've seen tend to either pop the top when the air inside heats up and expands, or suck in air and moisture when the air inside the can cools down and contracts.

You'd also be surprised about the scent thing. Leave it closed up for a week or 2 and take another wiff. Critters may or may not actually like coffee, but it sure smells tasty (think coffee isle in the supermarket) and that will attract the animals.

I hadn't thought about the expanding/contracting in heat/cold...thanks, Mopar. I'll put it outside for a few days with a note written on tissue paper in it, and see what happens; if the ink runs, it may not be a good cache container after all. The heat and humidity here (along with LOTS of heavy rains lately) should be a good measure of how it will hold up. I'll post the results here in a few days. I don't think the UV will be a factor, as it's completely covered with the camo duct tape. As for animals getting to it...I may have to take my chances with that and just keep an eye on it.

Thanks again, Mo.

20.7k · July 13, 2004

Where did you get the tinted concrete of that color?...

Anything else special, like fiber reinforcing strands (structural strength), or even chicken wire?...

How did you get the shape?...

I've been playing around with colors trying to get smoething that I really like. The one in the previous picture was a mix of portland cement, white sand, a hardener, and water. I considered using either fiber strands or wire for reinforcement, but I was concerned about their visual affect. I dont think it is necessary do to the size of the item.

I created the mold using liquid latex rubber. I brushed thin layers of latex on my model rock, allowing each to dry before the next was applied. I guess I put about fifteen layers on it over a few weeks. Then, I put a really thick one on to ensure that the corners and base would be strong enough.

Attached, you will find a pic of the rocks I made so far (and the mold). The real rock is in the upper middle. I am getting pretty good at matching it's appearance. I put the previously photographed rock on ebay. I figured I would place a few, give a few away, and sell a few to recoup my costs.

edit to add the pic. <doh>

Edited July 13, 2004 by sbell111

1.4k · July 13, 2004

OK - many of you guessed right. It is the barrel cactus in the middle. Only - it isn't small. It is 9 inches high and 12 inches in diameter. It covers a largeish tupperware container.

I have gotten several comments that they stood there looking at the cactus, then went aroound searching for something else, only to come back to it again later. This tells me that the cactus is a good start, the flat camo paint helped, and my coordinates are right-on.

Yes, you need to be careful reaching in there to get it, but that is part of living in the desert. Everything out here bites, stings, or stabs.

Lots of cool ideas here.....

38.2k · July 13, 2004

It's a plastic Folger's coffee "bucket", wrapped in camo duct tape; it's air and water-tight. I let it sit for several weeks with the lid off, to eliminate the coffee smell, even though I don't think animals are attracted to coffee. In addition, I put it next to the litterbox for a while; I don't think smaller rodents will be too terribly enthusiastic about getting close.

Should hide well, but I'll be interested to see how it holds up.

The plastic used in those isn't UV stable, it's probably actually designed to disintegrate faster outdoors (like in a landfill). The other problem I've seen with coffee cans in general, is they aren't designed to handle any major temperature changes. The ones I've seen tend to either pop the top when the air inside heats up and expands, or suck in air and moisture when the air inside the can cools down and contracts.

You'd also be surprised about the scent thing. Leave it closed up for a week or 2 and take another wiff. Critters may or may not actually like coffee, but it sure smells tasty (think coffee isle in the supermarket) and that will attract the animals.

The Folgers can caches I've seen have not held up well. If it was hidden where it would not be exposed to the elements, it can work, but other than that they are not particularly good containers for all the reasons you mention.

Edited July 13, 2004 by briansnat

20.7k · July 13, 2004

I think every coffee can cache I have found has had a chewed lid. I hope you can get all the smell off, but I doubt it.

One of my caches used to use a dog treat container for its home. I bleached the pudding out of the container and ran it through the dishwasher several times. I then carefully wrapped it in camo tape and left it outside for a week or so to see if it would leak. Darby the Wonder Pup totally ignored it so I figured that it was good to go.

Some forest creature chewed the lid anyway.

July 13, 2004

Where did you get the tinted concrete of that color?...

Anything else special, like fiber reinforcing strands (structural strength), or even chicken wire?...

How did you get the shape?...

I've been playing around with colors trying to get smoething that I really like. The one in the previous picture was a mix of portland cement, white sand, a hardener, and water. I considered using either fiber strands or wire for reinforcement, but I was concerned about their visual affect. I dont think it is necessary do to the size of the item.

I created the mold using liquid latex rubber. I brushed thin layers of latex on my model rock, allowing each to dry before the next was applied. I guess I put about fifteen layers on it over a few weeks. Then, I put a really thick one on to ensure that the corners and base would be strong enough.

Attached, you will find a pic of the rocks I made so far (and the mold). The real rock is in the upper middle. I am getting pretty good at matching it's appearance. I put the previously photographed rock on ebay. I figured I would place a few, give a few away, and sell a few to recoup my costs.

edit to add the pic. <doh>

Ahhh - I was thinking liquid latex rubber. Didn't realize it took that many weeks to get enough layers. I was thinking add a coat every hour or two, once it looks like it's sufficiently polymerized.

Well, a 94 pound sack of white portland cement at $13.99 and several hundred pounds of sand ought to make a lot of artificial rocks. I think there's still about a half ton of "frac sand" someone dumped about a mile from the house.

Frac sand is maybe 15 to 20 mesh - a little coarser than the fine sand we can get near Monahans, TX - lots of nice spots next to the highway one can just park the truck and start shovelling into the back of the pickup.

I wonder if I can finish a "rock" by Saturday if I really work on it... should have started before 4th of July... Then should have done it last week but the water heater went out right after the holiday.

I've got a boulder at the house that ought to be perfect for a 24 ounce peanut butter type jar.

2k · July 13, 2004

...

...

Frac sand is maybe 15 to 20 mesh - a little coarser than the fine sand we can get near Monahans, TX - lots of nice spots next to the highway one can just park the truck and start shovelling into the back of the pickup.

I wonder if I can finish a "rock" by Saturday if I really work on it... should have started before 4th of July... Then should have done it last week but the water heater went out right after the holiday.

I've got a boulder at the house that ought to be perfect for a 24 ounce peanut butter type jar.

I would consider going down to the local nursery and picking up bag of peralite. If you do a bigger "rock" use this instead of sand and rock to keep the weight down. The styrofoam beads from bean bags work well too.

July 13, 2004

I think every coffee can cache I have found has had a chewed lid. I hope you can get all the smell off, but I doubt it.

One of my caches used to use a dog treat container for its home. I bleached the pudding out of the container and ran it through the dishwasher several times. I then carefully wrapped it in camo tape and left it outside for a week or so to see if it would leak. Darby the Wonder Pup totally ignored it so I figured that it was good to go.

Some forest creature chewed the lid anyway.

I've been wondering about peanut butter jars, since I found several apparently unmolested caches that looked like they were made from 24 to 48 ounce jars.

So last night I did some experimenting with a jar of really rancid peanut butter after scooping out and discarding the contents.

I've been reading about bleach and other ways to kill residual odor, and so looked around at various industrial solvents and other chemicals around the house to experiment with.

I am pleased to report that xylene breaks down peanut butter oil and liquefies the residue, and does not seem to attack the PETE plastic or the stuff the screw-on lid is made of. It also breaks down the adhesive on the label, making that easy to remove.

After the initial cleanout with xylene, we filled it with water and a generous amount of Dawn dishwashing liquid and brought it to a near boil in the microwave, carefully transferred this scalding mess to the sink, and scrubbed with a large bottle brush.

Final cleaning / rinsing was with 91% isopropyl alcohol. I'm baking it at about 160 deg F in a chamber we use to dessicate integrated circuits prior to reflow soldering. Stopping at Home Depot for some dark green flat paint to go with the brown and black and we'll see what happens after a week in the brush full of sand for ballast.

----

A second rancid jar was heated in the microwave, which liquefied the contents so over 95% of it could be poured. I tried 91% rubbing alcohol to see if that breaks down the peanut butter residue. It seems to have decomposed it quite a bit in 2 hours (used about 1/4 cup - the stuff, like xylene, methanol, acetone, MEK, is expen$ive).

One of these might go in an artificial rock if I can get it all poured and done in time for the Saturday meet n greet. If it works, I'll post some pictures on-line.

July 13, 2004

...

I would consider going down to the local nursery and picking up bag of peralite. If you do a bigger "rock" use this instead of sand and rock to keep the weight down. The styrofoam beads from bean bags work well too.

OK - I wrote it down. Got a trip to Home Desperate this evening for a few materials. I'm thinking vermiculite as another lightweight filler.

What about the lighter stuff floating and causing the concrete aggregate to stratify? Has that ever been a problem?

Come to think of it, I think I have a rather deceased beanbag out in the pump house.

2k · July 13, 2004

...

I would consider going down to the local nursery and picking up bag of peralite. If you do a bigger "rock" use this instead of sand and rock to keep the weight down. The styrofoam beads from bean bags work well too.

OK - I wrote it down. Got a trip to Home Desperate this evening for a few materials. I'm thinking vermiculite as another lightweight filler.

What about the lighter stuff floating and causing the concrete aggregate to stratify? Has that ever been a problem?

Come to think of it, I think I have a rather deceased beanbag out in the pump house.

Portland cement is thick enough that it all stays mixed so long as you use the minimum amount of water. You can also add detergent more water and froth the whole shebang up a bit. BTW this is the formula for the light weight concrete used in high rise buildings.

July 14, 2004

Here are wo of my camo caches;

July 14, 2004

I was able to make a golfball cache.

Yeah I knew about the liquid center balls and the rubberband ones, but I found that a range ball is usually just a solid hunk of rubbery style material, wrapped in the typical golf ball shell.

My attempt worked great, and I'm finding these ones around the house all the time, due to the close proximity of a driving range. Even went a bit crazy and drilled out 5 or 6 of these guys.

After I added a rubber stopper to the hole, I found that this thing is water tight even, but has only enough room for a stubby pencil and wrapped up paper for a log book. Even got the fancy idea of using a piece of a straw to go around the rolled up paper, making retrieval of the log a snap, it doesn't get stuck in the container!

Edited July 14, 2004 by KC0GRN

July 14, 2004

That straw thing is a good idea. Where did you get the rubber stopper?

July 14, 2004

Portland cement is thick enough that it all stays mixed so long as you use the minimum amount of water. You can also add detergent more water and froth the whole shebang up a bit. BTW this is the formula for the light weight concrete used in high rise buildings.

I've got things set up for some experiments tonight. While there's not enough time to finish a good latex mold by Saturday with other things (like making a living) in the way, I'm thinking of just using a hemispherical mixing bowl as the mold, then cratering with an air chisel and adding other rock to make the outline more irregular, and hand-texturing that with a fresh batch of concrete later.

We've got real rocks that sort of look like that.

July 14, 2004

That straw thing is a good idea. Where did you get the rubber stopper?

Usually you can find em at a hardware store. Found mine at Home Depot of all places.

3.1k · July 15, 2004

The hint is hysterical!!

The meta-hint is even better: "Decrypting the hint will not help you" :unsure: I love built-in clues like that.

July 15, 2004

I was able to make a golfball cache.

Yeah I knew about the liquid center balls and the rubberband ones, but I found that a range ball is usually just a solid hunk of rubbery style material, wrapped in the typical golf ball shell.

My attempt worked great, and I'm finding these ones around the house all the time, due to the close proximity of a driving range. Even went a bit crazy and drilled out 5 or 6 of these guys.

After I added a rubber stopper to the hole, I found that this thing is water tight even, but has only enough room for a stubby pencil and wrapped up paper for a log book. Even got the fancy idea of using a piece of a straw to go around the rolled up paper, making retrieval of the log a snap, it doesn't get stuck in the container!

I also made a golf ball cache. I wrapped a piece of paper(log) in a travel bug bag plastic bag and wrapped it so that when I stuck it in it held the golf ball together.

July 15, 2004

Hey, what about cultured stone. It's man made stone er concrete in all shapes and sizes. You can get look alike river stone, field stone, sand stone etc. Get a molded corner and easily hide a micro. We built our gas ventless fire place out of it. Fools most people. They think it is real stone.

July 21, 2004

bump

July 22, 2004

There is a cache in this picture. Can you find it?

This Cache is the one in the photo.

What a GREAT cache!!!

July 22, 2004

There is a cache in this picture. Can you find it?

What a GREAT cache!!!

That is one HUGE cache container.

It doesn't look all that hard to find. I might not even need my GPSr, assuming the hint was good enough.

2.3k · July 22, 2004

I have thought of something with a remote.....a remote fart box that you have to follow the sound of the flatulence.

Oh, HELL no! I don't want cachers mistakenly following me around the woods!

July 23, 2004

July 23, 2004

Crushed aluminum can won't last long unless you put it in a spot that's not likely to be CITO'd.

July 23, 2004

It's funny you mention that. I've actually had great luck with it in a small local park. Each morning, I notice the cache has moved a bit. I'm pretty sure the older men in the park (you know, the ones that "collect" cans) have all seen this cache a few times, but they seem to leave it alone after reading the log book inside. Before I posted this cache online, I placed it and watched it for a month. This is the second version of this container (needed more glue) because people were trying to pull the top off, instead of screw the top off (notice the white arrow "hint") I added.

July 26, 2004

I think that the crushed can idea is better then the one I made of an uncrushed can...how can a CITO event haul this one away anyhow? when they pick it up they would notice it had a container attached to it...

Pictures - Cool Cache Containers (CCC's)

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