So my old hipflask has long been a bit ‘squashed’, I assume by me trying to sit on it when in my back pocket 😳

I can live with the tiny reduction in whisky that I can carry (that’s what the second and third hipflasks are for…) but I fancied trying a wee artsy-crafty project with some lettered metal stamps.

First of all I want to pop out the shallow dent. I figured if I filled it with the right amount of water, the water would expand when frozen and push out the dent. Obviously I’ll experiment a bit with water volumes, it’s a 150ml flask and apparently water expands approx 10% so I’ll start with 135ml and work from there.

2nd of all I’m hoping if this works I can use the freezing method to keep the flask in shape while I bash merry hell out of it trying to stamp the names of some of the places I visited with it 8)

Any reason not to give it a go?

Using a jet wash to hydroform it is another option. Tutorials on YouTube.

sounds a lot safer than when i tried to use pressure from a track pump to pop my pewter hip flask back into shape…. didnt end well…. then i tried to use a soldering iron to repair the crack i had caused…. didnt end well either….

Dunno why, but it reminds me of the time I tried to unblock the nozzle of my ‘green’ loctite with my compresser.

I attempted to gently blow down the nozzle with the air gun, the nozzle cleared instantly and the rush of air blew open the bottle. Quite impressive how much coverage 200ml of loctite has.

Hmm, hadn’t even considered using the track pump, didn’t think I’d be able to get a good enough seal between the pump and the flask neck.

Couldn’t find the jet wash tutorial but don’t have one handy anyway.

Did occur to me that if I leave any air in the flask it will get compressed as the water expands, so will need more than 10% empty flask, might start with 50% just in case, don’t want to damage it…

Quarter fill with boiling water and screw the top on?

…wouldn’t that just suck it in once the water cools down? 😯

Fill with fizzy drink and give it a shake?

Quarter fill with Cold water and screw the top on, bring to the boil in a a pan of water on the stove.

I took a dent out of mine with about a quarter of a flask of Coca Cola and a shake, make sure the top is not on too tight so you can release the pressure quickly. Re the punch names, not sure about that, presumably there’s a reason flasks only ever seem to be engraved 🙂

[obligatory Badger photo]

Quarter fill with Cold water and screw the top on, bring to the boil in a a pan of water on the stove.

Aha, that sounds like a winner!

I’ve already committed it (50% full) to the freezer. Will monitor progress and report back.

Popping it out is step one, but if the freezer route works it will also give the flask more support when I’m stamping letters into it.

Using ice or hydroforming will most likely blow it up like a balloon unless you have an external mould so it retains it’s shape. Riksbar’s suggestion is probably the best first try – or even putting it in the oven with the screw top on at about 200 degrees or so.

Aha, that sounds like a winner!

I was half joking. There is the small issue of needing to get it out of the pan, and to unscrew the top, of a metal object at about 100C.

I reckon the fizzy drink and shake is far less likely to result in an evening at your local A&E burns unit.

I think if you leave any air in it, the freezing water will compress this instead of popping the dent out.

Diet Coke and Mentos?

I was half joking. There is the small issue of needing to get it out of the pan, and to unscrew the top, of a metal object at about 100C.

Hmm yes, I had thought I’d just leave it to cool again, but then it would just collapse back in.

OK, will try fizzy water first, boiling water second.

I attempted to gently blow down the nozzle with the air gun, the nozzle cleared instantly and the rush of air blew open the bottle. Quite impressive how much coverage 200ml of loctite has.

Thanks for that 😀

Fill it with compacted sand to support the stamping process?

A neighbour of mine once got back home in the early hours after a couple too many beers and, having the munchies, decided he’d have a pie. A Fray Bentos pie. The type in the tin. Of course, he forgot to take the lid off. The family next door were awoken to the sound of an explosion as the pie tin wrecked the cooker.

Yikes! Half full of fizzy water, blew it up like a balloon! Pewter obviously not as rigid as I thought.

Still, popped the balloon-y bits back in and it looks pretty good.

Step 2 – order some stamps and get bashing!

Iain doesn’t this give the hip flask authenticity and patina?

In fact I bet there’s a market for “worn in” whisky flasks. Those ones that you can fit to a bike via a propriety cage might actually start to look cool 😛

richmars – Member
I think if you leave any air in it, the freezing water will compress this instead of popping the dent out.

…and not enough and it will stretch or burst it 😉

I see you have succeeded…I am thinking of getting some 24 or 36pt type for a project, maybe we could collaborate. Plenty cheap on ebay

For stamping, presumably filled completely with water and sealed will be incompressible?

For stamping, presumably filled completely with water and sealed will be incompressible?

I wouldn’t think so, the volume might not change, but you could still dent it, just blow out another side somewhere else.

Sand works for bending pipes.

If it’s pewter rather than stainless, it’s probably soft enough to stamp it empty as long as you’re not cack handed?