So I wanted to make a premier ball tin thingy after seeing one online. Grabbed an empty Altoids tin from my junk drawer first. Measured it real quick with a ruler – about 3 inches long, less than 2 inches wide. Not perfect for a premier ball but close enough.
Went to the craft store for paint. Wasted 20 minutes staring at blues before picking “ultra marine” blue spray paint. Bought some cheap acrylics too – white and red for details. Total cost me $12, which felt steep for tiny cans of paint.
Started scrubbing that Altoids tin with sandpaper in my garage. Metal flakes flew everywhere – still finding silver specks in my hair. Spray painted it outside while holding my breath so I wouldn’t breathe fumes. Did three coats over two hours cause the first two looked patchy as hell.
Struggled big time with the logo. Printed a premier ball image but couldn’t trace it right. My hands shook drawing the center white stripe. Painted the red top half three times – kept smudging into the blue. Finally said “screw it” and made the white stripe thicker to cover mistakes.
Biggest disaster was trying velcro for closure. Cut sticky-back velcro pieces too small so they kept peeling off. Ended up supergluing them which made the velvet all crusty. The lid wouldn’t close flush after that, always had this annoying little gap.
Tried making the inside fancy with felt padding. Measured wrong twice before getting the rectangle right. Used craft glue that soaked through and left dark stains on the felt. Also forgot to let paint dry fully before adding felt – ended up with blue fingerprint smudges inside.
Final result looks okay from three feet away but up close? Messy. Paint’s uneven in spots, the velcro looks like chewed gum, and that interior staining bugs me. Still keeps premier balls secure though. Would I make another? Hell no – took four hours and I got paint in places paint shouldn’t be. Just buy one if you really want it.
