I’ve always been intrigued by the look and functionality of a rain chain. If you’re not familiar with a rain chain, they are a decorative and functional alternative to a traditional closed gutter system. They have been around for centuries as they first started in Japan. Kusari-doi is the translation in Japanese. They are rooted in Japanese aesthetics, highlighting the appreciation for nature. While it is a beautiful aesthetic to look at, it also serves a functional purpose as well.  It helps manage the water flow efficiently and guides it to a certain area. This is especially helpful if you don’t have a traditional gutter system on your home or you’re just looking to divert water from a runoff area. In my case, I am helping it from a runoff area. I get a good amount of runoff from an area off the sunshade, where I keep a small rain barrel to collect the runoff water. 

As any good upcycler, I wasn’t about to buy one. So I figured out how to make my own. These calamari tins from Trader Joe’s have a beautiful Talavera-inspired design on them. I’m based in south-central Texas, so I wanted to proudly display and honor that Talavera design. I slowly collected the tins over about a 6-month period. My husband is a big fan of the calamari and puts it just about on anything! 

Maybe you’ll want to make one as well! 

Empty tin cans 

Nail 

Hammer 

Chain

Pliers 

Carabiner clip

Key ring 

Start by thoroughly washing your tin cans. I added mine to the dishwasher for ease, and they came out looking great! 

Use your hammer and nail to make a good amount of holes in the bottom of the tin (I added about 15 holes). This allows the water to flow freely through each tin. This part is very customizable. If you want the water to gush through use large nail holes. If you want it to trickle through (like mine) then just use small nail holes. It may be best to start small and go bigger if you wish. 

Also, make a hole in each of the upper and bottom of the sides. Try your best to make these holes as high and low on the sides as you can. As best you can try to also align the holes.  As for the bottom hole, you’ll need to make an additional hole right below it in the bottom. This will allow the chain to hook on so everything is secured. 

You’ll need to decide how far each of the tins will be below one another. I personally just eyeballed this, as to what looked good to me. I ended up counting 9 pieces of chain between each tin. To cut the chain, you’ll need to use pliers to open up one piece and then slip it out. 

Side note: use a low-gauge chain for this project. My local hardware store sold this by the foot, and it was very affordable. 

Now that you have your chain cut to size, start attaching them to each of those side holes we made in step 2. As a reminder, you’ll need to open up the chain with your pliers, slip them through the holes on the tin, and then use the pliers to close the chain to secure everything. Repeat this step for as many tins as you are using.

Using a carabiner clip, I attached a small key ring to that. Then, I followed up by attaching the two top chains to that key ring. You’ll form a triangle here. Depending on the type of set up you have, a carabiner might not work for you. However, I am attaching mine to the side of my sunshade. 

Hang it up where you’ll get some runoff rainwater and wait for the rain! I like to add a small rain barrel underneath mine to collect that runoff water. After it rains, I have a lid to cover it and will use the water later for my plants.

Living in south-central Texas, it doesn’t rain too often here. So when it does rain, I like to have the patio door opened. It’s so relaxing to watch the rain fall through the rain chain and listen to it as it trickles down! I really love how this project is very customizable. You can even add on tins later if you wanted to, or switch out any damaged ones over time. 

If you’re more of a visual learner, and want to see this project in video form be sure to check out my video here on Instagram.

After sharing this online, some commenters expressed a few concerns. So I’ll address those below:

‘Is there any worry about BPA?’ 

Since this once contained food, I think the chances are very low. I do believe canned foods are made with BPA-free around 95%. I also saw an article that Trader Joe’s doesn’t use BPA liners in their canned foods anymore either. You can find that article here. I also feel like canned food tins may be more regulated than an actual rain chain from a big box store. It’s wild that we even have to think about these things, but sadly it is the reality of our world.  

‘Will it rust?’

Mostly likely – overtime, yes it will rust. It really depends on how much it rains where you live. For me in south-central Texas, it will probably fade in color before any rusting happens. When it does rust, it could provide a nice aged patina. Being that I’m not drinking this water, some rust wouldn’t be too much of a concern. In fact some plants might even benefit from the iron in rust water. Its not much different than collecting water from your rusted gutter into a rain barrel. 

‘Just buy it on Temu’

I really did get this comment, unfortunately. I don’t want to judge where people buy their things, but I have never and will never purchase anything from Temu. I’ve also been proudly Amazon-free since 2020.  When I want to make something, I slowly collect or thrift things over a period of time. I find making my own items to be freeing. I’m all about creative reuse, and I choose to make things and inspire you to do the same as well. You can’t buy your way into sustainability. 

Hope you enjoyed this fun upcycled project! I’ll look forward to this project everytime it rains now.