What good is an old rusty can? Aren they all rusted away by now?
You’d be surprised how much rust will clean off of an old painted can. The early cans were made of thick metal (to withstand the pressure of the beer inside) and they often had thick paint. Rust will cover over the paint and will often come off in a mild citric acid bath, leaving the paint and metal clean. I’ve seen cans that had no label visible come out very clean. And while a can on the surface will rust away, cans that are buried will last for decades. Some buried cans come out looking like new after washing with normal soap and water.
