So I’m at work today and get an order for four ‘rattal cans’ of paint, as he spelled it. And I’m looking at that thinking, wtf is a rattle can? And so I ask my boss and she’s like ‘uhh it’s spray paint’. And everyone’s acting like I’m some weirdo because I have honestly NEVER heard of this before. So poll is just for my own curiosity about this to see if I’m just clueless or what.
Absolutely. For some reason I don’t like this term, but it’s common enough. And anyone who has used spray paint can instantly relate to the term.
Never. Mr.Wrekker calls them.‘spray bombs’, not sure why.
I’ve definitely heard the term, particularly on message boards around model-making. I was active in model rocketry for a number of years, and “rattle can” was a common slang term on those boards.
I voted “no,” but understood immediately what was meant when I read the first sentence of the OP.
I’ve heard it in that same regard. Not model rocketry specifically, but it’s common enough in modeling and various crafts.
Do a lot of paints still have the little rattle ball in them? I know some do, seems like a lot less than there used to be.
I paint my Jeeps with rattle cans. 'Cause I’m Classy like that.
Yeah, but what color did you use?
^^This.
Yep.
Never heard the term, and I may have figured it out in context but not immediately.
I’ve heard them called that many times.
Yep.
I’ve used/heard spray bombs, too. Rattlecans = spraybombs.
No, I’ve never heard the term. When I read it, I thought of the cans with pennies inside that you shake to discourage/distract an animal from a bad behaviour.
StG
The place where I work uses ‘rattlecan’ as a verb. (“It’s a small part, don’t send it to the paint shop, just rattlecan it.”)
Hadn’t heard the term before, but voted yes because it was an obvious descriptor.
Before I filled the order, I’d want to know if our cans actually rattle, and if they don’t, whether the term has become general enough to include cans that don’t actually rattle.
I paint fantasy miniatures and “rattle can” is the common term for cheap spraypaint primer in the community.
In the car-loving community, a rattle can paint job is a lot cheaper than a body shop, whether just touching up a scratch or repainting the whole car as my friend did in college.
Well given the poll results I feel a bit better lol It seems like it’s a more popular term among hobby/car enthusiasts? Either way, I learned something new today lol
I’ve been hearing “rattle can restoration” lately. Disparaging ( perhaps rightly so ) term used to describe a hasty refurbishment of a classic car for a quick sale. Not as a paint finish for the body, but more like semi-gloss black sprayed on the underbody/suspension to hide dirt, surface rust, or just the ravages of time. Or, to freshen up an engine and/or engine bay. It makes the car look decent in cursory glances, or especially internet photos. Closer looking will reveal a lot of cars in this category being regarded as “20 footers” painted “resale red”. 