# Rattle Can? Heard of it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958 "2019-03-11T17:26:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/1 "2019-03-11T17:26:38Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/2 "2019-03-11T17:28:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/3 "2019-03-11T17:35:44Z")
Never. Mr.Wrekker calls them.‘spray bombs’, not sure why. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/4 "2019-03-11T17:37:17Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/5 "2019-03-11T17:41:18Z")
I voted “no,” but understood immediately what was meant when I read the first sentence of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/6 "2019-03-11T17:47:45Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > 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’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. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/7 "2019-03-11T17:51:49Z")
I paint my Jeeps with rattle cans. 'Cause I’m Classy like that. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/8 "2019-03-11T17:56:13Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I paint my Jeeps with rattle cans. 'Cause I’m Classy like that. Yeah, but what color did you use? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/9 "2019-03-11T18:24:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I voted “no,” but understood immediately what was meant when I read the first sentence of the OP. ^^This. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/10 "2019-03-11T18:36:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I voted “no,” but understood immediately what was meant when I read the first sentence of the OP. Yep. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/11 "2019-03-11T18:48:42Z")
Never heard the term, and I may have figured it out in context but not immediately. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/12 "2019-03-11T18:48:55Z")
I’ve heard them called that many times. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/13 "2019-03-11T19:02:47Z")
Yep. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Never. Mr.Wrekker calls them.‘spray bombs’, not sure why. I’ve used/heard spray bombs, too. Rattlecans = spraybombs. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/14 "2019-03-11T19:06:27Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Hapax\_Legomenon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8c91f0/32.png) [@Hapax\_Legomenon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hapax_Legomenon)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/15 "2019-03-11T19:18:54Z")
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.”) ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/16 "2019-03-11T19:31:16Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/17 "2019-03-11T19:55:53Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > 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 paint fantasy miniatures and “rattle can” is the common term for cheap spraypaint primer in the community. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/18 "2019-03-11T20:15:48Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/19 "2019-03-11T20:20:43Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958/20 "2019-03-11T20:47:13Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > 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. 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”. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rattle-can-heard-of-it/830958.md?page=2)