Powder Shaker Can Flow Restrictor

I had to come up with this item because every time I wanted to pour some popcorn seasoning salt on my popcorn i'd get waaaay more than I needed, even I did just barely a little shake. I measured everything with calipers and did a couple test prints, and this was the final “it works” version. Far from perfection, but hey.. It's a simple item that you'll almost never see again. I mean, how often do you burn thru a whole can of seasoning salt - Maybe once every 2-5 years?

I included a spare triangle in the second plate, as a backup, just in case you want to mess with it a bit and modify the original to flow more. Just stack a couple triangles together, and you're good to go. 

It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyways… Don't be pushing and pulling on this thing then complain it breaks easily – It's a very thin pin so that it can fit thru the lid holes… And don't put it in the dishwasher. Pretty much once you melt and roll-over that pin you have to break it to get the parts separated. I'm sure someone has a screw and nut version in their head, but I didn't want to take the time to do all that work… A melted pin works just fine………

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If you need guidance on how to install this item, PLEASE read ALL of the instructions PRIOR TO BEGINNING the process of installing the part. 

To prepare and install: 

1. Separate lid from shaker can. 
2. Obtain printed part.
3. Flip your shaker can lid to the threaded part faces the sky.
4. Put the pin of the printed part thru the shaker can lid center hole. This may take several attempts. There's no easy way to do it other than try, try again. 
5. Once the pin is successfully thru the center hole on the shaker can lid, hold the lid and the printed part together and rotate the assembled parts so the lid is on its side. 
6. Using a lighter, or other heat source, melt the printed pin on the flat side of the shaker can lid. Ideally you should do this at an angle, so no printed material is able to fall back into or on top of the lid. If this does occur, use a toothpick or metal awl to pick the semi-heated material out of the holes in the lid. 
7. After the printed pin is sufficiently heated, use a rounded or flat object to gently round over the material on the flat side of the lid. DO NOT crush down hard on the material. You want it loose enough that you can still spin the part around, so you can re-orient it to the desired direction. The pin will act as a center point and allow the part to rotate. 
8. Allow the part to cool. Failure to allow the part to cool, depending on how long you heated it, could result in the pin stretching and the part separating and coming apart, with no way to re-attach them. You would have to re-print the entire part again – 1 minute of cooling will save you 10 minutes of re-printing. Be patient. 
9. Screw you shaker can lid back onto your shaker can. Keep in mind that the shaker can threads will be what dictates where the slot's final resting place is. If you remove the lid again, it may change. Use the small nub left on the top of the lid to re-orient the material flow slot, on the printed part, to where you want the material to exit the can in comparison to where the handle of your can is – I.E. don't put the slot over the handle, then be surprised and angry when it dumps all over your hand. I recommend holding the can in your right hand and having the flow exit be towards your chest, that way when your hand is extended and you're dumping it over your food you can see how much is landing and where it is ending up. 

Please don't laugh at my instructions – Yes, it is true, it's really not that hard – but, from time to time, some people need their hand held thru every step of the way. Some people have learning disabilities or other defects of the mind that prevent them from figuring things out fully without someone or something there to guide them, even if it's just text on a page and not a video. 

I hope you enjoy my creation. 

Leave a thumbs up if you found this part helpful to your snacking life!