The tab under the trigger

The trigger that will not move

This is the note we get asked about more than any other, and it always arrives the same way: the can is brand new, the trigger feels solid, and nothing happens when you squeeze it.

Nothing is wrong with it. Look under the trigger and you will find a small molded piece of plastic bridging the gap between the trigger and the collar. It is holding the trigger up on purpose.

Why it is fitted at all

Cans travel in boxes, and boxes get stacked, dropped and slid across floors. A trigger that can be pressed by the weight of the tin above it is a trigger that will eventually be pressed by the weight of the tin above it.

The tab makes that physically impossible until somebody decides otherwise. It is the reason a case of cans opened after a long trip is a case of full cans.

Getting it off

Take hold of the tab and twist it sideways rather than pulling straight out. It snaps at a molded weak point and comes away in one piece, and it does not need a tool or much force.

Then throw it away. It is small, it is the same shade as most desks, and it is the sort of thing that gets left on a bench and later wondered about.

It does not go back on

Once broken the tab is finished, and it is meant to be. There is no way to re-lock a can, which matters if you are putting a part used can into a bag or a drawer with other things.

For a can that travels, put the cap back on. The cap does not lock the trigger, but it stops most of what could press it, and it keeps the nozzle clear of pocket lint.

While you are down there

The straw usually lives clipped to the side of the can or under the cap, and this is the moment to find it rather than the moment you need it. It is thin, it is clear or red depending on the pack, and it disappears easily.

Some packs include one straw for several cans, and some kits count on the straw from a can already on the bench. Check what is in the box before the first tab comes off and the packaging goes in the bin.