Rainwater collection cup with filter

As an important part of my rainwater filter system, this unit is absolutely necessary to collect the huge flow of rainwater from the down spout while it [the mesh] filters the larger particles.  Others get it fabricated using zinc sheets and soldering the mesh to its brim.  Since my look around for such a fabricator proved futile, I started thinking ways of making one myself, at home.  

There was a stainless steel basin lying in the trunk.  It suited the size I desired.  Its bottom had to be cut up to fix a PVC pipe to allow rainwater downwards [into the filter drum]. Fixing the pipe to the cut bottom was tricky.  What I made was a centre point and a circle to match the inner circumference of the width of the PVC pipe.  I divided the circle into 12 parts.  From the centre point, I cut up the 12 parts up to the circumference and ended up in getting triangle-like shapes.  The pointed ends were carefully bent downwards.  I had sawed thin slits in the PVC pipe to insert these sharp-edged triangles. They were bent back upwards, neatly once properly in place while the PVC got secured to the basin bottom!  

Now the basin and pipe was ready.  I took SS Mesh and shaped it like a cone as you see in the image above.  Folded the bottom of the cone to prevent the wire being pricked and then placed it on the basin and folded it to the edging of the basin securely.  Now the filter is ready!  

The advantage of my project is that the mesh is removable for cleaning the basin's inside whereas the ready soldered mesh cannot be opened. The only tricky part was to fix the basin to a pipe.  Even this came out nice.

I am very happy with the use of this particular item as SS is easy to clean and non rusting, while it has a smooth finish. It was a little project, but a satisfying and a most useful one.