Well, obviously my primary concern is how to remove the reinforcing strip without puncturing the can itself since that would either require a repair that I couldn't do myself (welding up) or would make the cans useless.

So would it be best to grind down the area of the spot welds very carefully until I got close to the surface of the can itself? Or would drilling be better? I'm reluctant to drill because I don't want to put a hole in the side of the can.

Right now I'm trying to use as small chisel, but maybe I need a bigger chisel specifically made for metal and a BFH to hit it with?