Oil Cans

[Elroy]

Elroy has the "tool addiction". To the best of Elroy's current knowledge, one area of tool collection that has not been addressed is oil cans. If the board please, Elroy would like to post a few of his old oil cans:

[/IMG]

These are all "Eagle" Brand cans. The center one

[/IMG] dated 1923:

The one on the far right is identical but is stamped: Patten Applied For. Elroy would assume this would be even older than the 1923 can.

[/IMG]

As you can see the "golden" can on the far left is completely unstamped and is a much new can. All the tops interchange.

Elroy is fully aware this subject might have limited appeal but hay they are tools and this is "the place tools"

Right???

 

[old salvage]

Nice little cans. Its nice that 2 are marked as most i see have no id at all.

 

[jimvannoy]

I've got 8 or 10 old oil cans but most are in a wood crate somewhere around here.

 

[Elroy]

Elroy likes that "pumper"

NICE !

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I have two, from my Grandfathers old wooden carpenters tool chest. Both were rusted, paint flaking off, and have pinholes corroded thru the bottom. I gently bead blasted them, to see what I had. They were in such poor shape that blasting them could not hurt.

Charles

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

I believe I still have one or two around here, but I was thinking of a different can.


Heck I have four or five can's of Kendall still full.

 

[ZRX61]

Complete sets that used to be sold with lathes back in the '30's sometimes sell for $3K....

 

[Kevin54]

That is the first time I have seen an old "smudge pot" in years and years. I remember as a kid we used to kick them down the street at night. I've looked around for one but all you can find are Chinwanese cheap knockoffs that burns citronella. I need to go look at my oil cans to see if they are dated. Nice pics. BTW...is there anyone that DOES NOT have an old blowtorch. I have two and gave two away a few weeks back.

 

[Elroy]

A request was made by a member seeking an Eagle oilier.







Sorry about the grime. That just improves the lubrication qualities

 

[jeep44]

If you mess around with WW2 military vehicles, you quickly learn to always be on the lookout for Eagle and GEM oil cans (every vehicle had an underhood oil can holder). There are very specific sizes,shapes, and markings, and they are even being repopped these days. You can go over to G503.com and look at them in the tool section. Certain Lincoln and Alemite grease guns are sought-after,too.

 

[Elroy]

It's all clear now. thank you

 

[cruiser808]

Damn, I guess I was late to the party. I thought the thread was talking about real oil cans like my old Valvoline 30W non-detergent cans. Doh!!

 

[jeep44]

Here's a few oil cans I gathered up in a quick pass through my barn. They are all either GEM or Eagle. I picked a few of them up last fall, along with the GEM oiler in back, for .25 cents each at a yard sale.

 

[myslow2002gt]

Those are some sweet cans Elroy!

 

[JakeD]

That is the first time I have seen an old "smudge pot" in years and years. I remember as a kid we used to kick them down the street at night. I've looked around for one but all you can find are Chinwanese cheap knockoffs that burns citronella. I need to go look at my oil cans to see if they are dated. Nice pics. BTW...is there anyone that DOES NOT have an old blowtorch. I have two and gave two away a few weeks back.

Those old carbide lamps are neat. Where'd you get them?

 

[helgrind]

That is the first time I have seen an old "smudge pot" in years and years. I remember as a kid we used to kick them down the street at night. I've looked around for one but all you can find are Chinwanese cheap knockoffs that burns citronella. I need to go look at my oil cans to see if they are dated. Nice pics. BTW...is there anyone that DOES NOT have an old blowtorch. I have two and gave two away a few weeks back.

No but if you have one i wouldn't mind taking it off of your hands

 

[T56 Impala]

Very nice Elroy! I guess you have the bug too. I'll be on the lookout for such items from now on.

How about an old radiator fill can? Anyone got one, or more, of those?

 

[Elroy]

How about an old radiator fill can? Anyone got one, or more, of those?

Would you mean something like this:

 

[voidifused]

Would you mean something like this:

Elroy, you must have you're own chain of ware houses to holed all those tools..I mean no matter what some one asks about or wants to see BAM! Elroys got one on supply.

 

[Elroy]

Elroy, you must have you're own chain of ware houses to holed all those tools..I mean no matter what some one asks about or wants to see BAM! Elroys got one on supply.

I understand that Elroy just likes "neat" stuff, that is old.

There are others here that have much more extensive collections.

You know what they say: If we got it, it's in stock.

 

[Scooterfish]

Took a look last night and I have an Eagle, 2 no names, and a brother. Anyone know of the Brother name?

 

[T56 Impala]

Yes Elroy, JUST like that. I knew you had one!

 

[jeep44]

Here's a few more oil cans. The small pitcher is marked "Nesco,1942", and may be military mess hall stuff-looks like a creamer. The small oil can is a no-name one that I probably ripped off from my dad's garage.


edit: Elroy, I just looked at the markings on your "radiator fill" can, and this one of mine has the same markings.

 

[Scooterfish]

A little off topic here but I think I will save the oil spouts that you used on the old motor oil cans.

 

[bushhawg73]

Elroy
Thanks for the pics of the vintage oil cans. I currently do not have any but plan on adding some soon. I posted this thread a while back on some that I found.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30096&highlight=usa+made+oilers

 

[Elroy]

Elroy.........Thanks for the pics of the vintage oil cans.

Well you're very welcome. It was my pleasure.

 

[Blacknwhitepit]

A gun on a MOUNTAIN DEW Can!!!!!!!!!!!!.... The horror.... No wonder we are all so screwed up... this explains a lot now

-BWP

 

[bgott]

Elroy, are you sure that radiator fill can isn't actually a bulk oil filler can? It looks a little small for a radiator filler. Then again, it just might be the picture. Jeep44
s can looks even smaller. Remember the glass oil jars with the metal spout that service stations filled from the bulk cans and had setting by the pumps?

 

[Scooterfish]

bgott, Yes I do. Back in the 60s the bulk oil jars sold for 15 cents at the local gas station

 

[jeep44]

Those oil cans with the spout hold one quart. The photo does make them look small.

 

[Elroy]

Elroy has been searching the archives here because someone else posted a picture of this:

Now the question for Elroy is the repair:

Notice the crack. What do ya do?

Don't take this wrong, Elroy is fully capable of repairing this flaw. The problem is the "patina". A proper repair would require a repaint and that would ruin the original paint. Then again the red under the green is what??

Did these oil cans have a "red oxide" primer??

We assume this is a military can and Pops seems to recall this coming off ship when it was decommissioned.

So what would you folks do??

 

[jeep44]

That is an oil can issued with a .30 cal machine gun. It is not uncommon to find them in unissued condition.

 

[Uncle Buck]

bgott, Yes I do. Back in the 60s the bulk oil jars sold for 15 cents at the local gas station

I remember around 1976 my pop bought a half dozen or so of those old glass oil jars with the metal spouts and screw lids and a rack to hold a six pack. Bought them all brand new cheap in Fall City Nebraska in some little parts store or something of the like. The jars are very cool.

 

[Elroy]

Thank you for the clarification. This would make a certain amount of sense as Pops was a gunnery officer on board ship.

Would it be safe to assume this guy is a wrong?

http://www.civilwarsignal.org/equipment/originalequipment.htm

Man, Elroy has a genuine Civil War piece worth untold amounts to the Smithsonian. A true American original straight off the Gettysburg Battlefield.

If they are rather common then Elroy is going to strip the finish off and do a proper repair. That is if he can find the time.

 

[Elroy]

This looks a little more like it:

http://www.bmgparts.com/tools.html

Thank you Jeep44. We appreciate your input

 

[bmwpower]

So are these old cans worth much? I gotta bring some of mine out of retirement...

 

[Elroy]

So are these old cans worth much? I gotta bring some of mine out of retirement...

Only if it's a rare civil war item.

 

[jeep44]

This looks a little more like it:

http://www.bmgparts.com/tools.html

Thank you Jeep44. We appreciate your input

The price has gone up on those cans-I used to see boxes of them at local gunshows, in unissued condition. I must have one somewhere around here in all my WW2 militaria.

 

[jeep44]

Only if it's a rare civil war item.

An interesting CW site. I do CW reenacting, and I have most of those very same binoculars-they are quite common on eBay.

 

[Snappy]

Here is what I found in the garage: Eagle , Plews-Gem , no name on the gold colored one.