Show your oiler cans

[GQSnake]

I forgot about this Oiler can I have. Houston Oiler Ken Stabler’s Snake Venom cola!

 

[d42jeep]

On Friday I picked up a Plews trigger oiler at an estate sale and noticed a little copper colored oiler that was sitting on a high shelf in the garage. I cleaned them both up and added them to the basement display.
Yesterday we found an oiler I hadn’t seen before that a previous owner had scratched “Thinner” on. I’m a sucker for anything painted olive drab so we picked it up. I checked with a knowledgeable buddy and he said they were for lubricating weapons during WW2 and the Korean War. Here are a few pictures.
It is now in the display as well.

 

[GQSnake]

Picked up this small oiler today. I’m wondering if it is an Adler sewing machine oil oiler.

 

[brockmub]

My brother snuck these into my truck and they were NASTY! I don’t have a tall one like this yet so I wanted to see what it looked like cleaned up. The other one is a traditional Eagle, maybe some day I’ll use it for parts if I start refinishing them.

 

[brockmub]

Once I cleaned up the tall one, I noticed the markings that said K-P MFG Mpls Minn. So that’s kinda cool, I don’t think I have one from them. Up on the shelf, need more space.

 

[d42jeep]

I found a Golden Rod to add to the display.
-Don

 

[steel 35]

The ones I use, Use to fall over a lot

 

[Marvin Berry]

Grabbed these today. Is there a tutorial anywhere on getting these into working condition?

 

[brockmub]

Grabbed these today. Is there a tutorial anywhere on getting these into working condition?

I have both of these oilers and usually just give them a good cleaning. Unless they are missing parts, you should be good to go. Also you probably don’t need to get too aggressive while cleaning. Dish soap and hot water should doo the trick.

 

[brockmub]

Grabbed these today. Is there a tutorial anywhere on getting these into working condition?

Marvin, please send an update/pics when you get them cleaned up. One other thing that you can do is if there isn't paint or labels, you can clean with Simple Green and an Ultrasonic cleaner.

 

[Marvin Berry]

Marvin, please send an update/pics when you get them cleaned up. One other thing that you can do is if there isn't paint or labels, you can clean with Simple Green and an Ultrasonic cleaner.

I've already cleaned and have primed the can of the smaller one, haven't touched the larger black one yet because I can see a label, but didn't want to lose it during clean up. I'll try Simple Green to see how it works on it.

 

[Outlawmws]

On he label I'd start with something milder like dawn, or Murphy's oil soap (I use Murphy's a lot on wood...)

 

[d42jeep]

I found this little guy at an estate sale on Saturday. I cleaned it up and added it to the others yesterday. It’s on the far left.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Snagged this at the flea this morning.



I never heard of "MORROW MFG. CO."...



...or "AUTOMATIC OILINGSEAL" - the marking around the specialized tip - before.




Emmett Morrow's first patent for a no-leak self-sealing oiler attachment (the gaskets are worn nearly completely off), assigned to Automatic Oilingseal Corp., was 1,767,233, granted in 1930.



It was reissued in July 1932...



...and that's what the "RE.18526" marking on the screw-cap refers to.



The "1863911" patent was granted in June 1932.



...and, while I like the "Automatic Oilingseal" name, it was not the tip I bought this for, but the cool coil-spring pump action tucked into a cavity underneath the oilcan!



I have all kinds of regular so-called "push bottom" oil cans, where the bottom is thin spring steel, used to pump the oil out with your thumb, but this literally has the pump in the bottom!

 

[brockmub]

That's a unique one, never seen one like it!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That's a unique one, never seen one like it!

Me neither! As you know, the pumps are usually incorporated into a handle-like mechanism and through the cap.

 

[jeffmoss26]

HJE has several new oilcans in stock now! https://www.harryepstein.com/tool-brand/dutton-lainson.html

 

[ObnoxiousFumes]

Ok I only have two, and rarely use them. But I think they’re neat! An Eagle and a Wesco

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Snagged this at the flea this morning.
...and, while I like the "Automatic Oilingseal" name, it was not the tip I bought this for, but the cool coil-spring pump action tucked into a cavity underneath the oilcan!



I have all kinds of regular so-called "push bottom" oil cans, where the bottom is thin spring steel, used to pump the oil out with your thumb, but this literally has the pump in the bottom!

What a neat oiler you snagged there Lugz. It would most certainly be prone to leakage as the bottom seal wore. Probably why that design didn't catch on but still what an interesting concept. That oiler scores high points for the most unusual design. Ed.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

What a neat oiler you snagged there Lugz....[ ]...That oiler scores high points for the most unusual design.

Thanks, Ed! It was the unusual tip and the nuts on the brass spout that made me stop and take a look, but I am glad I turned it over.

It would most certainly be prone to leakage as the bottom seal wore. Probably why that design didn't catch on

Agreed. It was bone dry, but of course I had to test it. Not leaking yet, but I have no doubt your analysis is right.

 

[Marvin Berry]

My father grabbed me this one from the old family farm:

 

[d42jeep]

Here is an Eagle 58F Eaglet I found at a garage sale yesterday.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I found this nice Noera oiler at a tool sale in Alameda today. Although this oiler isn’t wartime, Noera, along with Gem and Eagle, is one of the brands used during WW2.
-Don

 

[2oolhound]

Since I so rarely venture out of the Vintage Tool Discussion, I see that my last post was quite a while back.

Me Too Don, guilty as charged. Your Remington Touch Oiler reminded me of something many of us have here on GJ but has been over looked in this forum. Thought I'd hurry up and post it before someone beats me to it.

I think someone has snipped the end off mine but I can't complain, many of the lathes I see are missing this oiler completely. I keep a number of oilers near the lathe at all times so I think I only may have used this one once or twice when I 1st bought the lathe.

Nice Bahco Loga_3 and hardtail66, wow, great collection! like the Kayes Ent ones, the way they have the relieved edges and bolster to facilitate soldering on assembly. Also the short squat one among the Alton Valvespouts. You've got a lot of nice ones there. Thanks for posting!

Captain, don't you just love it when you find new old stock at a supplier (specially if the price hasn't been updated). Nice find.

Rolf - Nice! I don't see those styles in these parts and thank you for the great photos showing the innerds! I have to remember to do that.

Jim, You have a ton of oilers on that busy window! You're not too badly outdone!

Nice! Mike and Antman, sorry can't help with id on that one but it looks solid and good shape.

brockmub, good on ya for getting out the simple green on those (something many of us should do too). I made a special 5' wide shelf to display some of mine but I soon found it was in a bad place as I was knocking them off all the time to get at stuff stored behind them. The "natural habitat isn't much better either. They keep getting pushed back and are hard to get when you need them.

Outlaw

V8, can't read the label but the S8 looks like it has a slight taper to the body which is something I don't remember seeing anywhere else (except the funnel shaped types). It's a good alternative to the flared bases we see. Nice!

NJ Marty, Cast Iron, with a spring bottom, how cool is that. And the tapered shape, you won't tip that over that easily.

Craftsman and Gramps, Thanks for posting these! That bullet hole above gramps' oilers is a hoot.

PatY looks like the spout has been customized for better access somewhere. I can see that happening just in regular use when you're pushin it just to get some oil in there.

GQ is that where the rest of your name comes from? Sorry I can't help with the Adler but those oilers with that deep embossing are a cut above those with only labels. Nice score.

hughmongus The Plews mount is PRICELESS!
and congrats Don for finally finding a Plews. Don't get too jealous over the mount I noticed you have a (firewall) mount for your jeep issue oilers too. But yeah, I think I'm going to have to make a similar mount, they are just too cool. And congrats on the Valvespout, it's in great shape!

steel 35 - I think I'm going to steel that idea. Or maybe glue magnets on a few of mine. Some of the shelves I park mine on are metal and so are my benches. I'll just have to keep being careful when they're on wood surfaces.

Marvin, glad you're getting some help here and have made some headway in getting those in service.

LUGS you did it again! Do you always find this rare and unique stuff or does it just find you? That bottom pumper is just too cool! Thanks for all you research and the great photos too.

ObnoxiousFumes its true, nowadays we buy many of our needed lubricants in spray cans and these old oilers aren't as needed as they once were but those 2 look like real useful keepers. They're always good to have around.

OMG it's been a year since I was on this thread last. Apologies for digging up old bones with my belated responses here but man, there are some real treasures being posted here.

 

[captain14]

Here’s 2 I picked up earlier today at a moving/estate sale.
1. Craftsman
2. Eagle (light blue oiler)

What’s everyone using for a light oil in them?

 

[Outlawmws]

What’s everyone using for a light oil in them?

What are you wanting to lubricate?

 

[Beerhippie]

It's a miserable, wet and cold Saturday, so after sleeping in and drinking coffee in bed with a good book, I took a drive to do some junk shopping.

All I found was a couple of oilers. I spent a lazy afternoon restoring and repainting them:



The one on the left is a no-brand,



but made in the good ol' US of A. I had to solder the bottom ring back on and decided to give it a kind of upside-down Goldenrod paint treatment.

The other is a Plews Oiler Co.:





That says "Dutton Lainson Co. Hastings Nebraska USA". Is this the original can for the Plews?

I did my best to match the original paint color on this one.

The Plews was frozen solid. I have no idea what had been in it, but it seemed like glue or shellac. It took a solid hour in a very hot lye bath in an industrial-strength ultrasonic cleaner to finally get the cap off and another hour to break the pump loose.

Both oilers got new 1/8" Viton gaskets.

Now to figure out what to put in them. One will be for 90wt gear oil for the spindle bearings of my drill press. The other one... I 'll figure something out. I already have two (not pretty) oilers, one for 30wt for general lube and one for general cutting oil.

 

[Beerhippie]

It's a miserable, wet and cold Saturday, so after sleeping in and drinking coffee in bed with a good book, I took a drive to do some junk shopping.

All I found was a couple of oilers. I spent a lazy afternoon restoring and repainting them:



The one on the left is a no-brand,



but made in the good ol' US of A. I had to solder the bottom ring back on and decided to give it a kind of upside-down Goldenrod paint treatment.

The other is a Plews Oiler Co.:





That says "Dutton Lainson Co. Hastings Nebraska USA". Is this the original can for the Plews?

I did my best to match the original paint color on this one.

The Plews was frozen solid. I have no idea what had been in it, but it seemed like glue or shellac. It took a solid hour in a very hot lye bath in an industrial-strength ultrasonic cleaner to finally get the cap off and another hour to break the pump loose.

Both oilers got new 1/8" Viton gaskets.

Now to figure out what to put in them. One will be for 90wt gear oil for the spindle bearings of my drill press. The other one... I 'll figure something out. I already have two (not pretty) oilers, one for 30wt for general lube and one for general cutting oil.

This is why I decided to refinish those two oilers:



I'm tired of looking at that. Maybe a project for tomorrow, which promises to be just as dreary as today.

 

[Beerhippie]

This is why I decided to refinish those two oilers:



I'm tired of looking at that. Maybe a project for tomorrow, which promises to be just as dreary as today.

I have these two--Goldenrod on the left, another no-name right--torn down and getting cleaned and stripped with hot lye solution in a 1,500 Watt ultrasonic cleaner right now.

I also had to tear down the cap and pump for the Plews. When I tested it last night, it shot a nice, 360 degree fan of oil all over the shop and myself. The solder joint where the spout meets the cap is entirely gone. I'll try re-soldering it when it's done with its bath.

 

[Beerhippie]

It's a miserable, wet and cold Saturday, so after sleeping in and drinking coffee in bed with a good book, I took a drive to do some junk shopping.

All I found was a couple of oilers. I spent a lazy afternoon restoring and repainting them:



The one on the left is a no-brand,



but made in the good ol' US of A. I had to solder the bottom ring back on and decided to give it a kind of upside-down Goldenrod paint treatment.

The other is a Plews Oiler Co.:





That says "Dutton Lainson Co. Hastings Nebraska USA". Is this the original can for the Plews?

I did my best to match the original paint color on this one.

The Plews was frozen solid. I have no idea what had been in it, but it seemed like glue or shellac. It took a solid hour in a very hot lye bath in an industrial-strength ultrasonic cleaner to finally get the cap off and another hour to break the pump loose.

Both oilers got new 1/8" Viton gaskets.

Now to figure out what to put in them. One will be for 90wt gear oil for the spindle bearings of my drill press. The other one... I 'll figure something out. I already have two (not pretty) oilers, one for 30wt for general lube and one for general cutting oil.

I figured out that I had the "no-name" and the Plews founts exchanged. I didn't take a before picture (dummy!), but some research online revealed that the fount with the base is the Plews. So the no-name now has a name: It's a Dutton Lainson.

 

[Beerhippie]

Done refurb'ing all the oilers.

Here's an oiler family portrait:





L-R: Goldenrod, Dutton Lainson, Japan, Plews.

I hate those rolled threads! They're easier to cross-thread than to get started straight.

It was not a good day for painting. Even painting inside the shop with the door open (so as not to poison myself or blow the shop up), it was too cold and too humid. Lots of runs in the paint.

 

[d42jeep]

Updated oiler pictures as of 12/23.
-Don

 

[JunkNstuf]

Updated oiler pictures as of 12/23.
-Don

Nice Collection, Don! I've got 2 of these old Brass Oilers . The other one doesn't function so didn't deserve to get in the picture.
This one still works great.All brass.

 

[toolmiser]

Great timing of this post. I just spent a bunch of time cleaning up a bunch of oil cans that I've accumulated over the years. I had to dump out the unknown fluid in them, I didn't clean the inside, but did the outsides or probably 25. Nothing probably out of the ordinary. I don't have pictures. About half were pump style and I got all of them to work. A very messy, dirty job.

 

[Outlawmws]

Some I added yesterday:






These were at the Flea and the guy had a case of them- more than a hundred? All the instructions are in Spanish,m so I'm assuming these came up fro the border.

 

[FJ 432]

A new one to my collection has a painted yellow label from the Shapleigh Hardware Company. Below reads Nurleigh Diamond. The slogan along the top made me grin "Having a big mouth without using a funnel".

 

[d42jeep]

I found the Lubriplate tube in the box at a recent estate sale. I’m not sure how old it is but the box was attractive so I added it to the others. I used Lubriplate back in the day on brake shoe backing plate rubbing pads.
-Don

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Been looking for the flux yesterday and I found an old full can of cutting oil I forgot I had.

 

[d42jeep]

I found this stuff in the garage today and moved it into the basement display.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ I had a tube of that LubriPlate - still in the black and silver box - and it disappeared! Never was able to find it again!