Help to identify old oil can.

[ichadParticipant @ichad]

Help to identify old oil can please. I’ve looked online at old oil cans and this one looks railway orientated or Possible Keyes. Its soldered construction and has a chain cap lid, push on, not threaded. I’ve attached pictures with house brick wall behind for scale. I would be very grateful if anyone could help.

[Nigel BennettParticipant @nigelbennett69913]

I would expect to see a soldered-on or stamped-in “Kaye” if it was a Kaye’s one. Could be Braime’s of Leeds, who made similar things and they were just round the corner from Kaye’s.

I used to work for Kaye’s, but sadly some bozo trashed all the oil can drawings, “because we don’t make them any more”. I remember taking in my miniature Meccano one to work and the chap who used to make them was delighted to see it; his eyes lit up and he reminisced about making them.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Is anyone able to confirm it is an oil-can?

Looks to me as if the chained lid doubles as a measuring cup, implying the contents were doled out accurately, which is rarely necessary with oil.    My first thought was Rum, then disinfectant.  Possibly oil for mixing into petrol to make two stroke.

Not so long ago, containers like this were made by the million out of earthenware, glass and tin-plate.    Tin-plate cost more but sealed well, where lightweight, and could be knocked about without breaking.   They had a multitude of uses, I think this one a bit special because ordinary lids were rarely chained.

I expect it was labelled and painted when new making identification easy.  Then, in the past, someone cleaned it off to keep us amused!

Dave

 

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

I have seen them before with a chain through the handle and a stamped tag attached with the contents. Also doubt very much that it has ever been painted.

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

..maybe you could buy cans like that back in the days when paraffin (Whale Oil, Coal Tar 😉)was a weekly purchase and you had to fetch it in your own container..

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Cans like that were probably about as universal as buckets, but its first owner could well have been a railway company.

[ichadParticipant @ichad]

Thanks so much for the information, great response on only the 1st day of posting.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

I very much doubt the cap was a measuring device – unless it is a later addition. or cleverly sealed on the inside of the cap.  Looks, to me, the chain is just a means of not losing the cap!

[not done it yet]

On not done it yet Said:

I very much doubt the cap was a measuring device – unless it is a later addition. or cleverly sealed on the inside of the cap.  Looks, to me, the chain is just a means of not losing the cap!

Well, I suggest a maker deliberately fitting a leaky cap to a well-made container is equally unlikely!  Especially as it’s easy to seal the inside with a soldered disc.

I hope ichad will let us know.   He can test the cup by fulling it with water.   If it doesn’t leak, be interesting to know how much liquid the cup contains.  I predict a nice round number of fluid ounces, or maybe drachms.

Dave

 

[ichadParticipant @ichad]

The cup/cap has a hole in the top with the chain passing through so cant be filled with liquid or used as a measure.

[ichad]

On ichad Said:

The cup/cap has a hole in the top with the chain passing through so cant be filled with liquid or used as a measure.

As made … or as modified ?

MichaelG.

[ichad]

On ichad Said:

The cup/cap has a hole in the top with the chain passing through so cant be filled with liquid or used as a measure.

A clue!  Whatever was stored in the container didn’t smell or evaporate, and knock-over spillage didn’t matter much.  But it was necessary to prevent slopping or to keep dirt out.  Not anything that reacts with metal.   Oil unlikely because spills are a messy fire-hazard, though might be OK for transporting lube from a big tank across a yard to refill squirty oil-cans.  Or other short-range carrying for distribution, such as taking beer home from a pub – this was once common.

A huge number of possibilities.

Dave

[Maurice TaylorParticipant @mauricetaylor82093]

Hi,

With that short chain it would be difficult to fill the cup,most of it would be on the floor .It has also got a hole in it.

Maurice

[ichadParticipant @ichad]

It’s shinny clean inside with a clean oil residue.

 

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I have taken the liberty of cropping the photo … just to focus attention on the important detail

MichaelG.

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[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Google ‘Lens’ does a pretty-good job of finding similar images

MichaelG.

[ichadParticipant @ichad]

I’ve found something very similar on a well known auction site listed as a Shell Rotella oil can.

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