MLU FORUM  

Go Back   MLU FORUM > GENERAL WW2 TOPICS > WW2 Military History & Equipment

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 04-03-16, 04:46
David DeWeese David DeWeese is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Plano, Texas
Posts: 357
Default fake flimsy petrol can

Hi,

After reading through the water can thread on the carrier forum, and it mentioning the 4 gallon flimsy petrol cans, I thought this might be interesting to some...

I found that the US 5 gallon tin cans, used for lubricants and chemicals into the early 60's I think, bore a very good resemblance in size and appearance to the Imperial 4 gallon returnable flimsies I've seen photos of on this forum.

Bought one and painted it. These cans are expensive if they have a good petroliana subject matter, but no one will probably lament the loss of a vintage "ammonia compressor oil " can...

I'd like to get one more of these and crate the two....would make an interesting addition to my display.

Thanks, David
Attached Thumbnails
fake flimsy fuel can.jpg   FF2.jpg   FF3.jpg   FF4.jpg   flimsy in crate.jpg  


Last edited by David DeWeese; 04-03-16 at 15:00. Reason: added photo
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 04-03-16, 17:28
gordon's Avatar
gordon gordon is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Central Scotland
Posts: 707
Default Nice

now - about that Dodge you are working on that you never told me about ?
__________________
Gordon, in Scotland
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 04-03-16, 18:13
Hanno Spoelstra's Avatar
Hanno Spoelstra Hanno Spoelstra is offline
MLU Administrator
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 14,400
Default

Nice indeed.

Reminds me of large sunflower oil cans used in professional kitchens...that may be a source for replica's also.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 05-03-16, 05:12
David DeWeese David DeWeese is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Plano, Texas
Posts: 357
Default truck and cans.....

Hello Gordon,

Didn't mention the truck because it's not mine. It's a friends' WC 12 that he has been restoring at my shop for nearly a year now. He has been posting his progress on G503. Nice truck and no expense spared...I help a little and he buys a lot of used parts from me...

Hello Hanno,

These cans are close, but..

I researched buying new versions of this type of can, with or without contents, and it appears that modern ones are not sold in the US for any purpose I could find.

Thanks, David
Attached Thumbnails
WC 12.jpg   fuel cans.jpg   flimsies 22 - Copy.jpg  
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 05-03-16, 05:28
Bob Carriere Bob Carriere is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Hammond, Ontario
Posts: 5,191
Default Is the only difference.....

...that the original did not have a screwed lid and required punching a hole to pour out the content?????

Very ingenious!!!!

Bob
__________________
Bob Carriere....B.T.B
C15a Cab 11
Hammond, Ontario
Canada
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 05-03-16, 05:59
David DeWeese David DeWeese is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Plano, Texas
Posts: 357
Default don't know for sure, but....

Hi Bob,

It appears that there was one type of "flimsy" can that you punch a hole into, or pull a plug out, and another type that had a removable cap. The black and white photo above seems to show both types.....

Thanks, David
Attached Thumbnails
flimsies without cap.jpg  
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 05-03-16, 10:05
tankbarrell tankbarrell is offline
Adrian Barrell
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Suffolk, UK
Posts: 843
Default

The ones with the screw cap are an improved flimsy. They turn up occasionally, I have found two that appeared in my scrap bin overnight, both wartime dated, one in sand paint. They are considerably more robust than a real flimsy and were clearly intended for re-use unlike the true flimsy.
__________________
Adrian Barrell
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 05-03-16, 11:38
Hanno Spoelstra's Avatar
Hanno Spoelstra Hanno Spoelstra is offline
MLU Administrator
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 14,400
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tankbarrell View Post
The ones with the screw cap are an improved flimsy. They turn up occasionally, I have found two that appeared in my scrap bin overnight, both wartime dated, one in sand paint. They are considerably more robust than a real flimsy and were clearly intended for re-use unlike the true flimsy.
Cross reference to a related thread - my bold. The ones with screw caps were intended to be returnable and reused.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lauren Child View Post
Yes, I think the 4gal cans are flimsies, though I was quoting from the manual - I dont have a good (complete) example of one.

Jerricans are referred to as 4 1/2 gallon cans in some of the wartime docs, differentiating them from the mention of 4 gallon cans. There are diagrams for safe stacking of both types.

There's a good photo on various forums that shows the difference between 2gal, 4gal non-returnable flimsy, 4gal returnable later type, and jerricans - I've attached it below (shout if it's your photo).

Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 05-03-16, 15:20
David DeWeese David DeWeese is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Plano, Texas
Posts: 357
Default 101 uses...............

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=75286
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 05-03-16, 21:44
Lynn Eades Lynn Eades is offline
Bluebell
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Tauranga, New Zealand
Posts: 5,534
Default

These cans or at least similar 4 gal cans were used up into the mid to late 70s.
I recall seeing footage of cars being refueled somewhere in northern Africa (Timbucktu?? area) during one of the African Safari rallys. The cans had no cap (no chance of sabotage) and were opened for use with a billhook type tool. I'd guess about 1976, about the time that the newish Mitsubishi Lancers took out the first four places in that event.

I remember a similar tin, as a kid. Honey came in them with a large dia. removeable (push in) lid, as the 4 gall can and as a half height 2 gall can.
__________________
Bluebell

Carrier Armoured O.P. No1 Mk3 W. T84991
Carrier Bren No2.Mk.I. NewZealand Railways. NZR.6.
Dodge WC55. 37mm Gun Motor Carriage M6
Jeep Mb #135668
So many questions....

Last edited by Lynn Eades; 05-03-16 at 22:21.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 07-03-16, 05:31
David DeWeese David DeWeese is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Plano, Texas
Posts: 357
Default thanks...

Thanks all for the great information!

So, the true "flimsy" is a light-weight one time use tin can that you pried an un-threaded lid off, or punched a hole into, emptied the contents and threw away.

The other type is much heavier construction with a male-threaded removable cap......both types referred to as a "flimsy".

Here's a link to a website I found showing the cans that are still littering the western desert.
http://www.qattara.it/60-99%20taniche.html

Don't mean to bore y'all with a discussion on tin petrol cans, but I find this stuff interesting.

Thanks again, David
Attached Thumbnails
true flimsy.jpg   improved flimsy dug up.jpg  
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 07-03-16, 09:54
Mike Kelly's Avatar
Mike Kelly Mike Kelly is offline
Fan of Lord Nuffield
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Victoria Australia
Posts: 5,605
Default Olive oil

David

You might have more luck if you search for 20 litre Olive oil cans

http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-o...il-trade/26246

It was easy to see the European heritage of the families living in my area, there was always empty olive oil cans in their rubbish

I am sure that kero was sold in those 4 gallon cans in the 1960's when most houses had a kero heater .
__________________
1940 cab 11 C8
1940 Morris-Commercial PU
1941 Morris-Commercial CS8
1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.)
1942-45 Jeep salad
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 07-03-16, 14:08
Eric R. Eric R. is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: VA, USA
Posts: 92
Default

You can find the cans that are similar and used for olive oil but here in the US I have found no one that will supply an all metal can. The spouts now are the plastic push in type or a plastic screw in insert.

I wish I could locate the all metal cans again. We had a bunch stored away that we used to transport and store water in our trenches at a our WW1 site but they have all rusted out and I can't find anything to replace them.
__________________
_________
1944 C15A Wire-3
1944 Willys MB (parts pile)
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 10-03-16, 02:21
David DeWeese David DeWeese is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Plano, Texas
Posts: 357
Default

Thanks Mike and Eric for the replies,

I couldn't find new all-metal cans in the US either, but as the cans I need are for display only, the rusty cheap ones will do....bought another one today:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/201537908262

Was at a hobby/home decoration store yesterday and bought a cheap Chinese replica Shell sign for about 5 dollars on sale. It had all the features in the sign embossed in the tin. Cut out the shell carefully with industrial scissors, epoxied it to the can and repainted it.

Thanks. David
Attached Thumbnails
Photo033.jpg   DSCF0103.jpg   DSCF0111.jpg   shell spirit.jpg  

Last edited by David DeWeese; 11-03-16 at 04:07.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 11-03-16, 03:56
Barry Churcher's Avatar
Barry Churcher Barry Churcher is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Castleton Ont.
Posts: 998
Default

Wow Dave, nice work!!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
2 Gal. Petrol Tin ID BSM The Softskin Forum 12 29-07-21 01:57
Is this a flimsy? Ebay? Rob Fast Auction and Classified Ad Site Heads Up 11 07-05-13 01:10
2 Gallon Flimsy Kuno The Softskin Forum 6 08-07-10 14:28
2 Gal Petrol Can Bill Alexander WW2 Military History & Equipment 23 11-10-09 22:08
Flimsy fuel can flex hoses/spouts 19 sets ect Dean (Ajax) For Sale Or Wanted 35 09-04-09 00:03


All times are GMT +2. The time now is 23:51.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © Maple Leaf Up, 2003-2016