I miss cans
- Thread starter Red Crow
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Actually interesting.
Did the old metal cans split or leak? Was there even a problem?
Were plastics finally improved enough to where one day they were able to replace cylindrical cans overnight?
Was the wasted space between round cans the motivating force behind replacement with "squarer plastic bottles"?
Today's cases are more compact.
Were plastic bottles just cheaper to make?
Cost of metal cans had to be a motivating force. Why else did the industry go to cardboard?
Did the old metal cans split or leak? Was there even a problem?
Were plastics finally improved enough to where one day they were able to replace cylindrical cans overnight?
Was the wasted space between round cans the motivating force behind replacement with "squarer plastic bottles"?
Today's cases are more compact.
Were plastic bottles just cheaper to make?
Cost of metal cans had to be a motivating force. Why else did the industry go to cardboard?
I always liked the sound of one of these banging around in the trunk with the rest of my junk;
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The cans I dealt with never leaked, and the cans I have now as collectables dont leak either. One of them has been treated rough but still retains a perfect seal. Aluminum cans seem to hold up better long term than tin.
It’s been well over 50 years since a metal can was on the shelf so you have missed them for a eternity. The cardboard cans were easily dented if that’s the right word to use. Age also had a effect. The moment of truth was when you spiked them with the oil spout. The can would deform or even worse, the spout would puncture the side if you didn’t do it right. When they came out with the plastic bottles with a screw cap it was a great moment in history.
Also, there were no aluminium cans yet.
Also, there were no aluminium cans yet.
I bought oil in cans in 1976-1980 when I did my changes on the Ford Maverick. I think the companies were going to the plastic bottles, first cylindrical with a pour spout and then to the squarish things, about 1982.
AZjeff
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Agreed. Worked in a full service ARCO station in my teens and you could have an oil can disaster with no warning. The spout piercing the lid did make a distinctive sound but I've happily lived without it. These were the cardboard cans in the early 70s. Guess I'm not old enough for all metal cans.
The 100% metal cans never leaked but the spout usually did. Pouring was a "go for it moment" to get the can vertical asap so the leak would run down the spout into the engine instead of dripping everywhere under the hood. My oil changes were still accompanied by the stench of oil burning off the manifold on the first drive afterward. You always had to have a rag handy because the spout was usually totally coated with oil after each quart.
At the time I thought the plastic bottle inventor should have gotten the Nobel prize for a service to automotive humanity.
At the time I thought the plastic bottle inventor should have gotten the Nobel prize for a service to automotive humanity.
I have never seen an oil can leak - all my oil for work still comes in cans
The motivator for the switch is/was cost. Plastic is cheaper to produce and cheaper to ship. packaging takes up less space and it is lighter.
Funnel. Rags.
I use a church key to puncture both sides of the can - one hole for pouring and a smaller hole for air. I just keep my finger over the air hole until I'm ready for full flow.
Passport1 said above: "I always liked the sound of one of these banging around in the trunk with the rest of my junk;"
Shifting cargo is a no-no.
Me? I liked the sound of the old spouts (forget the name) cutting through the top of the can.
It "sounded" sharp.
Shifting cargo is a no-no.
Me? I liked the sound of the old spouts (forget the name) cutting through the top of the can.
It "sounded" sharp.
The only can I miss from my childhood. Of course you can get it in plastic, but it is not the same.
It seemed like the cardboard cans would sweat if you didn't use them right away. I remember finding a partial case when we moved off the farm and all those cardboard cans had oil all over them even though there were no leaks in any of the them.
AutoMechanic
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I wasn’t around for cans but they do look cool and seem easier to pour than those big plastic jugs.
Well of course. They were only quarts.
There was a period of time before 5 quart jugs came into existence. We dealt with quarts only before that.
I've used some cardboard cans. Found a few cases of coardboard can something or another in my parents garage and used it for an oil change or two a few years ago. I can understand why we went to plastic bottles.
On a side note, some of us here including myself are older and remember such advances in packaging. Remember food in cans that use the key attached to the bottom?
I mentioned aluminum cans earlier. I remember when soda pop came in bottles and bottles only. Some liquids came in steel cans and required the church key to open. Two holes. One for pouring, one small one as a vent.
The first aluminum pop cans had the disposable peel off aluminum tab that ended up littered all over or in some cases swallowed as people would put it back into the can they were drinking from.
Sorry for the sidetrack.
I mentioned aluminum cans earlier. I remember when soda pop came in bottles and bottles only. Some liquids came in steel cans and required the church key to open. Two holes. One for pouring, one small one as a vent.
The first aluminum pop cans had the disposable peel off aluminum tab that ended up littered all over or in some cases swallowed as people would put it back into the can they were drinking from.
Sorry for the sidetrack.
I was still buying oil in cans in the early 1980s. So not quite that long. But cardboard/metal cans.
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I saw corned beef in a can with a key on the side not too long ago in the store. I think some brands are still sold that way.
Except when you didn't go straight down and you ended up crushing the cardboard sidewall, usually getting oil everywhere. It only happened to me once in a while, but I always hated it when that happened.
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