Had Never Seen One Of These 'Til Today...

['63GENIII]

I stopped in at my folks house today to help set up a file cabinet that I picked up for my Pop.

My Pop asked that I put the cabinet in the "Fishing Room" that he'd started putting together about an hour after I had moved out in the early 90s. I think it started as a defense tactic to assure him that I'd never move back in .

Anyhoo, as I was setting the file cabinet up, we were talking about the Fishing Room and I had made a comment about how far its come along since he started the collection. It's pretty impressive, albeit a very small room. (8X10) IIRC.

As we were talking, he asked If I collect anything besides car parts , and I mentioned that I collect older electrical switches, insulators and the like. It was right then that he remembered something that he had picked up for me and got really excited. He started rooting through a couple of cabinets in a hurry, making a bit of a ruckus and within a couple of minutes, he very proudly handed me this.....He said he had picked it up a couple of years ago for me and had forgotten about it. He was pretty happy to give it to me.

Id never seen one til today as I had grown up with the ones that had been shot out in the gas station that Steve Martin worked at in "The Jerk".

Anyway, my Pop gave me one of the bottles, two spouts and one spout cap.

It was made by;

The Master MFG Co, Litchfield, Ill. PAT'D Sept 14, 1926

Just thought I'd share

[72 tigger]

I like old stuff- pretty cool

['63GENIII]

My Dad said that in his day, sometimes the service stations had them filled and in racks, ready to top off your oil. When they needed refilling, the attendant would hand pump the oil out of the larger containers and into the glass ones. He said that the metal caps (at first glance they looked like thimbles) were the thing that are hard to come by these days.

Im guessing there wasn't a whole lot of self serve then.

I need to get my own fishing room to display stuff like this. That bottle is sitting on the bottomless pit of a thing that I call a workbench. It makes me nervous being there!

[Ironhorse]

I have two of the bottles and two of the spouts, both in pretty nice condition. Got them at auction several years ago. Unfortunately I don't have ANY caps, your Dad was right. They always seem to be missing. I remember in the late 50s into early 60s local service stations used to sell used bulk oil cheap if you had a really bad oil burner or leaky engine. $0.25 a quart. They stored all the used drained oil and tapped off the upper 2/3rds of the barrel into the quart jars. Thinking was at the time the heavier solids and contaminants filtered to the bottom of the barrel. Probably didn't work like that but if your engine used a quart every couple hundred miles or so who cared, LOL.

[FleetsidePaul]

that is too cool.

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

I have two of the bottles and two of the spouts, both in pretty nice condition. Got them at auction several years ago. Unfortunately I don't have ANY caps, your Dad was right. They always seem to be missing. I remember in the late 50s into early 60s local service stations used to sell used bulk oil cheap if you had a really bad oil burner or leaky engine. $0.25 a quart. They stored all the used drained oil and tapped off the upper 2/3rds of the barrel into the quart jars. Thinking was at the time the heavier solids and contaminants filtered to the bottom of the barrel. Probably didn't work like that but if your engine used a quart every couple hundred miles or so who cared, LOL.

Enter Blackstone Analysis Labs... That's crazy, but like you said, if you had an oil burner...

On second thought, they were light years ahead in the oil recycling movement !

Used to be a place a couple of miles from here that would sell used tires for as low as $15 per tire. Gotta admit that when I finally bought a brand new set of matching tires from them, it was cause for celebration .

Originally Posted by FleetsidePaul

that is too cool.

Yeah, I thought so too. That man is always lookin out for me.

It still had a little oil in it too. Going to get the oil out, try and clean the bottle and put the oil back in it.

I should have taken a few pics of his "fishing room" when I was there. That's a pretty impressive thing to see.

[cornerstone]

Thanks for sharing that. I've never seen one myself. I do remember seeing my dad use the round cylindrical quart size oil cans in the mid to late 70's that had a heavy cardboard side with a tin top. Once I became driving age in 84' I had one of the metal spouts with the sharp pointy end you would stab into the tin top in order to pour the oil into your motor. I found a few cases of unused old cans of oil in the garage of a house we had recently moved into, and being a broke teenager they went straight into my 72' Pontiac Ventura. Inevitably some would dribble down the side of the can. Then came the plastic containers that we still are using today. Probably in hindsight it would have been better to stay with the old style... for the environment anyway.

[Killer Bee]

we still use plastic bottles like those in a wire caddy for carrying bulk oil out to a vehicle..

and most of the caps are missing

[Stocker]

Very cool, Chris! I worked in a service station for awhile in the mid-Sixties and I never saw anything like that. We had a bulk oil container like Ironhorse mention and yep, it was 2 bits a quart. Had an old couple with a very well-worn old Chevy, around a 1950 give or take, and they always got that cheap oil. It was like pouring sand down a rat-hole.

All the new oil cans were round with metal ends that you pierced with a spout. Final draining was into a 5-gallon can with a screen on top and we'd empty that into the bulk oil. From there we'd hand crank it into a steel container with a long spout that would pivot down, similar to this but steel:

[special-K]

My dad had one of those glass oil bottle/metal spout deals. That was when oil came in cardboard w/tin cans and the 'modern' way was to punch a spout into the lid, like on The Jerk. The '70 Custom Camper/30 I owned had a holder for the spout mounted to the firewall. People were always trying to knock a hole in the top with anything they could find. If it was too dull they would crush the can and make a mess!

I have one of those big oil fill tin jobs like Stocker shows, as well as a quart size and I think 2qt. I ended up with a collection of metal gas cans of various sizes and shapes. Like so many things, I didn't set out to be a collector. I just have an eye for and a love of neat old things and hang onto stuff with no specific plan for it. Then I see another variation and really I have one variation stashed here and another there. Three makes a collection!

[Sheepdip]

Back when I was in High School there was a gas station just down the road from the school called "Terrible Herbst".

They had these bottles that they filled from bulk and they also had "Recycled Oil" filled from bulk for a nickle a quart. Guess where all the guys with oil burners/leakers went.

[Steeveedee]

I remember those glass oil bottles, but never handled one. I worked on vehicles starting in the '60s. My dad had an early '50s Chevy that burned oil like crazy. He carried a gallon can of Raylube non-detergent oil in the trunk at all times. Those were tough times. I had an '82 Buick Regal I bought used that burned a quart of oil every 75 or so miles. I'd drive it to work and back, and it would need a quart of oil. Didn't leak a drop and the catalytic converter cleaned it up enough so that it didn't smoke. Weird. I have a bunch of old oil cans with the long spouts, an old soldering iron (one you put by the forge to heat), one of those old naphtha torches and some other miscellaneous stuff I'm going to make a display of one day.

[1976gmc20]

Used to be a place a couple of miles from here that would sell used tires for as low as $15 per tire.

Mid-1970s the station I worked at sold used tires as little as $5/tire.

Had a guy on vacation (most of our business) come in with a ruined tire and needed a spare. I picked through our pile and found him a decent one that fit. He asked how much and I said $5 and he about had a hissy fit. I told him well we charge $2.50 to mount/balance so he was getting the tire for $2.50. He calmed down after that.

I have honestly never seen those glass oil bottles before! But all I ever knew for a long time was the cardboard quart cans that you had to use the piercing spout. A red rag and an oil spout made you an official gas station attendant In my early days I carried an empty coffee can behind the pickup seat with a few screwdrivers and wrenches and an oil spout.

[68Timber]

That was real nice of your father, that needs it's own special display spot. So the cap sits on top?

[Snarl95]

Just saw those on an episode of American pickers.

[mongocanfly]

Dad has a 6 pack of those glass oil bottles..they are in a carry case similar to how old milk bottles were carried...they are the same one he used as a youngster when he worked at the local gas station..the owner gave them to him...I think 1 or 2 may be broke ...I'll have to go look...

[davischevy]

That's a cool piece. People around here were to broke to have high tech gadgets like that. I do remember metal spouts though. As somebody said a metal spout and a red rag.

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

Thanks for sharing that. I've never seen one myself. I do remember seeing my dad use the round cylindrical quart size oil cans in the mid to late 70's that had a heavy cardboard side with a tin top. Once I became driving age in 84' I had one of the metal spouts with the sharp pointy end you would stab into the tin top in order to pour the oil into your motor. I found a few cases of unused old cans of oil in the garage of a house we had recently moved into, and being a broke teenager they went straight into my 72' Pontiac Ventura. Inevitably some would dribble down the side of the can. Then came the plastic containers that we still are using today. Probably in hindsight it would have been better to stay with the old style... for the environment anyway.

I remember using the cardboard cans and the spout too. Had to be quick and with a sharp spout. My pop had me help him change the oil in his '66 Galaxie 500 when I was about 6. I jammed that spout hard enough to break the cardboard side away from the top without piercing the metal. All over his immaculate workbench. Got my first taste of trying to clean up straight 30 Penzoil.

Originally Posted by Stocker

Very cool, Chris! I worked in a service station for awhile in the mid-Sixties and I never saw anything like that. We had a bulk oil container like Ironhorse mention and yep, it was 2 bits a quart. Had an old couple with a very well-worn old Chevy, around a 1950 give or take, and they always got that cheap oil. It was like pouring sand down a rat-hole.

All the new oil cans were round with metal ends that you pierced with a spout. Final draining was into a 5-gallon can with a screen on top and we'd empty that into the bulk oil. From there we'd hand crank it into a steel container with a long spout that would pivot down, similar to this but steel:

Sand down a rat hole . I keep running the 25 - 50c used oil story through my head and I cringe! Heck I used to freak out when Id change the oil on my 7.3 and it would be black as soon as I drove it around the block!

How many quarts is that can? I vaguely remember those but I think they were mainly used in shops right? That sure is cool!

Originally Posted by special-K

My dad had one of those glass oil bottle/metal spout deals. That was when oil came in cardboard w/tin cans and the 'modern' way was to punch a spout into the lid, like on The Jerk. The '70 Custom Camper/30 I owned had a holder for the spout mounted to the firewall. People were always trying to knock a hole in the top with anything they could find. If it was too dull they would crush the can and make a mess!

I have one of those big oil fill tin jobs like Stocker shows, as well as a quart size and I think 2qt. I ended up with a collection of metal gas cans of various sizes and shapes. Like so many things, I didn't set out to be a collector. I just have an eye for and a love of neat old things and hang onto stuff with no specific plan for it. Then I see another variation and really I have one variation stashed here and another there. Three makes a collection!

Ive been grabbing little things that catch my eye lately. Old insulators, electrical disconnects, old tools ect. Don't know why since I really don't have a place to put them yet and likely won't for some time. This oil jar is pretty cool though.

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

I remember those glass oil bottles, but never handled one. I worked on vehicles starting in the '60s. My dad had an early '50s Chevy that burned oil like crazy. He carried a gallon can of Raylube non-detergent oil in the trunk at all times. Those were tough times. I had an '82 Buick Regal I bought used that burned a quart of oil every 75 or so miles. I'd drive it to work and back, and it would need a quart of oil. Didn't leak a drop and the catalytic converter cleaned it up enough so that it didn't smoke. Weird. I have a bunch of old oil cans with the long spouts, an old soldering iron (one you put by the forge to heat), one of those old naphtha torches and some other miscellaneous stuff I'm going to make a display of one day.

I clearly remember a metal gallon can of Penzoil in the back of my Dad's '49 Chevy with the curved rear cab windows. Funny how it always had oil in it but it was the same can year after. It wasn't til much later that I found out that all cars and trucks didn't smoke!

Originally Posted by 68Timber

That was real nice of your father, that needs it's own special display spot. So the cap sits on top?

Yes, the cap sits on top. I agree though. I need to get this into a secure space.
Ive been planing on building out an unfinished area under the house. Its 18x34 and could have an 8-1/2' ceiling. Just a big dirt space right now. Would make a nice man cave if I can keep the wife from making a she shed out of it .

Originally Posted by Snarl95

Just saw those on an episode of American pickers.

I know its heavily edited but I swear, that has to be the coolest job that you could ever ask for!

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Dad has a 6 pack of those glass oil bottles..they are in a carry case similar to how old milk bottles were carried...they are the same one he used as a youngster when he worked at the local gas station..the owner gave them to him...I think 1 or 2 may be broke ...I'll have to go look...

If you can find the carry crate, please post a picture! Im dying to see one. My pop told me all about them and even said there was one where he got this but he was looking for another cap at the time and forgot to get the crate.

Originally Posted by davischevy

That's a cool piece. People around here were to broke to have high tech gadgets like that. I do remember metal spouts though. As somebody said a metal spout and a red rag.

Just up the block from where my Grandparents lived was a Mohawk Service Station. I remember it clearly as a young kid when I'd visit. It was a brick building with a brick kind of carport that you would drive into and the attendants would come out to fill the tank. All of them wearing light grey coveralls and caps. They still had one of the old pumps that you'd pump the gas up into the glass top the gravity feed it down. I wouldn't be surprised if that station had these glass bottles. I gotta see if I can find a picture of that place. Haven't thought about it in 40+ years.

I clearly remember "Ethyl" being posted on the sign out front but cannot remember the price.

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by davischevy

That's a cool piece. People around here were to broke to have high tech gadgets like that. I do remember metal spouts though. As somebody said a metal spout and a red rag.

Man Larry, you lit a fire under my arsenal to go looking for that Mohawk Station. Sorry for getting off on a tangent and the self hijack!

Last time I'd seen it, it had been vandalized a bunch and was an empty shell of a building. I remember driving by on the way home from Sunday dinner at Grandmas and seeing the torch shaped lights on top of each of the building columns lit up in an orange - yellow flame color. All from the back seat of my Pop's '66. I couldn't see over the window sill but could see the lights up high.

Man what a blast from the past!

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by '63GENIII

How many quarts is that can? I vaguely remember those but I think they were mainly used in shops right? That sure is cool!

That's a pic I found on the web.... it says "Quart" on the side. The one I used in the service station was either 1 or 2 quarts -- it's too long ago for me to remember. Yeah, as far as I know they were primarily used in shops. I wouldn't mind having that one now just for old time's sake! All I have is 1 or 2 of the spouts you jammed into the metal top of the round cardboard cans. Obviously haven't used them for a few decades.

That image of the old station is about the size & layout of the one I worked in as a kid. It had 2 service bays on the left side though.

[Killer Bee]

hope y'all be pleased to see we still use these, well sometimes anyway

and only 1 is capped



nowadays with so many weights and API specs, the bulk for 'most' applications doesn't fit as many as it used to..


but these are the most fun

click-cluck, click-cluck, click-cluck

[special-K]

Here's my "Swingspout" marked half gallon. A lot of tinsmithing went into making these.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by Killer Bee

hope y'all be pleased to see we still use these, well sometimes anyway

and only 1 is capped



nowadays with so many weights and API specs, the bulk for 'most' applications doesn't fit as many as it used to..


but these are the most fun

click-cluck, click-cluck, click-cluck

I have a couple of those tiny ones like at the bottom! One is maybe 2-1/2" tall, including the spout.

[special-K]

Those are mostly sewing machine oilers, but could have come with other small machinery. I started collecting those before I knew anything. I just like them cuz they're small. I pass over bigger oilers, but I do have some

[cornerstone]

Originally Posted by special-K

Here's my "Swingspout" marked half gallon. A lot of tinsmithing went into making these.

Now that is just plain cool. Do you know if that is the original paint? I'm gonna start looking for this kind of stuff. I'd imagine the swap meets and garage sales and antique stores are some of the best places to score cool stuff. Anyone have any other recommendations?
Brian