An oil can (oilcan or oiler)[1] is a can that holds oil (usually motor oil) for lubricating machines. An oil can can also be used to fill oil-based lanterns. An occupation, referred to as an oiler, can use an oil can (among other tools) to lubricate machinery.

An oil can for a Singer sewing machine
Oil can used to store household lamp oil (1882). Windows in the tin allow to observe the level. Cap for the spout on a chain.
Soldered Oil can with a push-button pump, indented at the top with the screw cap.

Oil cans were made by companies like Noera Manufacturing Company and Perfection in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[1] Around this time, oil cans frequently leaked and contributed to fires.[2] In 1957, aluminium oil cans were introduced, produced by companies like the American Can Company.[3]

Rocanville, Saskatchewan, Canada is home to a large-scale oil can industry because of the Symons Oiler factory which produced oil cans during World War II.

Design

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Oil cans come in a variety of designs, from a simple cylindrical disposable can opened with a churchkey (or with a combined spout-opener), to a hemisphere base and tapered straight spout to more intricate designs with handles and push-buttons, to the modern plastic bottle. In 2000, the 3-In-One Oil can was redesigned to look like the early 20th century design (hemisphere base with tapered straight spout).[4][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b A Book of Tools: Being a Catalogue of Tools, Supplies, Machinery, and Similar Goods, Chas. A. Strelinger & Co., Detroit, Michigan, 1895, pp. 291–4 (from Google Books)
  2. ^ The Engineers' review, Volume 16, W.W. Benham, 1905, p. 22 (from Google Books)
  3. ^ Petroleum week, Volume 9, 1959, p. 82 (from Google Books)
  4. ^ HDPE oil bottle squeezes another prize, Packaging Digest, 11 November 2000 (from dfenginc.com, retrieved 19 July 2010)
  5. ^ New plastic oil can puts WD-40 "over the rainbow"., Food & Drug Packaging, Lisa McTigue Pierce, 1 March 2000 (from AllBusiness.com, retrieved 19 July 2010)
  6. ^ Alcoa Architectural Products – Oil Canning Policy arconic.com, retrieved 27 June 2017
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