Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana Husky Can Fiasco!

Last weekend, I was at an estate sale for a long gone farmer from a neighboring town. Having looked everything over, I was considering leaving when I spotted a strange looking can, sitting on top of a grease pail. This is what I found and decided that I'd better wait until it sold, because it might clean up real nice!! I was ecstatic at this point and knew I was in for a long wait as these would be some of the last items on the sale! The chance was worth the wait tho, and 5 hours later the auctioneer finally arrived at the pile of cans! He announced they would be sold "all to go" and I politely asked if we could do choice for one can? He relented and it cost me $25 for this old greasy mess! I was so excited that I could hardly wait to get home and do the clean up!





I knew the paint was in danger from the appearance of the grease but I didn't know how bad! I drained the can(still full) and began soaking it in warm soapy water so as to lessen the impact on the paint! As I started to remove the dirt and grease, my elation soon turned sour as I helplessly watched a lot of the color come off with the grease! I was very careful and I still wonder if I should have done it differently but looking back, I believe it was doomed from the start. This can had been exposed to some kind of substance that caused the paint to soften and lift with the grimy substance covering it! I was sick that my discovery was fading before my eyes but I've learned something! Husky cans are valuable for a reason! Most of them were probably ruined because they have poor paint and that makes the good ones worth a lot!! I'm going to keep looking tho because you just never know what is around that next corner!!
Heres what it looked like, all cleaned up!

Kevin:

I'm sorry that the can didn't clean up for you.

But as a wise man once said: "Experience is what you get, when you don't get what you expected."

Later . . .

Jim

Now you have an original Husky Oil Can with a story behind it and lots and lots of character.
Mike

Kevin: Still worth the effort. sometimes you eat the bear...some times the bear eats you.

Kevin
feel your pain.
This can does not look this good anymore.
Soaked a section at a time in Evapo-rust for several days does yield some rust removal.
and also makes 50 year old Permalube graphics curl and glop together like microwaving a plastic cup for 10 minutes...





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Kevin,
For some reason I see only a major improvement and now the can is still something to display but you certainly could not display it the way you bought it. I have had little success in cleaning painted tin oil/grease cans that have been covered in grease. I think the Husky can is a definate improvement and worth the effort. Here is a before & after pic of a Phillips 66 5 quart can that was very bent, rusty & dented. I took a hammer and dolly to take out the dents the best I could and reshaped then sanded the rusty top and interior then painted it with silver hammer spray paint to clean it up. Then waxed the exterior to bring back some of the paint. Not the best but now it's presentable.
Mike




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You waited 5 hours!

YES! 5 long hours but the auction was entertaining, so I wasn't bored anyway! I just "HAD" to see what it looked like under that dirt! Just think what a Husky 5 quart in top condition is worth! Would've made my day! Aw heck, it still did!!!

COOL STORY THERE KEVIN, ITS PROBABLY BETTER THAN ALOT OF OTHER HUSKY CANS OUT THERE, GOTTA START SOMEWHERE!!! LOL!

Good story there Kevin

hotrodhudson48,
I CAN remove more of the dents on your 5qt can & re-lid the bottom.
db

If you never make a mistake, your not taking enough chances.

If you never make another Mistake, You DIED !

Next time Before you Bid on a greasy/dirty can, do a finger nail test. IF graphics comes off easily, walk away or buy real cheap.

Cans are Lithographed/printed w/ INK, not paint.

I actually did what you're suggesting! If it had gotten expensive, I would have left it but $25 was cheap. The gambler in me wanted to know what was underneath!! LOL

Been there, Done that. LOL
Thinking there is more food on the other side of road has killed a lot of critters [road kill].

It was a coin toss, you Called wrong this time.