A number of petroliana items in this estate I'm cleaning out are full & unopened. Is this good, bad or neither.
For instance, is a 60+ year old quart can of anti-freeze more marketable still full, or with the contents removed (from the underside, of course) ?
Basically, does contents matter?
If you are planning on selling the stuff, keep them full, and give the customer the option of full or empty. Many different cans can be re-lidded by our own "Professor Dick Bennett. So if you or the customer prefers (sp) empty, it can be draine, then re-lidded by him....
I don't care if the cans I buy are empty or full. In fact I drain most all of my cans except for a few of the more rare ones. I do this for many reasons.
Weight being the most important. If you drop an empty can It will probably get a little ding. If you drop a full can it is going to be bad. I don't care at all about the contents. It's the graphics on the can that I care about and I think condition being the same an empty can will bring just as much as a full one. If someone tells me they found a Frontier can the last question (if it gets asked at all) is whether or not it's full. But I agree with Thunder about leaving cans full when you are going to sell them. Let the new owner deal with draining the can in the manner they feel is best. And then they have to deal with getting rid of the contents.
What do you other can guys think.
When I sell cans I give the buyer the option of full or empty. Most always want them full but it really does not matter as you are buying the can not the contents. On that note, I usually keep my own cans full if possible as I like the feel of the full can.
Keith
I cant get them emptied fast enough.
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Hubba: GAS GEEK , OIL FREAK and humble moderator
I agree with Rarin and Hubba. You might also want to check with your insurance company and the local fire codes as many have clauses about how much oil can be stored in a building. If I am buying a quart I feel the value is the same for a bottom drained quart as it is for a full quart, with that said when I sell a quart I nearly always get more for the full tins. Joe
A FULL can means much more to me than an empty..I love the feel of a full can and to know the oil was put in there by some long gone refinery and long gone person,gives it more meaning..I would never empty a can unless it is leaking...for instance, several years ago,I found a can from the ALADDIN refining corp. Borger Texas,,[with the magic lamp picture] it was still full, and I could not belive it, as back in the 50s I worked at a place next to the Aladdin refinery..my point is the old originsl oil in the can, makes it much more dear to me. An empty can would have been great, but it being full is fantastic. As far as the danger from the oil in the cans, I have my cans in the same shop building with sweveral old cars, motorbikes, 4 wheeler,power gen, power washer,ect, and I feel the gas in their tanks are more of a hazzard than the cans...PLEASE dont empty all the cans,,Thanks,,RD
I've found under heated / non heated conditions there is a condensation problem with full cans. I also think full cans actually implode [self dent].
I don't care if a can is full or not. I've emptied cans to push out dents and have used the oil in my oil burning mower.
I also prefer full cans. I do have some empty cans, but I also upgrade whenever possible.With many Thanks to Butch and Wade!
A few years ago I emptied a few quarts from my collection & took the oil to Checkers for recycling. The manager took my oil & emptied it & brought my container back & said.."You must change your oil every week..that was the cleanest I've ever seen"
I empty all of my quarts except for the ones that I am going to resale. I leave them full and let the buyer decide what he wants to do.
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Scott Shipers
Kansas City, MO
I would only empty if the can was leaking. I like full if possible. Makes me feel like I got a better deal on a 100 dollar can if I get the extra 1.50 worth of oil in it!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
Several of my "full" cans became only partly full over time and I just cleaned up a big mess on my shelves. Some collectors like the cans empty so they can remove dents by filling them with water and freezing them to "pop out" the dents. Lots of theories on this subject. Others like to kinda shrink-wrap the cans to prevent the spillage. Most folks I talk with prefer them full.
Well there you have it. Looks like it is clear as dirty oil. Looks like if you are going to resell let the buyer decide how they want it. If they are leaking drain them and if you are keeping them it is your decision.
Keith
Hey R49th:
Must be Michigan, I have the same problem with some of my full cans. Polish them up and come back and look at them a couple years later, to find some dents that weren't in there before.
Doug
Yeah Doug At first I thought it was just my imagination. But I have decided that they do self dent. Maybe because I keep them in the garage- unheated in the winter.
My workshop is heated but I don't keep the heat on all the time. The cans that are in the workshop form condensation if they are full.
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ROD [Mich.]
Before disposing of your old fluids, ask yourself this: Is this stuff any good?
Newer motor oil has less zinc, better for emissions? But I've read about sooo many folks who did a cam swap only to (surprise!) have a failure. I've had many transmission guys tell me that the old stuff will still be good, and that it's actually BETTER than the newer stuff. Think about it - with all the differnt alloys and what not, I'm sure that they've tweaked the friction co-efficient and more. Manual transmissions use ATF now, almost unheard of 30 years ago. I'm not sure that it'd be wise to use the old stuff in a new car, but seeing as I don't have one... I'd love to find some beat up cans just for the oil!!
Rod:
Mine are all inside and it still does it to some. Go figure ???
Doug
Well, Maybe I will empty the nicer cans to prevent problems. Has anyone else tried what pumpcrazy said about filling an empty can with water and let the freezing take dents out? Larry
NOT A GOOD IDEA LARRY.
Water will freeze to the shape of can untill it is solid, then BUST OUT !
Air pressure is not a good idea either, unless you like ROUNDED ENDS.
Best to send me your DINKED, DENTED cans for FREE DENT REMOVEL for cost of NEW LID + shipping both ways.
DB
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**PUT A LID ON IT**
1 qt Re-lidding
Wow,I had never heard of self denting cans,,must be extreme conditions as I have some full cans over 50 years old, and no dents what so ever. Also dont have the moisture problem here, but can see that being a problem in some areas..Dick is correct, the only way to remove a dent properly is with at least one lid removed.,,,RD