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*** Astounding documentary on making US petrol cans WWII ***


General Apathy
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General Apathy

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one of the most amazing documentary film clips to come out of WWII.

 

This half hour film shows the UK factory that made US ' American-cans ' ( Jerrycans ) during WWII, a complete factory of US machinery was set up in the UK to receive flat steel and parts to stamp, fold, weld and paint to final finish American petrol cans, every part of the process is shown in detail.

 

If only every other manufacturing process had been filmed like this it would have been an unparalleled documentation of WWII manufacturing, Oh how I would love to have seen the production of Jeeps filmed like this . . . . . . . . . .

 

 

 

Regards lewis 

 

..

 

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General Apathy
1 hour ago, pathfinder11 said:

This is great! Thank you for sharing!

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Hi Pathfinder,

 

Thank you I am pleased that you took the time to watch and add comment. ;)

 

regards lewis.

 

..

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General Apathy
1 hour ago, themick said:

Outstanding documentary.  I really enjoyed it!!

Thanks for sharing.

Steve

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Hi Steve,

 

very pleased that you enjoyed it, not certain of your region of collecting, maybe you have a military vehicle.  I have dived into researching and collecting Jerrycans, Gas-Cans, Blitz-cans, Ameri-cans  in the last three years so this was great to see the detail.  

 

regards lewis.

 

..

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12 hours ago, General Apathy said:

.

one of the most amazing documentary film clips to come out of WWII.

 

This half hour film shows the UK factory that made US ' American-cans ' ( Jerrycans ) during WWII, a complete factory of US machinery was set up in the UK to receive flat steel and parts to stamp, fold, weld and paint to final finish American petrol cans, every part of the process is shown in detail.

 

If only every other manufacturing process had been filmed like this it would have been an unparalleled documentation of WWII manufacturing, Oh how I would love to have seen the production of Jeeps filmed like this . . . . . . . . . .

 

 

 

Regards lewis 

 

..

 

Ken,

 

Very interesting! They made 1,200 cans every 2 hours!!! I am amazed you don't have more in your shoebox!

 

...Kat

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General Apathy
1 hour ago, cutiger83 said:

Ken,

 

Very interesting! They made 1,200 cans every 2 hours!!! I am amazed you don't have more in your shoebox!

 

...Kat

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Hi Kat,

 

Thanks Kat, but as you can see millions went missing before I could get my hands on them . . . . . . . . . . :huh:

 

Second photo slightly miss identified, it's an American Blitz Can, & NOT an original German can 

 

.fullsizeoutput_fdfd.jpeg.d24fd80d4f28861b6b4b2a470bae8009.jpeg

 

.fullsizeoutput_fe11.jpeg.0675a0cd4a888629402d95bbcdde0cec.jpeg

 

 

regards lewis

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Thanks for posting the movie. I have a thing for jerry cans. I have at least 134 in my collection. The green and red labels have the maker and year, and any noteworthy observations about the individual can. The markings switch from bottom to top on some makers during the same year, etc.

tex4.jpg

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And I'm glad to be able to share this Magnatex assembled can.  In the movie when they inspect the inside paint, they show the original stamped marking from the USA, but if you know cans, the makers name should be in the center line. It's not there on the one in the movie.

tex1.jpg

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And in the movie when the assembled cans are hanging from the hooks while moving through the factory, they all seem to be dented just above and to the right of the G marking, and my can is dented like wise.

tex3.jpg

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Fascinating film. I love seeing these kinds of things.  Many of us have seen films of tank and plane factories and warships being launched. But it boggles my tiny mind to think of what went into making all the "little" things needed to fight a war that many people don't even think about. And in such quantities!   

 

Mikie

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General Apathy
5 hours ago, robinb said:

Thanks for posting the movie. I have a thing for jerry cans. I have at least 134 in my collection. The green and red labels have the maker and year, and any noteworthy observations about the individual can. The markings switch from bottom to top on some makers during the same year, etc.

tex4.jpg

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Hi Robin,  thank you for commenting on the video and adding the fantastic shot of your can collection.  I noted that two of your cans have the McCord gasoline can closure cap ( actually marked McCord ). In the second image of an end of war study of McCord products made during WWII mention is made at the top off the page of 69,000 of these caps being manufactured during WWII.  

 

( I have an example of one of these cans and I grabbed it out of our village metal dumpster, lots of wartime cans are tossed in the dumpster, too far gone but they make a feature wall in the garden )

 

.fullsizeoutput_fe32.jpeg.6887d059677b8be6d15ea5ba63a8a433.jpeg 

 

.fullsizeoutput_fe1d.jpeg.971fdfd7360a2f61ce8269798308a22a.jpeg

 

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.fullsizeoutput_fe4b.jpeg.a39820742e1bbba413bd9561021ffb7b.jpeg

 

regards lewis.

 

..

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General Apathy
6 hours ago, robinb said:

And I'm glad to be able to share this Magnatex assembled can.  In the movie when they inspect the inside paint, they show the original stamped marking from the USA, but if you know cans, the makers name should be in the center line. It's not there on the one in the movie.

tex1.jpg

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Hi Robin.

 

It appears that the Magnatex can you have has two embossed strengthening channels in the bottom ( possibly made in U.S. ),  the image I grabbed off the U.K. manufacturing video does not have these embossed channels, sadly the video does not capture the complete details.

 

.fullsizeoutput_fe46.jpeg.30de1ae0d44a7e7b0801d4a14d8cfd4e.jpeg 

 

.fullsizeoutput_fe45.jpeg.d9323efca9b53f1a337412715705053f.jpeg

 

regards lewis.

 

..

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General Apathy
6 hours ago, robinb said:

And in the movie when the assembled cans are hanging from the hooks while moving through the factory, they all seem to be dented just above and to the right of the G marking, and my can is dented like wise.

tex3.jpg

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Hi Robin.

 

Yes that small indent appeared evident on all the cans passing along the track.

 

regards lewis.

 

.. 

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I did pick up on the difference between my can and the one in the film; the pressed in border around the bottom markings. 

Also, about the McCord marked caps. One of mine isn't marked anything at all on the cap, that's why I kept it. I also have a report on that cap. Its main failure was that when opened the fuel tended to spray out, where the screw caps allowed the pressure to release more gradually. Plus, it's called the DHC-42 can. So we have an official name for it.

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General Apathy
2 hours ago, robinb said:

I did pick up on the difference between my can and the one in the film; the pressed in border around the bottom markings. 

Also, about the McCord marked caps. One of mine isn't marked anything at all on the cap, that's why I kept it. I also have a report on that cap. Its main failure was that when opened the fuel tended to spray out, where the screw caps allowed the pressure to release more gradually. Plus, it's called the DHC-40 can. So we have an official name for it.

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Hi Robin, 

 

interesting comment on the fuel spraying out when opened.  Here's the patent application made in March 13 1942 for the design by Letcher O. Grice. If you have an unmarked example then that might indicate that other companies manufactured the caps, as the 69,000 listed by McCord sounds like a drop in the ocean compared to how many cans were actually manufactured, still quite a rare can to find.

 

.fullsizeoutput_feae.jpeg.2cb419c8ecef1df5c1e065828d8e2176.jpeg 

 

regards lewis.

 

..

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Now back to British Made Ameri-cans. My example with the TEX marking is the only can in my collection that has a border around the markings on the bottom. I was hoping to find a similar can so we would know which factory supplied materials to Magnatex.

I do have a couple Nesco brand cans that the brand name is lightly stamped on the bottom of the can and also inside of a diamond shape. I surmise that this is the same can that we see in the Magnatex movie as the Nesco markings wouldn't show up very well. They are however devoid of the TEX marking.

jc8.jpg

jc9.jpg

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And now after watching those British ladies working at full speed, I can see how this can was put together upside down. It's a US made Nesco 1941.

jc10.jpg

jc12.jpg

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On 1/11/2022 at 12:46 AM, General Apathy said:

.

.fullsizeoutput_fdfd.jpeg.d24fd80d4f28861b6b4b2a470bae8009.jpeg

 

 

The lack of jerricans was very problematic at one point that french peoples and especialy the children were encouraged to collect all the abandonned jerricans.

Advertisements were made in french press  and a special diploma was awarded by the SHAEF at the best contributors.

 

 

jerrican01.jpg

jerrican02.jpg

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General Apathy
10 hours ago, robinb said:

And some of the paperwork from the Desert Warfare Board.

jc1.jpg

jc2.jpg

jc3.jpg

jc4.jpg

jc5.jpg

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Hi Robin,

 

Many thanks for the inclusion of the Desert Warfare paperwork very interesting about the splash of fuel in the heat as the cap is opened. , I have read it's suggested that we fill our car petrol tanks on cold mornings or evenings when the supply of gas is cold in the ground tanks, before the warmth of the day ' expands ' the gasoline !!!!!! any truth to that I can't say.

 

Going back to the McCord cap when I pulled mine out the village dumpster it had a nut and bolt securing the cap to prevent accidental opening I guess.  The old style square headed nut is ' captive ' at the rear if I recall correctly, could you have a look at both your caps and see if you have a captive nut at all secured at the rear, or signs that there ever was a captive nut before. ( photos of can I day I found it )

 

Thanks for re-showing the gas-can that the body is inverted always loved these oddities in manufacturing production.

 

.fullsizeoutput_ff1b.jpeg.60f7f655fcae2b69ebe77d55748d07e1.jpeg

 

.fullsizeoutput_ff26.jpeg.6ab5b6590a2b87ad52dfdd06a812a930.jpeg

 

regards lewis.

 

..

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11 hours ago, robinb said:

And now after watching those British ladies working at full speed, I can see how this can was put together upside down. It's a US made Nesco 1941.

jc10.jpg

jc12.jpg

It's not upside-down when you are pouring the gas out.  At least that's what I'd tell the boss when he chewed me out for making something like this.  

 

Mikie

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