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Water Cans and Handbowls


pete harrison

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On 05/03/2017 at 14:18, alan_fincher said:

I note that this time you have not denied being the purchaser?  Can we read anything in to that?

My eye agrees with yours - the painting looks a bit naff, IMO!

Now it has arrived and is O.K. I will admit to it, yes I bought this three gallon Can.

But why did I buy this one ?

Three gallon Can's do not seem to come up for sale nearly as often as two gallon Cans, and I only have one three gallon Can - and that one is almost thirty years old and a little scratched and scraped (originally painted by Phil Speight) having seen service with me on at least five G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. boats and a couple of others, although still very usable. The painted ware I have bought of late is all very high quality, and frankly I would not like to use it as it would inevitably become damaged or get nicked. This means I need a couple of bits and bobs that are usable just in case I ever go boating again, and this is where this three gallon Can fits in (my mind set still works in narrow boat pairs so I need a two gallon Can, two three gallon Cans and two handbowls).

Having just taken delivery of the three gallon Can I am pretty pleased with it. Although clearly owned by the 'cat lady of Whitstable' and requiring a considerable amount of cleaning this is basically a new Can, i.e. it has never had water in it and is still shiny galvanised inside. I have proven it to be watertight, and following a severe clean the paint is all stable with only a few chips here and there. Overall I am pleased with it, and once again it proves that there is some reasonable painted ware out there that you do not have to pay silly money for - unless the consencus is that £90.00 is too much for a good Can with average painting :captain:

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36 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

Overall I am pleased with it, and once again it proves that there is some reasonable painted ware out there that you do not have to pay silly money for - unless the consencus is that £90.00 is too much for a good Can with average painting :captain:

As the asking price for those newly manufactured cans, (2 gallon from memory), unpainted, is more than twice that, if you have got a good quality, un-rusted, water tight 3 gallon can for under £100, my view is that you have done really quite well.

Well done!

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4 years to find these two. Both watertight. Both second hand. Price £110 total

Didnt  want to repaint thaxted and Mecca's cans. Our cans are home painted always have been . They are not traditionally painted but show aspects of our life at the time we own them. So Thaxted is towing Atalanta on her can and the cats and bikes have a place too. We reckon that in itself is a tradition, rather than buying from a shop.

I like these new ones. Sue might get them finished this year drawing ...Australia on a can is tricky.

image.jpeg

  • Greenie 1
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For comparison I have just come across something in Waterways World December 1984 page 61 regarding the cost of brand new Cans and Handbowls being sold by the Boatmans Cabin Company, Wombourne:

1 gallon Can = £13.00 unpainted or £25.50 painted.

2 gallon Can = £13.50 unpainted or £26.00 painted.

3 gallon Can = £14.00 unpainted or £26.50 painted.

Handbowl = £14.00 unpainted or £26.50 painted.

These are stated as being made from galvanised sheet metal with soldered seam and a wooden hand roller. All are subject to £3.50 p&p.

Who would have thought back then that these would become 'collectors items' :captain:

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2 hours ago, pete harrison said:

For comparison I have just come across something in Waterways World December 1984 page 61 regarding the cost of brand new Cans and Handbowls being sold by the Boatmans Cabin Company, Wombourne:

1 gallon Can = £13.00 unpainted or £25.50 painted.

2 gallon Can = £13.50 unpainted or £26.00 painted.

3 gallon Can = £14.00 unpainted or £26.50 painted.

Handbowl = £14.00 unpainted or £26.50 painted.

These are stated as being made from galvanised sheet metal with soldered seam and a wooden hand roller. All are subject to £3.50 p&p.

Who would have thought back then that these would become 'collectors items' :captain:

These were spotted for sale in 1983, the largest is 3 a gallon can....
 

File2587a.jpg

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4 hours ago, pete harrison said:

For comparison I have just come across something in Waterways World December 1984 page 61 regarding the cost of brand new Cans and Handbowls being sold by the Boatmans Cabin Company, Wombourne:

1 gallon Can = £13.00 unpainted or £25.50 painted.

2 gallon Can = £13.50 unpainted or £26.00 painted.

3 gallon Can = £14.00 unpainted or £26.50 painted.

Handbowl = £14.00 unpainted or £26.50 painted.

These are stated as being made from galvanised sheet metal with soldered seam and a wooden hand roller. All are subject to £3.50 p&p.

Who would have thought back then that these would become 'collectors items' :captain:

Using an inflation calculator, in today's money that would be:

£29.21 / £57.31

£30.34 / £58.43

£31.46 / £59.55

Try getting a new can for anywhere near those prices! :)

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44 minutes ago, IanM said:

Using an inflation calculator, in today's money that would be:

£29.21 / £57.31

£30.34 / £58.43

£31.46 / £59.55

Try getting a new can for anywhere near those prices! :)

So the updated prices more or less correlate with those items currently being sold by Black Country Metal Works, so in real terms the pricing has not changed too much - but what about the quality............................ :captain:

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12 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

So the updated prices more or less correlate with those items currently being sold by Black Country Metal Works, so in real terms the pricing has not changed too much - but what about the quality............................ :captain:

"Never mind the quality, feel the width." ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 23/02/2017 at 18:53, pete harrison said:

There are a number of Cans and Handbowls (old and modern), as well as a few other interesting items, included in the HNBC auction at Weston on 25 March 2017. These items are from a sources such as Malcolm Braine, Fred Heritage, Tony Lewery and Wyvern Shipping Co. Ltd..

This auction is open to HNBC members (so not me) and their guests (so could be me), and anybody wishing to make a bid must be registered.

Happy hunting :captain:

Unfortunately I was unable to make it to this auction today so it would be interesting to know how much some of these items sold for, especially the Cans, Handbowls and Chimney Chains (or parts there of) :captain:

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On 05/03/2017 at 19:35, pete harrison said:

 

I have never had an eye for the 'Measham ware', and I find it very difficult to believe that these items were ever kept in a boat cabin :captain: 

Rolt mentions; or at least describes, seeing these type of tea pots in his book "Narrowboat".  

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Youll be pleased with your purchase pete as a can at the hnbc auction went for nearly 500! No thats not a typo!

While were on cans, i have a colour pic of umea ment to be in the 50s so still under tco can anyone help me conferm the colours

from top im at red then top side green with black spout then middle white lower side green bottom red.

Others seam sim but this is the only colour photo ive found with a clayton can.

 

v0_web-4.jpg

Edited by billybobbooth
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Only really other clear one of b&w is this and looks the same except black at the bottom not red by the shades

v0_web.jpg

Both same boat so hope helps a bit better. Im in the middle of painting my can so want to try getting it right as pos i know ive discussed this before but couldnt really get a happy answer

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With the relative scarcity of good quality canal tinware, I always keep half an eye out for old stuff that may be lurking somewhere. Last week, on a short break with friends in Cornwall, we called in to Wadebridge, where the Antique Centre sported an old and very faded can at a most reasonable price. I suspect that it had sat outdoors for many years, probably in someone's garden. Once home I oiled it to bring out what was left of the painting and I'm virtually certain that it's by Ron Hough from the 50s/60s. There's not enough paint left to add it to my collection of historic stuff, but I'm hesitant to strip it and repaint it. Any thoughts?

Dave

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I have that exact style of can Dave, not sure where it came from originally but like yours the paint was too far gone to save, unlike yours it wasnt anything special to begin with. Its not looking anywhere near as good as yours will should you put paint to tin but I had a go. I love the dints and bangs its had, some of em I put in as a kid trying to carry it full back to the boat.

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Edited by AMModels
putting right pics in post
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8 minutes ago, mark99 said:

I think Dave you should paint it and sell it to me. Lol.

They are lovely heavy duty cans, I thought the fixed handle on mine was bent by accident but Daves is the same so it must be the design.

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6 hours ago, dave moore said:

With the relative scarcity of good quality canal tinware, I always keep half an eye out for old stuff that may be lurking somewhere. Last week, on a short break with friends in Cornwall, we called in to Wadebridge, where the Antique Centre sported an old and very faded can at a most reasonable price. I suspect that it had sat outdoors for many years, probably in someone's garden. Once home I oiled it to bring out what was left of the painting and I'm virtually certain that it's by Ron Hough from the 50s/60s. There's not enough paint left to add it to my collection of historic stuff, but I'm hesitant to strip it and repaint it. Any thoughts?

Dave

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I used to know someone who worked for Birmingham and Midland who went to live in Wadebridge - wonder if there's any connection................?

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