The Sheet Metal Oiler is a simplified oil bottle constructed primarily from stamped metal components. These oilers function essentially the same as the earlier finely machined metal, phenolic material, or simplified versions. Although somewhat crude, the sheet metal oilers are still designed to store lubricant in a hollow body which can be delivered from either a spring loaded spout or bottom fitting. It is my belief that these oilers are the latest and most simplified type to be designed and provided for the rg34 cleaning kit.
The oil bottle is constructed of 13 parts. Spout assembly - spout, bushing, bolt, spring. Body assembly - body, neck fitting. Bottom assembly - cup, washer, upper gasket, internal spring, base plate, rivet, lower gasket.
Research seems to indicate these oil bottles were manufactured by only one company. All of the oilers examined are remarkably similar in construction. In measuring the various parts there are only very minor variations in size. The appearance is also identical with the exception of finishes noted. All of the oil bottles of this type are unmarked without a maker’s name or code.
There are two styles of these oil bottles with only the body showing any variation. Some oil bottles were fabricated from two pieces of tube stock welded together around the body. These examples display a distinct welded seam at or near the center. In some cases the weld seam is narrow and precise while others may exhibit a wider and rather sloppy bead. In most case there is evidence of damage to the finish caused by the heating of the metal from the welding process. This would seem to indicate that the completed body was not blued or otherwise refinished after the two “halves” were joined.
Other oil bottles have a body crafted from a single piece of tube stock. They are seamless or full, without having a weld bead. Both types share the same construction with a machined neck assembly inserted at the top and a flared, crimped base with coarse internal threading. The neck assembly is pressure fit into the body and is tapped to accept the spout bolt. It should be noted that the neck assembly is unusual in that it is fully threaded; from the top face through the entire fitting. All previous oil bottle variations have a neck assembly which features recessed threading. The early machined, phenolic, and simplified metal oil bottles all have recessed threading which begins approximately 4 mm within the neck of the fitting. Threading the entire neck fitting eliminated a production step and simplified construction.
The stamped spout is internally fitted with a machined bushing at the tip. The bushing is beveled to fit against the bolt sealing the oiler from leakage. The tip of the spout is double crimped to hold the bushing in place. This crimping is very distinct on some oil bottles while nearly undetectable on others. The bright steel bolt is slotted at the tip with a hole drilled laterally beneath. The bolt is partially hollow to allow for the flow of oil. The spring is almost always ground at each end.
The bottom cup is also fabricated of metal stampings. The primary piece being the bottom cup with coarsely stamped threading. An internal spring is held in place by a single rivet extending through the base plate and the cup finishing when flattened against a small flat washer with leather gasket. A second leather gasket is installed at the bottom of the threading to abate leakage. The sides of the bottom cup have stamped or incised lateral gripping lines.
These oil bottles can be found in various finishes. Many are blued in a variety of shades. Some near glossy or even plum while other are flat or very weakly finished. Black and gray phosphate have also been observed as well as unfinished or “in the white” pieces. Any one oil bottle can be found with components in very different finishes. A blued body with gray phosphate spout as an example is not uncommon. Or even a blued bottom cup with a base plate exhibiting no finish. It seems clear that the oilers were assembled from whatever parts were available or on-hand irrespective of finish.
These oil bottles begin to appear in late 1943 and are primarily found in rg34 behälter from the Braunsweigische Blechwarenfabrik firm. It is unknown if the oilers were fabricated by Braunsweigische or subcontracted from another manufacturer. The oil bottles can be found in arr and rco coded kits from 1943 through the last examples produced in 1945. Braunsweigische manufactured an enormous quantity of cleaning kits during that period and examples can be found containing simplified steel, phenolic, or these sheet metal oil bottles. All can be correct for this maker during these years.
The oil bottles with welded body seem to be the first type produced. The welded oilers are more often observed in the 1943 kits and are very often noted with a blued finish to the body. The seamless body oilers are more frequently found in the cans from late 1944 into 1945. These oilers are also more often encountered in phosphate or without any finish suggesting later manufacture. The welded body oilers also seem to be more commonly encountered than the seamless variation. In compiling information from several hundred cleaning kits as well as “loose” sheet metal oil bottles, the welded type outnumber the seamless version by approximately two to one.
Another observation after comparing the details of a large quantity of sheet metal oil bottles is a difference in overall length. In almost all cases the seamless oilers are longer than the welded oil bottles. Average overall body length of a seamless version is 101.82 mm. The welded version’s overall length is 99.10 mm on average. As mentioned previously, the construction of these oil bottles and the dimensions of their component parts are extremely consistent. After careful examination, the exception to this statement is the length of the oiler’s body. The body section of the welded oilers are shorter than the seamless versions creating the difference in overall length. The average body length of a welded version is 63.25 mm. While the seamless version body length average is 65.00 mm. Measurements for the other components (spout, bolt, spring, bottom, base, etc) do not exhibit significant variance. For whatever reasons the welded body oilers are consistently shorter than the seamless style.
1) A selection of sheet metal oil bottles, welded and full or seamless. Note different finishes.
2) Two seamless and two welded oilers for comparison. The welded pattern slightly shorter than the full. Note also the difference in finish, weld seams, and spout crimping.
3) A welded oil bottle disassembled into its three primary segments. The grinding to the end of the spring is visible. Note also the heat damage to the blueing from the welding process.
4) Two seamless oilers with gray phosphate bodies, blued bases, and “in the white” (no-finish) spouts.
5) Oilers from photo 4 showing the different bluing of the bottom cup and base plates (one blued, the other in the white).
6) A seamless oiler with body and bottom cup in the white, the spout blued.
7) Oiler from photo 6 which also shows the very distinct crimping to the spout
8) A seamless oil bottle with black phosphate body, blued bottom cup, and plum spout.
9) Oiler from photo 8. The spout appears to be without any crimp markings.
10) Rearview of three full body oil bottles showing the different finishes of the bottom cups and base plates.
The oil bottle is constructed of 13 parts. Spout assembly - spout, bushing, bolt, spring. Body assembly - body, neck fitting. Bottom assembly - cup, washer, upper gasket, internal spring, base plate, rivet, lower gasket.
Research seems to indicate these oil bottles were manufactured by only one company. All of the oilers examined are remarkably similar in construction. In measuring the various parts there are only very minor variations in size. The appearance is also identical with the exception of finishes noted. All of the oil bottles of this type are unmarked without a maker’s name or code.
There are two styles of these oil bottles with only the body showing any variation. Some oil bottles were fabricated from two pieces of tube stock welded together around the body. These examples display a distinct welded seam at or near the center. In some cases the weld seam is narrow and precise while others may exhibit a wider and rather sloppy bead. In most case there is evidence of damage to the finish caused by the heating of the metal from the welding process. This would seem to indicate that the completed body was not blued or otherwise refinished after the two “halves” were joined.
Other oil bottles have a body crafted from a single piece of tube stock. They are seamless or full, without having a weld bead. Both types share the same construction with a machined neck assembly inserted at the top and a flared, crimped base with coarse internal threading. The neck assembly is pressure fit into the body and is tapped to accept the spout bolt. It should be noted that the neck assembly is unusual in that it is fully threaded; from the top face through the entire fitting. All previous oil bottle variations have a neck assembly which features recessed threading. The early machined, phenolic, and simplified metal oil bottles all have recessed threading which begins approximately 4 mm within the neck of the fitting. Threading the entire neck fitting eliminated a production step and simplified construction.
The stamped spout is internally fitted with a machined bushing at the tip. The bushing is beveled to fit against the bolt sealing the oiler from leakage. The tip of the spout is double crimped to hold the bushing in place. This crimping is very distinct on some oil bottles while nearly undetectable on others. The bright steel bolt is slotted at the tip with a hole drilled laterally beneath. The bolt is partially hollow to allow for the flow of oil. The spring is almost always ground at each end.
The bottom cup is also fabricated of metal stampings. The primary piece being the bottom cup with coarsely stamped threading. An internal spring is held in place by a single rivet extending through the base plate and the cup finishing when flattened against a small flat washer with leather gasket. A second leather gasket is installed at the bottom of the threading to abate leakage. The sides of the bottom cup have stamped or incised lateral gripping lines.
These oil bottles can be found in various finishes. Many are blued in a variety of shades. Some near glossy or even plum while other are flat or very weakly finished. Black and gray phosphate have also been observed as well as unfinished or “in the white” pieces. Any one oil bottle can be found with components in very different finishes. A blued body with gray phosphate spout as an example is not uncommon. Or even a blued bottom cup with a base plate exhibiting no finish. It seems clear that the oilers were assembled from whatever parts were available or on-hand irrespective of finish.
These oil bottles begin to appear in late 1943 and are primarily found in rg34 behälter from the Braunsweigische Blechwarenfabrik firm. It is unknown if the oilers were fabricated by Braunsweigische or subcontracted from another manufacturer. The oil bottles can be found in arr and rco coded kits from 1943 through the last examples produced in 1945. Braunsweigische manufactured an enormous quantity of cleaning kits during that period and examples can be found containing simplified steel, phenolic, or these sheet metal oil bottles. All can be correct for this maker during these years.
The oil bottles with welded body seem to be the first type produced. The welded oilers are more often observed in the 1943 kits and are very often noted with a blued finish to the body. The seamless body oilers are more frequently found in the cans from late 1944 into 1945. These oilers are also more often encountered in phosphate or without any finish suggesting later manufacture. The welded body oilers also seem to be more commonly encountered than the seamless variation. In compiling information from several hundred cleaning kits as well as “loose” sheet metal oil bottles, the welded type outnumber the seamless version by approximately two to one.
Another observation after comparing the details of a large quantity of sheet metal oil bottles is a difference in overall length. In almost all cases the seamless oilers are longer than the welded oil bottles. Average overall body length of a seamless version is 101.82 mm. The welded version’s overall length is 99.10 mm on average. As mentioned previously, the construction of these oil bottles and the dimensions of their component parts are extremely consistent. After careful examination, the exception to this statement is the length of the oiler’s body. The body section of the welded oilers are shorter than the seamless versions creating the difference in overall length. The average body length of a welded version is 63.25 mm. While the seamless version body length average is 65.00 mm. Measurements for the other components (spout, bolt, spring, bottom, base, etc) do not exhibit significant variance. For whatever reasons the welded body oilers are consistently shorter than the seamless style.
1) A selection of sheet metal oil bottles, welded and full or seamless. Note different finishes.
2) Two seamless and two welded oilers for comparison. The welded pattern slightly shorter than the full. Note also the difference in finish, weld seams, and spout crimping.
3) A welded oil bottle disassembled into its three primary segments. The grinding to the end of the spring is visible. Note also the heat damage to the blueing from the welding process.
4) Two seamless oilers with gray phosphate bodies, blued bases, and “in the white” (no-finish) spouts.
5) Oilers from photo 4 showing the different bluing of the bottom cup and base plates (one blued, the other in the white).
6) A seamless oiler with body and bottom cup in the white, the spout blued.
7) Oiler from photo 6 which also shows the very distinct crimping to the spout
8) A seamless oil bottle with black phosphate body, blued bottom cup, and plum spout.
9) Oiler from photo 8. The spout appears to be without any crimp markings.
10) Rearview of three full body oil bottles showing the different finishes of the bottom cups and base plates.
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