Garage finds.

[Bod]

Going through the late Father in laws garage, I've come across these.

L-R
Polyclens plus brush cleaner, 2x2.5 litre cans, both almost full.
Supertrol 001 anti rust fluid, 5 litre can with a price label of £8.80, 3/4+ full.
Royal Snowdrift penerating oil. 1 imperial gallon can, again 3/4+ full.
Is any of this likely to still be usable?
Strange finds for someone who was not a practial man, but who must have had rusting cars in the 60-70's, (As most did!) along with 3 tins of valve grinding paste, but only 1 valve stick.
Like most of his tools, either very good or exceptionally poor quality, spanners very good, screwdrivers worse than xmas cracker contents.

Bod.

9
(I'll try Googling Royal snowdrift, see who they were.)

 

[Droogs]

Valve grinding paste - coarse, medium and fine. I once had to lap valves for a solid week for my dad as work experience where he was the boss of the bus repair depot. I did over 500 of them and still didn't use a full tube of the fine grit

 

[AndyT]

Several lifetimes supply there!
I bought a 250ml can of penetrating fluid, probably over 30 years ago and I haven't got through it yet.

 

[AES]

Polyclens:
I've no idea what the shelf life in a closed tin would be (guess it would depend on the conditions in the garage too), but "back in the day" Polyclens Plus used to be excellent, especially for restoring brushes that had been let go a bit.

I don't think it's available anymore - I remember looking for it on a trip to UK a few years back and couldn't find it (probably got stuff in it that 'elf n safety don't like).

Suggest you find a grotty old gummed up brush and leave it in a cup/jar full from the can overnight. If the brush has started to soften next morning most probably the can contents are OK.

Penetrating:
I can't see that the penetrating fluid will have suffered at all, assuming the can is closed tight.

 

[novocaine]

reckon the penetrating oil is done for, it hasn't made it out the tub so it can't penetrate that well.

 

[AES]

Not so sure Novocaine. Back then such 5 litre (gallon) cans had double wrap-over joints plus solder. I doubt the penetrating oil would have got through that lot, and even if so, it would only have slowly "penetrated" (sorry!) away? Only way to know is to try though! If there's still any in the can my guess is it'll be fine.

 

[novocaine]

Was meant in jest. it'll be fine, it's all heavy ends with very few light elements to evaporate.

Couldn't come up with one about the anti rust nor did I have one suitable for brush softener (that I could say in polite society)

 

[AES]

Sorry mate, wasn't quite sure if you meant in jest or not. "just testing" ;-)

Remember "Nah. Polyclens PLUS Guv!" (Telly ad from L O N G ago). ;-)

I couldn't think of anything "clean" for the other can of stuff either.

A serious word for a mo - I looked EVERYWHERE for a little can of valve grinding paste a few years back (not for grinding the valves on the car, but a completely different job) and it was VERY difficult to find (in Switzerland anyway). A bloke in a local tool shop even went so far as to suggest I get a bit of scrap steel, grind dusty bits with the bench grindstone, then dump the collected grit into some grease!

Suffice to say I did NOT go that route!

 

[novocaine]

still available here and pretty cheap too. most motorfactors (including the big names like GSF and eurocarparts) stock holts stuff, 2 pots and a swizzel stick for 7 quid last I checked. haven't had to lap a set of valves in 15 years, last I did was on a pug 205 1.6 gti that we exploded.

 

[AES]

OK, good to know if the tin I got (eventually) ever runs out - which it won't of course, or not in my lifetime anyway! Just "FYI" while googling to find some I did get a link to an outfit in India - VERY cheap - but min qty was 500 off and NO mention of a twiddle stick/s (which I didn't need anyway for my particular job).

;-)

 

[Yojevol]

Apart from the Rustola, these came out of my father's garage 14 years ago:-

The French Polish lid is so tight the only way I'm going to use it is to drill a hole, or preferably 2 holes, in the lid. It was purchased from 'Home & Gardens', Tel Downland 53977, for 76p. That puts it new in Surrey about 45 years ago.

The little tin of paint is by 'Winfield'. Remember that? I used it this week for the lettering on this vice renovation (lockdown must be getting to me):-

The linseed oil is unopened after about 30 years. What can I use it for? Suggestions please (be careful).

The Rustola was my purchase and is still in use after 40 years or so.
Brian

 

[AndyT]

Winfield was the Woolworths own brand. Perfectly good paint.

 

[TFrench]

Spoke to a guy ages ago who'd rebuilt a moped engine for someone who'd proceeded to bump him for payment. He saw the bike parked on the street, nipped into halfords for a plug spanner and tin of lapping paste, whipped the plug out and wiped a couple of fingerfuls of coarse compound in there. No idea if it was true but it was a good story!

 

[toolsntat]

A month or so ago I was going through my garage and seeing what tins needed chucking.
Been a good 10 + years since anything was opened.
One tin (watered down Acrylic primer) didn't sound very sloshy so thought I'd take a look.
I put the screwdriver to the lip and that was enough for it to blow the lid off with an almighty bang :shock:
All dried up and some sort of fungus in the bottom :?

Also my last tin of proper Nitromores had relinquished its contents that stuff was seriously good, paint would give up and wrinkle if it smelt the brush coming :lol:

Talking about penetrating fluid, that's got to be one of the most distinct smells I remember from ferreting about in me Grandads sheds when I was little, absolutely love it and the can never seems to run out 8)

Cheers Andy

 

[Keith 66]

Clearing some sheds for an elderly friend of the family last year, mostly absolute junk, whire wheel mounted on a washing machine motor that kind of thing!
But one thing you thankfully dont see that often was a blue & orange cardboard refill pack of Rawlplug asbestos plugging compound, Proper blue asbestos. I remember mixing it up for my dad when i was a kid. Plenty of that stuff got rammed into holes in walls in old houses!