Back in a simpler day coffee cans were plentiful as were the kazillion uses for them. For lots of reasons they are kind of hard to come by but many of the storeage problems they solved still exist. My wife been buying this stuff now. Not bad coffee in its own filter and a decent can with an attached lid too.
I know...I keep having to steal them from my pops garage...but I did manage to cob two of them with his consent (it was actually his idea) to cover the vent holes in the fire wall...
I remember my grandpa used to take a piece of wood, attach the zinc mason jar lids to it. And screw the jars full of hardware to them. I always credited my mechanical abilities to his genes. He could do anything with his hands. Now I have the tupperware type trays that attach to a rack. Its amazing when you think about it, how our ancestors learned to work with what they had available. I grew up in the 40s/50s with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing. I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. But then my mother died, and on that summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... while we have it... its best we love it.... and care for it... and fix it when it's broken...... and heal it when it's sick. This is true. for marriage..... and old cars.... and children with bad report cards..... and dogs with bad hips.... and aging parents....and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a cl***mate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special..... and so, we keep them close! ..It’s not what kind of car you drive. It’s how many people you've driven who didn't have transportation. ..It’s not the square footage of your house. Its how many people you welcome into your home. ..It’s not about the clothes you have in your closet. Its how many you help to clothe. ..It’s not what your highest salary is. It’s about sharing your wealth. ..It’s not what your job ***le is. It’s whether you performed your job to the best of your ability. ..Its not how many friends you have. It’s about how many people to whom you were a friend. ..It’s not in what neighborhood you live. It’s about how you treated your neighbors. ..It’s not about the color of your skin. It’s about the content of your character. <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
I save the gl*** pasta sauce jars. But I now have more jars than spare bolts. I guess I need to wrench more and eat less?
Costco still sells coffee in cans, we get em. Unfortunately, since I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux, coffee's on the list of things I can't have along with tomatos, pop, beer, and anything heavy in fats or citric acid. Ever try to drink when you can't have beer OR citric acid? I haven't told the doc that I like old cars - they'd prolly end up on the banned list as well...
My coffee buckets are all plastic now. But they are rather strong and don't rust. Oh, by the way Rick, I really like the article you presented. Makes me stop and think a little. Thanks for sharing.
My fondest coffee can story came from the early 80s. I had a customer come in with a 61-62ish Buick special? station wagon that had the aluminum V8. The exhaust Y pipe was different on a wagon than the sedans. It was one piece from the manifolds all the way back to the rear end housing. None of the exhaust manufacturers made a replacement for it. He searched for years for a replacement. In the mean time he had patched it together with coffee cans and tie wire. Apparently he bought what ever was on sale when he needed coffee. I counted 7 different brands of coffee cans holding this thing together. I made him a new one and hung the old one on the wall. People couldn't believe it. He loved that wagon and was extremely grateful to have it quiet again. I get Maxwell house in the cans. the new cans are better than the old ones. No sharp edges and a plastic snap on lid to keep stuff in one place. I punched a lot of holes in one, added a wire handle and use it for the small parts when doing a carb.
My wife is very traditional in her ways. Nothing goes to waste in our household and she has rubbed off on me. I sometimes roll my eyes when she says "Don't throw that out" but everytime she comes up with a use for something I'd have easily tossed away. When she cooks nothing goes to waste. How many women do you know that can take that pulpy stuff that's left in the juicer and make damn good muffins out of it! We have rain barrels and composters. We do nothing to impress the Jonses. We have a modest house and our friends always say it has a "warm" feel to it. So although we aren't rich financially, we are in so many other ways. I work with people that spend their lives upgrading to bigger houses, having the best lawn, the shiniest cars and the best golf scores, yet they are miserable S.O.B's. They can have it. Todd
Well said Petejoe, I hope you won't mind if I share that with others today. Sounds like you grew up the same place I did. Joe
Try looking at country stores. I can get a can of decent French Roast coffee (I'm a self proclaimed coffee snob) for $1.97. It lasts a few days, and I have already am***ed a sizable collection. Or you can roll your own smokes and buy the cans of Drum (Top, Bugler, American Spirit) tobacco. It takes a little longer to free up the can, and you might have lung cancer by the time you've got enough cans, but you can't beat the looks of a Drum Tobacco Can.
I too use the nuts containers from Sam's. We also buy sugar in the plastic jar thingees and they work good. My favorite is the clear plastic dog treat containers that Sam's sells that are filled with Beggin Strips. My ****er REALLY likes me using those. He get the job of emptying the container! We have EIGHT cats so I always have a couple dozen 5 gallon sized cat litter buckets available. Those things are great for SOOOOO many things, especially impromptu seats. Vance
You guys need to have some babies and then you will stack up a lifetime supply of Emfamil powder cans, which are about the same as coffee cans.
...And when they're a little older (like mine) you end up with the Nestles Quik containers. They're plastic with a snap on lid-so I use them to hold stuff. I still miss the old ones though that were cardboard with metal tops and a round plug that you pried out with the s****.
Two cats for us. Not sure if it's five gallons or not, looks close to it, but the cat litter can/bucket is rectangular, yellow plastic and has a snap-on lid that opens about 2/3 of the top. What I want to p*** along here is, I tossed a couple gallons of fresh, clean kerosene and a South Bend 9" lathe tailstock in it and left it for a year. It was placed near one of the garage doors so that if it sprung a leak it would run outside. The idea was to use the kerosene as a penetrant so the rusty-left-in-the-weather-for-ten-years tailstock would free up. It did and the plastic bucket never leaked or allowed the kerosene to evaporate. I've gotten to the point where most any old coffee will do. To that end we buy coffee at Wally World and select the old style cans. The Folgers plastic can works pretty well too. The square coffee can in the pic above looks like a good deal. I'm guessing it's steel? Now I need to build another shelf so I can place the bolt-laden coffee cans out where they're convenient to get to. Another day, another shelf . . . darned garage is getting so organized that sometimes I can't find anything....
It is funny you mention this. I miss coffee cans too and thought I was alone. I can remember my grandparents constantly bringing them over when I was little. Now since one set of my grandparents are gone and metal cans are a thing of the past my stash is starting to dry up. I still have a few though. When I bust one out to use I can't help of think of old times when I crack that lid and the aroma floats through the air. Its weird how a piece of recycled waste can be so sentimental. Nice story Petejoe. Chalk it all up to being children of the depression. Reminds me of the other night when we were searching the car farm for material: "Grain drill?" "Maybe" "Old plow?" "Nah save it for a bigger project" "Old crossmember?" "Perfect."
I like the big plastic Folgers cans...anyone that has ever been to the shop can attest to this...they're EVERYWHERE!!! and if you're really jonesing for a good quality metal can for...whatever...go down to any paint store...they are about 35 cents a peice!
I am a coffee snob, my beans are roasted at a couple local place and bagged for me. I then take them home and add only what I need to my 50s vintage grinder on the counter (thanks carla!) But, I have my old office keep the plastic Folgers tubs for me......great for paint projects around the new house!
Another great use for coffe cans(the larger size;2lb.maybe?)is storing rolls of masking tape.The fit is perfect and the plastic lid keeps out the moisture(which ruins masking tape).I also found that a 1932 Ford hubcap fits the top perfectly and though it might not seal the moisture out,looks a lot better.I found one at an antique shop for $6.Not in the best of shape but it works.
I've got a good collection of the red plastic Folgers cans myself... I didn't realize how many I had until this week as we're packing to move to a new place. I've also been doing a modern take on the deal where you screw the lids to mason jars (or baby food jars) to the bottom side of a wooden shelf. I go through a fair amount of blank CD's having to send files out that are too big for email. When I use up a spindle of CDs, I cut the shaft off and screw the base to the bottom of a shelf. The transparent cover can be put on or taken off with less than 1/4 turn, and it's tough enough to handle a few odd fasteners, etc. Plus, like the gl*** jars, they are transparent so you can see what's inside!
Melitta still has coffee in cans, we have a Melitta warehouse in town that has a clearance sale each October, 2lb cans for $2... I stock up and open 'em as I need 'em... I got plenty of cans. I have a decent expresso machine (covered in speed shop stickers), and I make a quart of iced* jet fuel to get me up on swap meet and fishing mornings. I also got these organizers they used at a place that made medical machines across from the print shop I worked at. They had them in the parking lot and were throwing them in the dumpster! they are 12" deep! Dumpster diving has netted me lotsa good stuff. I grabbed about 30 of them... They are nice! My G'pa and my dad had the baby food jars. * There is no reason for hot drinks in FL
Tommy, I'm the same. After 34 years of collecting "coffee cans"; my better half finally made me "thin out" my collection of "parts containers." (I always use a felt marker to note what they contain - well ... usually!!) The other thing that collects around our place is, PILL CONTAINERS - the kind my various medications come in. Great for SMALL parts; e.g. - jets, small screws etc. Besides being clear with a tight snap on lid, they are small enough to fit a number inside the coffee tins!
A buddy of mine used old antifreeze jugs with the side cut out for storing bolts in. They're nice because you can spread things out better, I have a door lock rod that I use to stir around in there. I've labeled the handle on mine as to metric or standard, fine or course. I've also put parts washing fluid in these with some parts to soak, leave the lid on. You can also stack them up on a shelf, about 3 or 4 deep.
I just bought a loom from Craigslist Detroit. The weaver was in his 80s when he died. His wife was a spinner (not that kind!) and he kept all of her yarn in coffee cans labeled with the material, weight, and length (critcal when weaving). I bought about 100 coffee cans full of yarn for $1 per can. My wife sells her hand spun yarn for about $4 per ounce so I figured I got about $500-700 of yarn in that method plus a lifetime supply of cans! And that lesson is the best. I fix all I can because I don't WANT to spend my money on that stuff. I just wish stuff wasn't so poorly built today that you could fix it. Plastic is still plastic. Metal you can weld, bolt, screw, or bend!
I use coffee cans to mix paint paint in. They have lines in them that are equally spaced for measuring. Going to hold onto what I have now.
UPDATE! My 2000 pc. Grade 5 and grade 8 bolts, nuts and washers in my dumpster dove plastic organizers.
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