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Water Cans and Handbowls


pete harrison

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 27/11/2020 at 19:45, dave moore said:

Several years ago I did some painting for Rex Wain. He returned the favour by making me a lovely cabin block out of an elm offcut. It ended up in a corner shelf of my workshop, until I ran out of painting in the first lockdown. I dusted it off and set to work.....

 

 

 

 

Here's another example of Dave's work.  He's just painted a cabin block for Hampton.  We've now a full set of Dave's work: he decorated the back cabin, grained and lettered the boat and also painted the can and bowl.  A clever chap!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I’ve been sorting out a filing cabinet earlier, removing old stuff no longer relevant. Doing so, I chanced across this receipt for water cans from Lesters the Birmingham tinsmiths. Nearly 20 years ago and under £20 for each can. Ah, the good old days.....

4FA7C548-4AC2-451C-B4B0-4378B3B03E8D.jpeg

  • Greenie 1
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24 minutes ago, dave moore said:

I’ve been sorting out a filing cabinet earlier, removing old stuff no longer relevant. Doing so, I chanced across this receipt for water cans from Lesters the Birmingham tinsmiths. Nearly 20 years ago and under £20 for each can. Ah, the good old days.....

4FA7C548-4AC2-451C-B4B0-4378B3B03E8D.jpeg

 

Interesting Lester's refer to them as "Buckby Can(s)."

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1 hour ago, Ray T said:

 

Interesting Lester's refer to them as "Buckby Can(s)."

I was just thinking the same !

1 hour ago, dave moore said:

I’ve been sorting out a filing cabinet earlier, removing old stuff no longer relevant.

That receipt is a nice historic record now - would it be possible for you to donate it to an archive Dave ?

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Lesters were general tinsmiths, making a wide range of wares including agricultural stuff etc. I doubt they had any knowledge of or specific interest in boating traditions or nomenclature. Back in 1988 author and historian Tony Lewery published an article in Waterways World on boat painting, following an earlier one on a similar theme a few months beforehand.

Author David Blagrove, another waterway expert, added a lengthy reply, his final paragraph commenting on the Buckby/war we can issue. Here are the relevant bits....

 

May I make an appeal for the extinction of the term “ Buckby Cans” as a generic term for water cans. To the best of my knowledge, a Buckby Can was one painted and sold by James Lovelock at the top lock of Buckby......a Buckby Can was quite distinctive in construction and painting and is not the same as a “ Grand Union” or a “ Fellerses” or a “ Northern Roader” nor indeed any of the many variants of this useful article. What is wrong with the plain name “Water can”? Like so much of the boaters’ tradition, the usage has become debased by people who are unaware of the true nature of the article and there is a danger that myth will obliterate fact.

 

John, any suggestions for a suitable archive?

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11 hours ago, dave moore said:

I’ve been sorting out a filing cabinet earlier, removing old stuff no longer relevant. Doing so, I chanced across this receipt for water cans from Lesters the Birmingham tinsmiths. Nearly 20 years ago and under £20 for each can. Ah, the good old days.....

4FA7C548-4AC2-451C-B4B0-4378B3B03E8D.jpeg

 

 

I bought one of their cans from them in the 1960's, I seem to remember them being a short walk from Farmer's Bridge locks. I cannot recall exactly how much it was, but I am sure it was no more than a couple of pounds.

 

 

Edited by David Schweizer
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  • 8 months later...

These were bought cheaply on Ebay, having been painted grey and decorated with transfers. Stripping the paint revealed that they had previously been bright green and painted in traditional style. They were blast-cleaned with plastic media (because I can) and fully repainted for Oates - we took them to the boat for the first time for last weekend's BCN Challenge. I think it's a Bocock's can but not sure on the hand bowl. It is clearly of some age, having been tinplated originally (the can is galvanized).

 

Alec

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IMG_6337.jpg

These were bought cheaply on Ebay, having been painted grey and decorated with transfers. Stripping the paint revealed that they had previously been bright green and painted in traditional style. They were blast-cleaned with plastic media (because I can) and fully repainted for Oates - we took them to the boat for the first time for last weekend's BCN Challenge. I think it's a Bocock's can but not sure on the hand bowl. It is clearly of some age, having been tinplated originally (the can is galvanized).

 

Alec

These were bought cheaply on Ebay, having been painted grey and decorated with transfers. Stripping the paint revealed that they had previously been bright green and painted in traditional style. They were blast-cleaned with plastic media (because I can) and fully repainted for Oates - we took them to the boat for the first time for last weekend's BCN Challenge. I think it's a Bocock's can but not sure on the hand bowl. It is clearly of some age, having been tinplated originally (the can is galvanized).

 

Alec

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