Oil Bottles

[nzl1a1collector]

Ever wonder what the inside of an oil bottle looks like?... Well maybe its just me and my OCD disorder. I recently managed to acquire a few extra oil bottles and after sorting through them into various manufacturers differences in a vain effort to ID what's, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand made bottles I decided to sectionalise to see the design on the inside. What I learnt was they were all made from Bakelite, that Bakelite stinks and that there is a unique odor to each countries bottles due to the formulation used with the phenol formaldehyde resin. mmmmm yum.

Left are Australian Bottles, right are the two NZ made bottle


There I believe are Canadian variations


Enjoy, my madness

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[Flying10uk]

Bakelite stinks and that there is a unique odor to each countries bottles due to the formulation used with the phenol formaldehyde resin.

Do not some forms of Bakelite contain Asbestos fibres? A quick internet search seemed to suggests that some do and some may not? Sorry to be a kill-joy.

[Paul S.]

Do not some forms of Bakelite contain Asbestos fibres? A quick internet search seemed to suggests that some do and some may not? Sorry to be a kill-joy.

Mate, most of us Aussies over 40 have lived in fibro (asbestos cement sheeting) houses or huts at one time or another. My guess is that between the fibro, the mercury we handled in school science classes back in the 1950s, the lead base paints from the day, all the solvents we handled before they 'became' toxic/carcinogenic substances, and the Agent Orange that was dumped on us in Vietnam my generation has been on borrowed time for decades. Personally, I'm planning to live well passed the 100 mark.

[nzl1a1collector]

No worries about being a kill-joy, I'm already dying.... its terminal....... I only have about 40 years left so I might as well make the most of it. That's the problem when you start breathing air.... it starts to kill you, there's no escape.

Its possible the Australian bottle may have an asbestos filler, there certainly some form of fiber mixed into the Bakelite, that's why it has the rough edges. The rest don't appear to have a filler in them.

I have another 11 to sectionalise

[browningautorifle]

There I believe are Canadian variations

Without them in hand...they look right.

[mrclark303]

Interesting project Kev, the thought of sectioning oil bottles (along with a rough SUIT and bayonet) had crossed my mind.

So if you need a check up from the neck up for L1 OCD, I will likely be taken away too mate...

[nzl1a1collector]

Interesting project Kev, the thought of sectioning oil bottles (along with a rough SUIT and bayonet) had crossed my mind.

So if you need a check up from the neck up for L1 OCD, I will likely be taken away too mate...

I've thought about doing a SUIT sight, basing it on the ones done for SKN rifles, I have a mate that could do it but it would have to be when he's not busy with work... I could be waiting for a while.

Recently I've managed to find a number of unique new items, that I will titillate you

---------- Post added at 02:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 PM ----------

I believe that I have one or two Canadian versions of the bakelite oil bottle and I may have more than one style of Canadian version. I will have to dig them out at some point but, from memory, one of them only has the tiniest of Canadian acceptance markings on the base to identify it as being Canadian issue and could easily be missed.

All the bottle I've looked at have no Canadian markings, ........ I've carefully examined them. We have large quantities of Bakelite oil bottles and I believe this is because we were reequipped after WW2 with No. 4 Mk. 1* rifles of Long Branch and Savage production, which came with oil bottles and spares, these would of kept NZ supplied until the SLR was withdrawn in 1988. The Australian bottles would of come with the L1A1 SLR rifles shipped between 1959 - 1967.

I would be interested to see 'known' Canadian examples so I can confirm the designs that belong to them.

[browningautorifle]

Canadian examples

Thing is, we were issued lots of different oil bottles, I expect many came through the supply system in CFE and returned with us during repat...I think if I check my leftovers, there'll be a bit of everything and I don't recall CA markings.

[Flying10uk]

I believe that I have one or two Canadian versions of the bakelite oil bottle and I may have more than one style of Canadian version. I will have to dig them out at some point but, from memory, one of them only has the tiniest of Canadian acceptance markings on the base to identify it as being Canadian issue and could easily be missed.

[Flying10uk]

The Canadian acceptance marking on the bottom of the bakelite oil bottle is just about the most easily missed CA marking that you are likely to encounter. This is because it is small and feint. I was only aware of it because the vendor pointed it out to me and charged me a premium over unmarked examples for the privilege to own it. I'll dig it out and photograph it later, if I can find it.