I really fell in love with the look of the Eagle oil cans and ended up finding some more at estate sales. My first find was a can almost identical to the No. 66 my Dad gave me. I was going to clean it up for my brother, but I haven’t been able to unstick the trigger to take it apart. I’ve tried all kinds of stuff, so if you know any tricks, let me know.

Then I found two other Eagle cans that don’t have the No. 66 designation on the top, aren’t brass, and use a completely different pump mechanism and trigger. I like the feel of the triggers a lot better but the brass definitely looks cooler.

The large can was rusty and had all kinds of grease caked on. I cleaned it up and gave it a vinegar soak to take care of most of the rust. I didn’t want to get too aggressive with it and left some of the patina for a unique look. The small can had a teal-ish colored paint job and is in really good shape other than a dent. A few applications of Klean-Strip Premium Stripper got rid of the paint and I cleaned out the inside.

The middle oil can looks a lot darker in these photos than it is in person.

I wanted a place on the drill press cart to keep the original can, which is filled with cutting fluid. I whipped up a holder out of some scraps. It’s an ugly little box but does the job.