texas fuel company barrel....

naturegirl · Jan 17, 2012

I know what it is, but I don't know why it's in such good condition, so I've come to the "source" :icon_thumleft:

Y'all know it all, and I mean that in a good way. This barrel was found by a friend of mine who was clearing brush, probably from an oil lease here in Oklahoma. She says all the barrels from the 50's were almost rusted away, but not this one, which probably dates to 1900,the Texas Fuel Company be came Texaco in 1903...I was thinking it must have super-duper lead paint on it...? any ideas? Could it be a metal other than steel? Thank you for looking....

naturegirl

vhs07 · Jan 19, 2012

I dont know when that style of barrel was first used, but here are photos of a Magnolia barrel made in 1912, and patented in 1902.
It's very heavy and has a riveted seam. Hope this might be useful. The round tag is brass.

-Charles

vhs07 · Jan 19, 2012

BTW, the first photo is distorted by the wide angle lens of the camera.

naturegirl · Jan 19, 2012

Nola Ken's comment is the 2nd reply. Well I am double idiot because I looked twice for his reply, and missed it twice, apologies to you NOLA Ken, and BigCH both!

Thanks for links, I did see the one on ebay while looking for vintage drums. I am curious to see the whole barrel now. Thank you for your tenacity, we all benefit from you wanting to learn.

That's a very nice drum vhs07, I really like the rivoted seam, and looking back, I think I've seen some with a seam like that, I will pay more attention now.

Bigcypresshunter · Jan 19, 2012

No apologies necessary. I have heard so many stories here in Florida about illegal hazardous chemical dumping, thats the first thing that popped into my head. A dead body was the second. We have a road nicknamed "Dead Cuban Road" because so many bodies were dumped there in the Cocaine Cowboy days, some of them in drums. I agree with uglymailman.

uglymailman said:
I'd hate to find an oil drum in the brush. Never know what's in em & don't want to.

But in this case its just part of Oklahoma's interesting history of oil drilling. :icon_thumright:

Thanks for sharing.

Gunny71 · Jan 19, 2012

naturegirl said:
The finder says it is galvanized, thanks uglymailman!, but there is alot of galvanized metal around that DID rust. It's not as old as first thought, but it's still a neat enough find since it's in good shape. And the area IS in EPA compliance

Any oil patch tnetters?

I am also in the patch. Recently returned, I worked in the oilfields for 17 years and then quit to take an IT job. Five years of being cooped up was enough for me, so I am back at it.
Should have known better, Its in my blood.

naturegirl · Jan 19, 2012

Hi Gunny

What's an IT job? what do you do now? My husband is a pumper, my father was a manager for a service company, Baker Oil Tools! Remember them?

Gunny71 · Jan 20, 2012

naturegirl said:
Hi Gunny What's an IT job? what do you do now? My husband is a pumper, my father was a manager for a service company, Baker Oil Tools! Remember them?

Yep I sure do remember Baker Oil Tools, Then Baker Hughes. Up untill today I was a roustabout tool pusher. I had a three man crew and we did everything from picking up trash and building fence, to setting and installing tank batteries and gas treatment plants. Everything from brand new wells and equipment to stuff drilled in the 30's.
Monday I start a job with Wood Group PSN. I will be pumping wells in an old water flood field in the Bellville TX area.

IT is Information Technology. I went to work for a bank in the IT dept. We supported over 600 people and 800-1000 pieces of network equipment. After they were bought out I went to work for the IT administrator that hired me at the bank. There it was alot of Home user support and repair. That can get old very quick, and I decided I would rather be working a wrench.

Thanks for asking!

Kieth-Tx · Jan 21, 2012

Hey Gunny & Nature girl....another oilfield hand here. I work for El Paso Exploration. We have used Woodgroup quite a bit in the past. Concerning that barrel...I have been on thousands of locations and have see some old equipment just out in the open, that looks like it had just been placed there, but we know for a fact had been sittin in that spot for 50 years. I, probably just like you Gunny have seen countless oil drums....but never one with that heavy of edge, that they had to WELD it. I do not know how old it is....but I have never seen one like this.