GI Solvent

[beezapilot]

What got me on this one is the government pointed out that, yes, this IS poison. I can't imagine what "food" you could use this as a container for, but even I think it would make a cool little flask for a snort of whiskey. I'm thinking this is Korean war vintage, but I've no idea really.
278469

[dale2242]

I have a number of those cans in 2 different sizes.

[10-x]

What got me on this one is the government pointed out that, yes, this IS poison. I can't imagine what "food" you could use this as a container for, but even I think it would make a cool little flask for a snort of whiskey. I'm thinking this is Korean war vintage, but I've no idea really.
278469
This can is Post WWII as the stock number has dashes, glare from flash hides part of number. As for the “ not for food” never underestimate people.

[brassrat]

I have a few, similar, cans. I didnt look and compare but what I have is very interesting stuff. A guy at the club says its deadly poisonous and never get it on you. It has a unique smell that never goes away, on a swab or in the garbage. It shocked me when I tried it on my, leaded, .45 barrel. By far the best cleaner I have ever seen although my leaded barrels have been almost non existent.

[samari46]

Best way I can explain the smell is think creosote, the same stuff the railroad uses on railroad ties. Or if anyone worked on docks, the timbers would reek of it. One afternoon when I was working they had a dock fire across the Hudson river from where I worked.
The NYCFD worked from about 6pm till about the same time the next morning. Stinkyest, blackest smoke. Both from the creosote and tar they used on the timbers. Frank

[wch]

My father was a service rifle competitor in the 1950's and the odor of the GI bore cleaner was as familiar to me then as Sweet's is today.
The stuff was pervasive and after the last relay the shooters depended on it and a GI can full of boiling water to sluice down the barrels of their 03's and the very few M-1's.
I have fond memories of working the butts and listening to my heroes as they reshot the match.

[smithnframe]

I have several of those that are unopened!

[beagle]

I think that stuff was back from the old corrosive primer days. RBC was gone in 1966 when I entered the Army with the M-14.
It was after the corrosive primer days and the RBC was gone and the old days of clean three days following firing were still around but not really necessary but still in the regulations so it got done.
Supposedly it worked pretty well on the corrosive stuff but then the Army found Break Free and that was that she wrote for years. Not sure what is in vogue now but I'll bet the three day rule is still there./beagle

[edp2k]

"not for food” means, in a field or survival situation, don't use the container to make tea/coffee/soup/rabbit-stew.

I believe that I read somewhere that some WWII/Korean war era US aviators crashed and got stranded
for weeks/months in the Arctic/Greenland and used the 2 or 3 gallon aircraft oil cans as cooking containers (pots)
and ended up poisoning themselves, don't remember if it was the original chemical contents that did it
or the lead soldered seams.

[10-x]

edp2k, correct many containers mfg in WWII were painted with real paint that would be poisonous for cooking. IIRC, there is a pic in a 60’s National Geographic magazine of ARVNs cooking a chicken in a .50 cal ammo can, no thanks