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"I don't do any restoration," he says, "other than maybe try to straighten out the spout."
Guy's antique oil cans are made of tin, copper or brass, sometimes even cast iron with a brass bottom.
"The brass cans are hard to come by," he says. "I've got one, and everybody who sees it will say, 'Oh, we've got one of those at home, all polished and up on the mantel.'"
He even has a sterling silver oil can made by Tiffany. "I can't believe it was ever actually used," he says. "I think it was just something that sat around." The best place to find oil cans, he says, is at a flea market.
"But it's getting tough," he adds. "Until the last couple of years, I always called this the poor man's hobby. I used to give a quarter, 50 cents, for these cans when I started. Now, there's some over $200. When they get to that high a price, it becomes a business. But I don't buy near as many as I used to,
and I'm not trying to buy them all." Guy has spent much of his life on the working end of an oil can. He worked for years in a machine shop, and he was raised on a farm. "My dad was kind of tough about maintenance," he says. "He always said 'If it moves, you oil it.'" It's an admonition Guy's taken to heart.
"I get a kick out of going to shows," he says. "It's been real interesting to show the cans. People come up and want you to have the one they remember. They'll see me coming and say, 'Here comes the Oil Can Man.'"
For more information: Guy Gerberich, RD #3, Jonestown, PA 17038. FC
"It's been real interesting to show the cans. People come up and want you to have the ones they remember. They'll see me coming and say 'Here comes the Oil Can Man/"