As an adjunct to my pipe-smoking hobby I collect old metal tobacco cans. Accordingly my den is festooned with a variety which once contained Half-and-Half, Kentucky Club, Edgeworth, Rum and Maple, Prince Albert, London Dock, Carter Hall, Walnut, Revelation, Holiday, Sugar Barrel, John Rolfe, and Grainger, all blends that I like.
Since most of these cans typically held anywhere from seven to 16 ounces, it wasn't long before they began to vigorously compete for precious shelf space with the modern plastic tubs that held my stash of today's iterations of many of these classics, and my ever-growing library of books. I was beginning to dispair of buying more cans, pipe-tobacco, or books when an idea occured to me: Why not put the new tobacco in the old cans? (You probably saw this coming, didn't you?) I felt like Archimedes after he discovered his famous Screw, in fact for a brief moment I considered running through the house shouting "Eureka!" but the urge passed. I then set about the job of making my cans useful.
First, I thoroughly cleaned their exteriors and interiors with Windex. Next, I applied Meguiar's Cleaner Wax (an automotive product) to the exterior. It's amazing how it makes their painted finishes come to life and look like new. Finally, I inserted a gallon-size Ziploc bag in each and tranfered to them the contents of their respective tubs.
There's something very comforting and "right" about taking these handsome relics of the past and restoring them to their originally intended purpose. Further, filling a classic pipe (like my Kaywoodie Carburetor) with a classic blend taken from a classic can is probably the closest thing to time-travel that I will ever experience. Give it a try!
Since most of these cans typically held anywhere from seven to 16 ounces, it wasn't long before they began to vigorously compete for precious shelf space with the modern plastic tubs that held my stash of today's iterations of many of these classics, and my ever-growing library of books. I was beginning to dispair of buying more cans, pipe-tobacco, or books when an idea occured to me: Why not put the new tobacco in the old cans? (You probably saw this coming, didn't you?) I felt like Archimedes after he discovered his famous Screw, in fact for a brief moment I considered running through the house shouting "Eureka!" but the urge passed. I then set about the job of making my cans useful.
First, I thoroughly cleaned their exteriors and interiors with Windex. Next, I applied Meguiar's Cleaner Wax (an automotive product) to the exterior. It's amazing how it makes their painted finishes come to life and look like new. Finally, I inserted a gallon-size Ziploc bag in each and tranfered to them the contents of their respective tubs.
There's something very comforting and "right" about taking these handsome relics of the past and restoring them to their originally intended purpose. Further, filling a classic pipe (like my Kaywoodie Carburetor) with a classic blend taken from a classic can is probably the closest thing to time-travel that I will ever experience. Give it a try!
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