[flyingriki]

Looking for a source of Jerry Can Covers. Not finding anything. Seems like something that could be a money maker for someone to crank out a bunch of once the pattern is fixed?

 

[SeaStar58]

You talking about lids/caps or a Sunbrella type decorative sack/fabric slip cover to put over one?

Army Surplus and Jeep Suppliers should have them

Here are some fabric slip covers:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-ARMY-WATER-JERRYCAN-INSULATED-WATERPROOF-COVER/273627795634?hash=item3fb57cd0b2:g:N6sAAOSw2stblwJm:rk:17f:0
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-BESTOP-JEEP-CJ-WHITE-LEFT-HAND-JERRY-CAN-COVER-FOR-DUAL-SPARE-TIRE-RACK/372554260719?hash=item56bdf6e0ef:g:CvsAAOSwUIhZYBzY:rk:21f:0
Jerry can cover

Looks like demand was low so BesTop appears to have stopped making them.

Make your own info:
Jerry Can Covers | The Seamless Sailor
Canvas Jerry Can Covers?Take II | The Seamless Sailor
Sewing Jerrycan Covers | Matt & Jessica's Sailing Page
Jerry Can Covers

 

[aa3jy]

Looking for a source of Jerry Can Covers. Not finding anything. Seems like something that could be a money maker for someone to crank out a bunch of once the pattern is fixed?

Yep..wife made ours..to include all the other canvas projects on our vessel..

 

[flyingriki]

Can't make them myself. No skills at sewing and no machine. Looking for a source...

 

[RegisteredUser]

Can't make them myself. No skills at sewing and no machine. Looking for a source...

Bulletin board at a Joanns frabric store
Lots of ladies do gig project work

 

[flyingriki]

Bulletin board at a Joanns frabric store
Lots of ladies do gig project work

Not having much luck finding them with Google...

 

[RegisteredUser]

Maybe look for Hancock fabrics too.
Really, any fabric shop will know ladies that do side jobs.
Many enjoy this...make them smile
They are very proud of the work they do

 

[Don L]

Large t-shirts

 

[SeaStar58]

Can't make them myself. No skills at sewing and no machine. Looking for a source...

My youngest daughter for a while was dumpster diving, etc to get machines for youths who wanted to learn to sew.

She got a Janome Computerized machine out of the trash left on the side of the road one day. She drove by and saw it there and felt bad to see such an expensive machine just sitting out there with the garbage waiting for it to start raining so turned around, knocked on the door a few time to ask and since the house was emptied plus appeared vacant rescued it from the trash. Appeared that they lost the foot pedal/power cord set and instead of buying a new one for less than $20 they threw the $1,000 sewing machine away. We dusted it off, oiled it and it worked plus looked like a new machine when I tested it so I sprang the $20 to get her the pedal and cord set. Its now her #1 machine.

She also regularly finds good working sewing machines at Thrift and Hospice Stores for $25 or less.

Sewing is not rocket science and after watching a few tube videos or joining a free self help group possibly through your local library just about anyone can sew utility items. I started sewing to take care of repairs to canvas items I worked with in the Wood Mill and in Construction plus when doing property maintenance.

What I saved by just hemming US Flags instead of constantly replacing them every time they started to get a bit wind tattered payed for the machine which I purchased new at the time. Yes it is allowable to hem the American Flag a few times up to a certain percentage.

When I got married I wowed my wife by making the curtains for our home even though I had never made a set of curtains before. It was just like hemming a flag only you make the hem a little wider and don't seal off the ends so the rod will go through or use curtain hooks.

You may find that you have more skills than you give yourself credit for and a Jerry Can Cover Project may be a good one to start down that road on. You can even test the waters using some old bed sheets before you outlay funds on any expensive Sunbrella type fabrics.

 

[pdqaltair]

I've wondered about paint. Sure, there will be some chipping, but if the surface is prepped (sand and lightly flame) I'd be surprised if some of the flexible inflatable paints wouldn't hold up pretty well. I know they block UV and that is all we are trying to accomplish... right?

Time for some testing.

 

[Don L]

I've wondered about paint. Sure, there will be some chipping, but if the surface is prepped (sand and lightly flame) I'd be surprised if some of the flexible inflatable paints wouldn't hold up pretty well. I know they block UV and that is all we are trying to accomplish... right?

Time for some testing.

less trouble to just spray them with 303 or dinghy protectant when you do the dinghy

or

every few years just replace the damn things (that's what I would do)

 

[pdqaltair]

less trouble to just spray them with 303 or dinghy protectant when you do the dinghy

or

every few years just replace the damn things (that's what I would do)

I would be VERY interested in any documented 3rd party tests of waxes and products like 303 regarding UV. I've done some long-term tests related to soft vinyl windows, and the conclusion is that those products are closer to sunscreen than paint. They just don't last and the UV protection after some weathering is minimal. They seems to help, because the act of buffing removes surface oxidation.

I've read claims they "restore suppleness." These are provably false; I've done the stiffness testing at a range of temperatures. They "feel" softer, but they are actually just slipperier.

I have never found any documented 3rd party studies of UV protection. If you know of them, I would be thrilled.

---

And yes, replacing them is far smarter than keeping them once the weather starts to show.

 

[SeaStar58]

The 303 is more a preventative than a restorative. Makes seals and awnings last longer in RV use.

Wipe New is more of a restorative and has been used on gel coated boats, RV's and commercial trucks along with weathered plastics with great success however I would only use it for appearance and not to maintain structure on a poly gas container. If your plastic decorative shutter gets brittle and it lets you shine it up and get a few more years out of the failing decorative shutter that's grand but a brittle plastic gas container is quite another matter.

 

[pdqaltair]

For 7 years I had samples of vinyl on the roof, some treated regularly with protectants (including 303), some un-treated, some only covered. The only quantifiable difference between the treated and non-treated samples was the cost of the protectants and the labor required. There was zero difference in the samples (visibility or stiffness). The only samples that were better were those that were covered or kept indoors.

I could be wrong. But show me quantifiable, published, 3rd party data.

I really am interested in seeing it. Really interested.

 

[hellosailor]

Considering that "real" metal GI Jerry cans are obsolete (some junk from China and one sole source still making them in the EU somewhere) and that the military plastic ones are still too pricey for the civilian market, it could just be that there's too much variation in the fuel jugs that are being used. And while I've got no doubt that inexpensive covers could be landed in the US at a net cost of a buck or two apiece, so sold under ten dollars... Yeah, you can buy cheap fuel cans too, and just throw them out every four or five years. Or give them away after the major intended use. I suspect that's what people are doing.

In the interim, perhaps spraying them with black plastidip, to keep out light and UV, would be a way to go? (Of course, that's not cheap either.)

Or, this is a business opportunity and a travel expense to those parts of the world where cheap sewing labor is to be found!

 

[Don L]

I have never found any documented 3rd party studies of UV protection. If you know of them, I would be thrilled.

I don't know of any and aren't going to search. But just a question, do you believe in sunscreen?

 

[pdqaltair]

I don't know of any and aren't going to search. But just a question, do you believe in sunscreen?

I don't believe in things. I read the research.

Sunscreen is a false comparison. It must be reapplied every few hours. The application rate (ounces per square foot) are many, many times higher that protectants, particualry after they are buffed off. Yes, protectants provide some protection, but how much and for how long? I seriously doubt it lasts for months. First, it wears off, second, the most probable chemical mechanisms (since they do not contain TiO2 or ZnO) can't last that long in a thin film.

Sunscreen companies have posted the data and it has been reviewed. It is accepted science for this reason.

No data, no belief. Why don't they post data? Probably because it doesn't tell a story they want to defend.

But show me the data.

 

[capta]

Considering that "real" metal GI Jerry cans are obsolete (some junk from China and one sole source still making them in the EU somewhere) and that the military plastic ones are still too pricey for the civilian market, it could just be that there's too much variation in the fuel jugs that are being used. And while I've got no doubt that inexpensive covers could be landed in the US at a net cost of a buck or two apiece, so sold under ten dollars... Yeah, you can buy cheap fuel cans too, and just throw them out every four or five years. Or give them away after the major intended use. I suspect that's what people are doing.

In the interim, perhaps spraying them with black plastidip, to keep out light and UV, would be a way to go? (Of course, that's not cheap either.)

Or, this is a business opportunity and a travel expense to those parts of the world where cheap sewing labor is to be found!

When we arrived in Rarotonga we were offered hundreds of gallons of jet fuel for free. Apparently, they had stored the drums upright and water had pooled on the tops and as the sun heated and cooled the drums, some of the water managed to get inside, rendering it unusable in commercial jet aircraft. These were sealed from the refinery drums, not used or previously opened drums.
As jet fuel (kerosene) is just #2 diesel w/o the 4% lubricating oil, we took all we could fit, adding 4 gallons of motor oil to every 100 gallons of jet fuel. Nice gift!
However, this did turn me off to carrying fuel on deck in plastic containers vertically, which surely contract and expand much more than steel drums. Covers certainly would help, but I would still take care to ensure no water gets into the fuel.

 

[hellosailor]

capta-
I would suggest that the aviation fuel problem shouldn't put you off to deck storage or plastic cans at all. The issue is "How well is this sealed?" and in that case, someone screwed up. They might have not torqued down the fills, they might have gotten bad sealant...If water could get in, fuel vapors could get out, and the purpose of storing fuel in those metal drums is to make it totally sealed--no fuel vapor in or out as well.
The "genuine NATO" type products tend to have robust sealing gaskets, produced and sourced from suppliers who are inspected and checked from time to time. The generic stuff from the far east...not so much. And of course, simply placing an inverted heavy plastic bag over each container helps to ensure water can't splash onto the fills. (A tarp or sun protection over that for UV protection anyway.)
Plus of course, jerry cans don't have concave tops, so it is harder for water to sit on top of their fills.(G)

 

[roverhi]

Can't make them myself. No skills at sewing and no machine. Looking for a source...

Any canvas shop will make them up. Had one made to cover 4 Gerry Jugs stored in cockpit footwell.