"Explosafe" Safety Fuel Cans

[NASkeet]

Here’s a slightly revised version of an article I had published in Transporter Talk magazine, nearly 2½ years ago:

Nigel A. Skeet, “EXPLOSAFE Safety Fuel Cans”, Transporter Talk, Issue 125, November & December 2013, Pages 24~30.

Many moons ago (i.e. more than 26¼ years ago), my father as a practicing GP (i.e. General Medical Practitioner), used to receive a weekly journal called Pulse. In this journal, was a section entitled "Doctors' Shop", in which various things, medical and non-medical, were marketed, at what were claimed to be discounted prices; including on one occasion, the 5 litre (nominally 1 gallon) & 10 litre (nominally 2 gallons), Paddy Hopkirk brand of normal fuel cans and "Explosafe" safety fuel cans.

At the time, I think we already had our Paddy Hopkirk brand, 5 litre "Explosafe" safety fuel can (from where it was purchased, I cannot recall!), but I kept a clipping from the Pulse journal, for reference purposes, which reads as follows:

Old "Doctor's Shop", Pulse magazine, advertisement clipping re Paddy Hopkirk spare-fuel cans

Note the early-type, straight, rigid pouring spout, which I also possess. For the Explosafe safety fuel cans, the plastic screw tops and pour-spouts are yellow in colour, whilst those of the conventional fuel cans are black.

Fuel Cans

« These fuel cans have three vital requirements necessary; quick pouring, easy storage and safety. Four models are available: standard cans in 5 litre (1 gallon) and 10 litre (2 gallon) sizes plus similar cans filled with Explosafe mesh - the most effective prevention yet devised against fuel tank explosion. These cans are steel, rectangular / squat to prevent tipping, vented to prevent airlocks and have a quick fill spout. They are designed for easy pouring into the most awkward tank necks and the high density cap has a sterile nitrile rubber seal. »

Anchor Tray

« As an added safety feature, any of the cans may be supplied with an anchor tray as an optional extra, this bolts to the floor of the boot (i.e. trunk, in North American parlance). »

Prices

1 gallon FUEL CAN (top right)
Ref. 2706 / 1
Pulse price £5•70
Recommended retail price £6•99

2 gallon FUEL CAN (bottom right)
Ref. 2706 / 2
Pulse price £6•95
Recommended retail price £8•53

1 gallon SAFETY FUEL CAN (top left)
Ref. 2706 / 3
Pulse price £9•35
Recommended retail price £11•47

2 gallon SAFETY FUEL CAN (bottom left)
Ref. 2706 / 4
Pulse price £11•25
Recommended retail price £13•77

ANCHOR TRAY (available for all models)
Ref. 2706 / 5
Pulse price £2•25
Recommended retail price £2•78


In this context, interpret gallon as meaning Imperial gallon, rather than US gallon, the conversion factors for which, are as follows:

1 litre = 0•2200 Imperial gallons = 0•2642 US gallons

1 Imperial gallon = 1•2010 US gallons = 4•5461 litres

1 US gallon = 0•8327 Imperial gallons = 3•7853 litres

We habitually carried our 5 litre "Explosafe" safety fuel can, filled with petrol (for which we had cause to be thankful, on more than a few occasions), either in the boot (i.e. trunk in North American parlance) of my 1974 Triumph 1300 Toledo (38 ± 1 mpg), or when on one of our European motorcaravanning holidays, strapped to the roof rack of our 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan (25 ± ½ mpg); that together with our suitcases and annexe tent, was protected from the weather by our home-made, flexible-butyl-rubber, roof-rack cover.

One has to be especially careful, to slowly fill these safety fuel cans with petrol (aka gasoline, in North America) at the filling station, because otherwise the fuel overflows or the dispensing fuel pump cuts off the flow, requiring one to first release the trigger and then gently squeeze it again, to resume dispensing fuel. The high dispensing flow-rate, from modern forecourt fuel pumps, requires only very moderate squeezing of the trigger, so it took me a while to acquire the knack!
_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net

[NASkeet]

According to information I later found, in an old 1982/83 Swedish automotive-accessories, mail-order catalogue, the aluminium open-celled foam filling, in the Paddy Hopkirk "Explosafe" safety fuel cans, has approximately 4000 cells per litre (i.e. per dm³, as quoted in the catalogue) and a density of 25 grams per litre, of which the solid matrix occupies less than 1% of the fuel-can's volume. I believe this type of aluminium open-celled foam filling, is commonly used for fire-hazard safety reasons, in the main fuel tanks of track-racing cars and rally cars.

Illustrations of the Paddy Hopkirk 5 & 10 litre "Explosafe" safety fuel cans, copied from the 1982/83 Swedish automotive mail-order catalogue.

Note the early-type, straight, rigid pouring spout, which I also possess

Cutaway section of a safety fuel can, showing the internal aluminium mesh or open-cell foam filling.

Pouring petrol from the fuel can, into a vehicle's main fuel tank.

I found it impossible to dispense all of the petrol, into the mail fuel tanks of my 1973 VW Type 2 and 1974 Triumph Toledo, using the early-type, straight, rigid pouring spout, unless I turned the fuel can up-side-down, during the final stages of pouring; and even then it was awkward! The later-type, flexible pour spout, is probably much better in this respect.
_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net

[NASkeet]

Whilst I was further researching this article in late October 2013, to find out whether Paddy Hopkirk "Explosafe" safety fuel cans were still available, I could find no mention of newly manufactured ones for sale, but I did stumble upon a private advertisement for four second-hand, Paddy Hopkirk brand, 10-litre "Explosafe" safety fuel cans (described as having: « some chipped paint and spots of rust but good condition »), priced at £12 each, or near offer.

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/109118208/o...l-can.html

Second-hand, Paddy Hopkirk 10 litre "Explosafe" safety fuel cans, recently advertised for sale on the Internet

Further research revealed that the following three "Explosafe" products are now manufactured in Great Britain, by Rhino Derby Ltd, all of which are available through Travall, in Derby, England, plus possibly Travall's subsidiary outlets in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Ireland, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the USA. Some of the products are available through a variety of outlets, but which seem to charge higher prices.

http://www.rhinoderby.com/products.html

http://www.hammersmithorg.com/Paddy_Hopkirk_10_Litre_Explo-Safe_Fuel_Can_Yellow

http://www.firstbrands.co.uk/rhino-fuel-cans.html

http://www.travall.co.uk/search/fuel-container

(1) Yellow 5 litre "Explosafe" safety fuel can - Ref. No. TFC006 (overall dimensions: 340 mm width x 160 mm height x 230 mm depth)

(2) Yellow 10 litre "Explosafe" safety fuel can - Ref. No. TFC009 (overall dimensions: 350 mm width x 240 mm height x 240 mm depth)

(3) Combination yellow 5 litre "Explosafe" safety fuel can & storage box - Ref. No. TFC015 (overall dimensions: 360 mm width x 240 mm height x 260 mm depth)

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net

[NASkeet]

In March 2012, Jason Weigel (aka "notchboy" on The Samba forum | one of my 1968~79 VW Type 2, e-mail pen pals, in Seattle, Washington, USA), purchased from Bertus Oosting in The Netherlands, a "New-Old-Stock" (of unspecified vintage!), combination "Explosafe" safety fuel can (as identified by the aluminium foam filling, visible through the filler neck) & storage box, painted in the BP (i.e. British Petroleum) yellow & green livery. The storage box has the facility, to be bolted down to the floor of one's car boot, as illustrated on the accompanying instruction sheet. Apart from the colour scheme and labelling, his purchase appears to be similar if not identical to, the Rhino combination yellow 5 litre "Explosafe" safety fuel can & storage box - Ref. No. TFC015.

Jason Weigel's combination 5 litre "Explosafe" fuel can & storage box, in BP livery with old-style BP shield logo, rather than the later flower-inflorescence or star-burst logo.

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net

[NASkeet]

Whilst I was flicking through my collection of photocopied technical articles, I came across one (Michael Judge, "Foam sweet foam", New Scientist, 27th September 1997, Pages 34~37) about foamed metals and their unusual properties. Some of the highlighted statements, relevant to fuel storage, were:

« Aluminium foam stands up to a blowtorch that would turn the normal metal into a puddle »

« ERG in California is already producing a specialised metal foam that has many of the properties of standard foams but has some unique applications. Using a secret process, ERG concocts a foam and then bursts the walls between adjacent bubbles. This creates a network of interconnected chambers in which liquids and gases can flow or be stored.

« ERG's open-cell metal foam is used in what are known as wet-wing structures for unpiloted aircraft. The bubbles fill with fuel, allowing wings to double as fuel tanks. »

Whilst I was on a touring holiday in the Baltic States (i.e. Latvia, Lithuania & Estonia), during summer 1993, not long after their independence from the Soviet Bloc, I observed motorists buying petrol at the roadside, from a small tanker-lorry driver; the petrol being dispensed into small fuel cans. I would have been interested to learn whether this was cut-price “black-market” or stolen petrol being sold, but it doesn’t pay to ask such questions in some parts of the World!

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net

[NASkeet]

Useful Addresses & Contact Details

Hopkirks Ltd., Barley Mow Centre, 10 Barley Mow Passage, Chiswick, London, W4 4PH
Tel. +44 (0) 1494 - 817 080
Fax. +44 (0) 1494 - 817 090
Website: http://www.hopkirks.com/
Website (on-line contact details): http://www.hopkirks.com/contactus.html

2010 RHINO (Derby) Ltd., Derbyshire, England.
Tel. +44 (0) 1159 - 444 666
E-mail: [email protected]
Website (general): http://www.rhinoderby.com/
Website (product range): http://www.rhinoderby.com/products.html

Travall, Gosforth Road, Derby, DE24 8HU, United Kingdom
Tel. 0800 311 2175 or +44 (0) 1332 - 387 630
Fax: +44 (0) 1332 - 292 333
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.travall.co.uk/
_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net