Does anyone remember 'The Blue Bag'

[Falls]

I know this is nothing to do with Reckitt's blue, but someone mentioned mashing cans.

 

I had a mashing can when I started work(1952). A lot of people in the works and steel plants did. At first, I had my tea and sugar in twist of paprer but then I noticed some people had tea/sugar tins so I went out and bought one.

 

These were small oval-shaped tins, with two compartments and snap-on lid on the top and the bottom. you put the sugar in one end and the tea in the other. Very useful.

 

While we are on the subject of tea and food at work, does anybody remember wives bringing the husband's hot lunches to works gate's or time-houses? These were usually a soup or stew in a basin. The basins in those days had a thick rim so the wife would cover the top with a cloth - usually a checked napkin- and secure it with string under the rim. Then they would bring up the four corners of the napkin, tie them together and use these as a carrying handle. This was still going in WWII, when people still lived near where they worked but the pratice died out as many families moved out on to the estates.

 

Then there were the lunch baskets. These were small baskets - like super small fishing basket - with a curved top and a carying handle. The usually held sandwiches, drinks,etc. but some workers used to have a pre-cooked meal, in a basin that could be reheated for lunch.

 

I hadn't seen a lunch basket since the late 40's but in the mid 80's, I was working in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, where they still used them. Most workers in Canada use the American-style lunch boxes but the workers at the paper mill in Grand Falls all had lunch baskets. Theirs were more like a shallow shopping basket but they had lids.

 

Regards

[Texas]

This is another digression from the original topic, but does anyone remember 'LAVA' soap? It was a rough abrasive soap, great for washing your mitts after a greasy;filthy kind of job. My Grandad used to use it way back(pre 39-45 war again). I hadn't seen it since that time, but a hardware store in Oregon had some so I bought six blocks. Guess what? I haven't seen it since.

[bluebird62]

All of this items you have mentioned can still be bought from a Hardware shop next door but one to sids cafe at holmfirth.

cardinol, bag of blue. bag of yellowing your nets, donkey stone, black lead, oxodel, gas mantal's, etc, etc. it is like a step into the past when you go inside this shop. we are going again in the near future so i will ask for a list.

 

juliediane

[CHAIRBOY]

I remember a washing powder called Oxydol.

[sweetdexter]

Another thing that came to mind.

'Kindling wood' Short pieces of wood about 6" long and 1 " in diameter not round but irregular shape ,tied with a wire in a bundle.

Altogether about 6" across

[CHAIRBOY]

Another thing that came to mind.

'Kindling wood' Short pieces of wood about 6" long and 1 " in diameter not round but irregular shape ,tied with a wire in a bundle.

Altogether about 6" across

 

My gran and grandad had a greengrocer's shop on Howard Rd/Duncombe Street, at Walkley, and they made up and sold these bound strips of wood.

[depoix]

Another thing that came to mind.

'Kindling wood' Short pieces of wood about 6" long and 1 " in diameter not round but irregular shape ,tied with a wire in a bundle.

Altogether about 6" across

i used to make these as a nipper from wooden tomato trays that i would scrounge from the back of woodthorpe shops

[burnttoast]

I have rather painful memories of the old "mashin can".As a young lad in the forge it was my job to mash the tea. Every morning the cans, complete with the "mashin" in ready for the 10am break would be placed on a shelf about head height .One morning one of the "owd sods" thought he'd do me a favour and mashed early .Me not thinkin dashed up, grabbed the handle of one of the cans....Red hot tea down my chest ,me jumpin up and down like a looney. What did I get ? "Nar look wot thas done ,tha's wasted me mashin" Still got the scars 45 years on. Sympathy was hard to get them days.

[sweetdexter]

I have rather painful memories of the old "mashin can".As a young lad in the forge it was my job to mash the tea. Every morning the cans, complete with the "mashin" in ready for the 10am break would be placed on a shelf about head height .One morning one of the "owd sods" thought he'd do me a favour and mashed early .Me not thinkin dashed up, grabbed the handle of one of the cans....Red hot tea down my chest ,me jumpin up and down like a looney. What did I get ? "Nar look wot thas done ,tha's wasted me mashin" Still got the scars 45 years on. Sympathy was hard to get them days.

 

The navvy who dropped his coat into the cess pit on a building site was seen to be trying to lift it out with a 4x2.

On being told his coat would be useless ,he replied "Mi bloody mashin's in pocket"

[Jossman]

Lots of the old steelworkers after the war used their gas mask bags as snap sacks. My father used his for years.