1960s VINTAGE LIQUID WRENCH TIN – 32 Oz – Charlotte, NC

For sale is a VINTAGE LIQUID WRENCH TIN CAN from the Radiator Specialty Company, Charlotte, NC. This 1960s era tin is in excellent condition. Liquid wrench is iconic automotive supply which would have been a staple of garages from the 1950s through the 1970s. This colorful yellow and black lithographic tin has great graphics which includes a pipe wrench, vice, and cautionary skull and cross bones symbols. The “Liquid” in the Liquid Wrench is depicted as if oil was used to spell the word. This 32 ounce tin is empty. The tin stands 6 7/8 inches tall, 4 1/2 inches wide, and 2 3/8 inches deep. A nice Petroliana collectible advertising tin.

In 1924, I.D. Blumenthal founded the Radiator Specialty Company (RSC) in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company built its initial success on a radiator repair powder called “Solder Seal,” a phrase that evolved into the iconic red starburst brand logo visible on the upper left of the Liquid Wrench container. In 1941, this company expanded by acquiring the Liquid Wrench brand to meet a growing need for chemical solutions to assist mechanics dealing with seized automotive machinery.

The age of this 1960s tin can be estimated by the lack of a UPC barcode, use of metrics, and safety warnings. The lack of a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode on the tin indicates that this tin predates the late 1970s when barcodes started appearing on commercial oil and chemical tins. During the 1960s, Federal Regulations starting mandating the inclusion of the Skull and Crossbones & “Danger–Poison” warnings on consumer chemical solvents. Staring in the late 1960s, companies preemptively starting to add metric units to their products in anticipation of US government requiring such information in the 1970s.