Friday, October 2, 2020

We used to make things in this country #317 Hippo Oil

 


Made by the James Weir Company/ Acme De Soto (same address) this appears to be an imaginatively named floor and wood varnish. The only item I can find online is the all-too-familiar environmental appraisal of the property at 120 Twenty Fourth Ave. New Toronto. 


7 comments:

  1. That is the weirdest name and logo I have ever seen for varnish:) Are they dumping varnish on that poor hippo? Strange indeed.

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  2. I was gonna remark on the disturbing, technically excellent label illustration too. Maybe varnishing a live, indignant hippo was once common practice among big-game hunters: a milestone marker, perhaps, analogous to bronzing an infant's shoes. A hunter with real pride in his work might proceed to stenciling and gilding, or pinstriping.

    James rats

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  3. I think they're just trying to say that water washes right over the finish without doing any damage (it is recommended for exterior use). It's a staved bucket, so I doubt it's full of anything other than water.

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  4. I think we're overthinking this... :-)

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  5. Not if we're adding, in our humble way, to humanity's still shallow reservoir of understanding. There is no price too steep to pay for knowledge!

    Note, please, that the hippo on the label appears to be bugling (or singing, yawning, belching, gargling estuary water, etc. I believe our next priority may be to establish, if we can, whether the creature is baying as a result of unforeseen contact with the bucket's contents* or was vocalizing to begin with. It's even possible that the dousing, by unseen hands, is a response to the hippo's peace-disturbing racket. Ideas, anyone?

    * About those contents: It is tempting to assume that the bucket contained Hippo Oil or, yes, H20. But the fluid could just as readily be yogurt, house paint, et cetera.

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  6. What was the reason why the oil could not be used on cedar?

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  7. Might have something to do with the fact that cedar has its own oils that affect the absorption of finishes?

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