At the start of World War II, the US Army had created, what is essentially a cooler, the M1941 Mermite Can. I won’t go into too much historical discussion of it as the guys at the 90th covered it with their article: Keeping it Cool. However, the model I picked up for $175 in May of 2025 off of Facebook Marketplace has a few unique characteristics.
First off, the cover has a single bar used for closing as opposed to a wired bar on most models. Secondly, the underside says “US JQMD 1940”, which stands for United States Jefferson Quartermaster Depot. Along with a cut in the underside seam, though, I’m unclear if that’s part of the design or if it was damaged. Thirdly, the cover feels like it’s made of tin.
Which, yes, makes it very odd that the model is technically an M1941 but with a date made before.
While this isn’t mine, I did come across some old images taken around 2000 that show an M1941 mermite can dated 1935 with the bar lid design that appears to be modified into having a wired bar.
In another example, courtesy of the US Medical History Group, it shows a 1939 dated model. However, on the inside, it lacks the granite wear with the sides appearing to be in. Additionally, the can does come with a gasket, but it’s painted red (that’s the red ring around the lip of the can).
All this supposes my copy is some kind of early variant or prototype? My hunch is that there was some kind of M1935 Mermite can design that then got updated into the M1941. Or the United States Jefferson Quartermaster Depot just internally made a few of these cans for various reasons and purposes (it would explain why the lid is stamped “US JQMD 1940”, rather than a specific contracted firm). Both with tinned internals and with graniteware.
When the war started, they made a few tweaks to the design and sent the M1941 contact for the cans out to companies. Then modified the existing ones to fit the new design.
I say this as most models look like this –
When I picked mine up it didn’t dawn on me that the huge hole in the side had asbestos poking through (along with a spider that eventually died for history)
Now, no amount of asbestos is safe, but I do know from owning a home dated 1944, which had asbestos siding, that the major concern is it breaking apart and becoming friable or ground into small pieces that can become airborne.
To fix this, you need to cover it.
The siding in my former home was covered up with metal siding, and to fix this, I first sprayed some water so the particles would get inside the can. This can be used to help tamp down any asbestos that breaks loose and could float out of the hole and into the air.
Next, I used Great Stuff to spray into the hole. It made it look very ugly and not professional, but it did resolve the immediate health concern. I made sure to use gloves, wear a mask and goggles, and junk clothes (for the whole process) that I washed right away (as well as taking a shower when I was done). For such a small task, I didn’t think a full-blown suit was required, as I wasn’t doing asbestos abatement.
Next, I took some paper towels and a 50:50 vinegar and water solution via a spray bottle and gave the can a wipe down on the outside and inside, and underneath, including the lid.
I then used a green scrub pad and scrubbed the underside of the lid to remove the rust. I also scrubbed the rusted areas on the side and underneath to kind of sand it down, in preparation for being spray-painted.
Next, I turned my attention to the inside. I saw rust spots, and knowing I wanted to use this as a cooler, I bought some food-safe silicone and applied it using my fingers over the rust spots. I gave each rust spot a good coating. This helps ensure that any water that ends up in it won’t further damage the graniteware.
Finally, it was time to paint.
It seems many reenactors and restorers have used a variety of colors to paint the M1941 can. As mine is an older version, I honestly have no clue what color to use and just went with generic olive drab. I don’t think it looks too bad, and if future historians unearth the exact color specs, I’d change it.
I spray-painted the top lid (all sides and underneath) and the can (all sides and underneath). I did leave the inside lip of the can untouched as I wanted to preserve the history of the paint applications over time, which I think there were four.
An original green as shown in the lid (see the above previous picture), a red, a grey, and a white (which is what it looked like when I bought it)
I suppose I could have sand-blasted the paint off and primed it, and then painted it, but I didn’t want to take the time to figure out how to do that, and then figure out how to properly dispose of what is likely lead paint particulates/chips. When in fact, this will likely need a new paint job down the road once we figure out what the right color is.
An extra step was adding a rubber gasket. Now, truth be told, I’m not sure if this version had one. However, wartime dated models did. I followed some advice in the G503 forum and bought a rubber gasket, cut it to fit, and then super-glued the ends. The gasket should be 1/4″ wide 3/16″ high, square.
On a whim, I sprayed WD-40 into the various hinges and movable parts to help loosen them up.
After about 3 hours and an extra 50 dollars for supplies, I was done.
Would I do this again? Considering the rarity of the item, yes. But I would have tried to get it closer to $100 and come prepared to store the can (maybe wrap it in a heavy duty black garbage bag) until I can figure out a more historical solution to patch the holes (maybe some kind of JB Weld?) than scrambling to use Great Stuff.
Items I used
50 Pack of Nitrile black gloves (went through about 15 pairs as I swapped out frequently)
A plastic spray bottle that held a 50:50 water/vinegar solution
2 rolls of paper towels
