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P-38 can opener
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P-38 can opener
The P-38 is a foldable carbon steel can opener that was issued with canned United States military rations from its introduction in 1942 to the end of canned ration issuance in the 1980s. Originally distributed in the K-ration, it was later included in the C-ration. A larger later variant is known as the P-51.
The can opener is approximately 1.5 inches (38 mm) long, and consists of a short rectangular metal handle with a small, hinged metal tooth that folds out to pierce the can lid.
A notch just below the hinge keeps the opener hooked beneath the rim of the can as the device is "walked" around to cut the lid out. A larger version called the P-51 is somewhat easier to operate thanks to the greater leverage it can generate.
The designer of the original device that acquired the official U.S. military designations "U.S. ARMY POCKET CAN OPENER" and "OPENER, CAN, HAND, FOLDING, TYPE I", commonly known as the P-38 is unknown. In spite of widespread claims that the P-38 was designed in a 30-day whirl of inspired effort by the U.S. Army Subsistence Lab in Chicago in 1941, a fully fledged version of the device (differing only in the hole for attaching to a lanyard being on the opposite end of its body) appeared in a 1924 edition of Popular Mechanics. It is described as being "designed for campers and Boy Scouts", and is illustrated in use. Readers were offered more information on the item by writing to Popular Mechanics, Chicago.
The P-38 was preceded in US military field rations such as the K-ration and C-ration by then traditional twist-key can opening, where a provided key was inserted in a tab and twisted around a can to peel away a metal sealing strip.
P-38s are no longer used for individual rations by the U.S. military, as canned C-rations were replaced by MRE rations in the 1980s, packed in plastic pouches. The P-51, larger at 2 inches (51 mm), is included with United States military "Tray Rations" (canned bulk meals). P-38s are also still seen in disaster recovery efforts and have been handed out alongside canned food by rescue organizations in several countries.
J. W. Speaker Corporation of Germantown, Wisconsin, was one of the early contractors for the military P-38, producing them in the millions (stamped "Speaker USA"). The opener was also manufactured by Washburn Corporation (marked "US Androck");[citation needed] and later by Mallin Shelby Hardware inc (closed 1973) of Shelby, Ohio, variously stamped "US Mallin Shelby O." or "U.S. Shelby Co."[citation needed]
The P-38 is operated by pivoting its cutting tooth to its designed 95-degree position from its stowed position folded against the body. The opener is held in the right hand by the flat long section, with its circular notch hooking the underside of the can’s rim and the cutting tooth pointing downward and away from the user.
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P-38 can opener AI simulator
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P-38 can opener
The P-38 is a foldable carbon steel can opener that was issued with canned United States military rations from its introduction in 1942 to the end of canned ration issuance in the 1980s. Originally distributed in the K-ration, it was later included in the C-ration. A larger later variant is known as the P-51.
The can opener is approximately 1.5 inches (38 mm) long, and consists of a short rectangular metal handle with a small, hinged metal tooth that folds out to pierce the can lid.
A notch just below the hinge keeps the opener hooked beneath the rim of the can as the device is "walked" around to cut the lid out. A larger version called the P-51 is somewhat easier to operate thanks to the greater leverage it can generate.
The designer of the original device that acquired the official U.S. military designations "U.S. ARMY POCKET CAN OPENER" and "OPENER, CAN, HAND, FOLDING, TYPE I", commonly known as the P-38 is unknown. In spite of widespread claims that the P-38 was designed in a 30-day whirl of inspired effort by the U.S. Army Subsistence Lab in Chicago in 1941, a fully fledged version of the device (differing only in the hole for attaching to a lanyard being on the opposite end of its body) appeared in a 1924 edition of Popular Mechanics. It is described as being "designed for campers and Boy Scouts", and is illustrated in use. Readers were offered more information on the item by writing to Popular Mechanics, Chicago.
The P-38 was preceded in US military field rations such as the K-ration and C-ration by then traditional twist-key can opening, where a provided key was inserted in a tab and twisted around a can to peel away a metal sealing strip.
P-38s are no longer used for individual rations by the U.S. military, as canned C-rations were replaced by MRE rations in the 1980s, packed in plastic pouches. The P-51, larger at 2 inches (51 mm), is included with United States military "Tray Rations" (canned bulk meals). P-38s are also still seen in disaster recovery efforts and have been handed out alongside canned food by rescue organizations in several countries.
J. W. Speaker Corporation of Germantown, Wisconsin, was one of the early contractors for the military P-38, producing them in the millions (stamped "Speaker USA"). The opener was also manufactured by Washburn Corporation (marked "US Androck");[citation needed] and later by Mallin Shelby Hardware inc (closed 1973) of Shelby, Ohio, variously stamped "US Mallin Shelby O." or "U.S. Shelby Co."[citation needed]
The P-38 is operated by pivoting its cutting tooth to its designed 95-degree position from its stowed position folded against the body. The opener is held in the right hand by the flat long section, with its circular notch hooking the underside of the can’s rim and the cutting tooth pointing downward and away from the user.
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