| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| MrBottles |
Posted - 24 Jan 2006 : 07:04:20
This post is from Blobbottlebob I can;t figure out how to move a posting yet in the admin opptions so i had to paste it in. Bob is the Author of this post. Steven
One great way to clean dirt, algae and grime from the inside of a bottle is to use copper pellets and a lime remover product. Put a cork over the top and shake the copper over the dirty area. It works great on all but heavy mineralization stains which will lighten. The copper is often heavy gauge wire cut into segments (the same stuff you would use to tumble).
This post is from Blobbottlebob I can;t figure out how to move a posting yet in the admin opptions so i had to paste it in. Bob is the Author of this post. Steven |
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| blobbottlebob |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 00:50:37
I'm sorry about the soap box lecture that follows. Most of you don't deserve it. You are conscientious collectors who love old bottles. However, I have seen too many bottles that were over-tumbled, irradiated, painted on the embossing, or badly repaired, etc... and it troubles me.
We all want the most rare examples in totally mint or completely un-used condition. Never mind that they were made to be used and re-filled for as long as possible. We want the one that was lost in a soft cushy hiding place on it's first filling. Then we want to pull it down from the attic rafters. I'll admit it. I prefer examples in spectacular condition. It's fantastic when it happens BUT it is a rare occurance. Not every example will be perfect. Trying to make them perfect is worse than putting lipstick on a pig. That's because the lipstick can be wiped off of the pig. Many of the things we do to bottles are totally irreversible.
Face it. Many of the bottles we collect are very old and they have been through a great deal. We should expect some wear and damage. Some bottles have been around since World War I, or the Civil War, or (if you're lucky) the revolutionary war. They have a ton of history surrounding them. What were the people like that used that container? Could the purchaser easily afford to buy it or was it a special treat? How did the bottle get sealed up? Could it be re-sealed? Was there a spoilage risk? What resources did it take to make such a thing? Where and how was it made? How did it get to the place it ended up? How old is it? You get the point. These vessels have history.
Okay, back to modern times. So you found a dirty, rusty bottle filled with scum. Clean off the dirt. Get the rust off as best you can. Teach that scum a lesson! However, you have to accept some of the condition from there. It still has scratch wear and fish-eyes and bruises and checks and flea bites (and so on). Stop obsessing on mint condition when it's not there. Far too many people try to tumble this example back to mint. All they are doing is cutting the finish off more and more. You end up with an oily looking piece of junk that has lost all of it's character. That character took decades of history to develope and it's part of the history of that bottle. The newly tumbled example might shine more, but it's damaged far worse than before.
Take this example. I was trading with a collector who sadly overtumbled everything he could. He shined them up to what he thought was sparkling new. They looked greasy and oily to me. To top it off, he had some very rare, seldom seen examples. He was trying to trade me a mold of a bottle that he said had no slug plate. (The bottler was not known to have made such an example). Upon a short examination, I could tell that he had cut the plate off in his tumbling process. He tumbled and tumbled and tumbled until there was no more slug plate! I will never be convinced that he did not damage that bottle. He removed an important link to it's past. Some mold seams, and maufacturer's markings are very faint on a bottle. They can provide important clues about the origin and manufature of a bottle. They can also be tumbled right off.
Now before you think I am against any tumbling, read on... I think tumbling does have a place in collecting. It can be very useful in removing mineral stain that cannot come off in any other way. It can really shine up a bottle and remove 'sick' glass. But the rule of thumb should be, remove as little glass as possible. Preserve the bottle in it's original state and preserve it's history! Take the doctor's oath - DO NO HARM.
In short, when you find an antique bottle, you have become it's new guardian. You have taken on the responsibilty that the history in and around that bottle lives and passes on. Love them, collect them and let them sparkle in the windows. But don't damage them. You carry the torch of their history. Make sure that when the bottle leaves your hands, it is in no worse condition than when you found it - (if you can help it). Let the bottle keep it's history and character. You'll save money on lipstick! |
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