Cleaning Bottles

[spectrum]

I have snagged several bottles from local lakes. Some seem to date back to the 1940s and have painted labeling. The bottles also have brown stains from laying in the silt.

The painting on the bottles is very fragile. in some cases the top coat is gone, leaving only the base color.

I'm looking for cleaning and preservation techniques.

Thanks,
Pete

 

[SnakeRiverPirate]

I would think that in the age of the interwebby there are forums and websites dedicated to bottle collecting and conservation.

 

[diver_paula]

I can't believe I'm posting a Martha Stewart tip on Scubaboard. I haven't tried what she suggests but it makes sense. I wouldn't personally subject the painted portions to these methods.

" ...the drudgery of cleaning small-necked decanters and antique apothecary bottles can be avoided. One easy solution: Fill the bottles with water, drop in a tablet or two of a denture cleaner such as Efferdent, let stand overnight, then scrub with a narrow nylon brush."

I remember another tip that involved adding rice to the water in the bottle to help dislodge dirt inside the bottle but my search techniques aren't coming up with anything at the moment. I'll look for the hard copy later today - I clipped it out and put it with my bottle cleaning supplies.

Paula

 

[SnakeRiverPirate]

Actually, you might want to check with some bottle collectors first. Damage to the bottles from cleaning might effect there worth far more than a little crust.

Coins for instance are often damaged by cleaning. I don't know if this would apply to bottles, but might bear looking into.

 

[SnakeRiverPirate]

http://www.antiquebottles.com/

This might be a resource to help you get the answers that you are seeking.

 

[LVX]

Here is a section out of a conservation research manual - this chapter is specific to glass.

 

[Steve Lawson]

Acid will easily clean any glass surface with ease--anything from vinegar to swimming pool acid works and I suggest using any such acid on the inside of the bottle. You're going to have to experiment with the outside, though.

Steve

 

[adshepard]

I don't collect bottles with painted labels so I can't help in getting them cleaned but some of the people at this forum can certainly help:

http://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/

For cleaning marine encrustations I use heavily diluted muriatic acid.

 

[ALaderer]

Try this site. It has lots of info, but you might have to dig for it
Historic Bottle Website - Homepage

 

[Tjack]

Avoid the scotch bright pads and bleach, that will definitely dull 'em some. I like the idea of denture cleaning tablets, I usually soak my bottles overnight with dishsoap and bleach.