I bought a bunch of very old bottles from a Rasta guy in Guyana who dives down in the rivers and recovers them. These rivers are enormous. Ocean going boats can go a hundred miles down some of them. Some of my bottles have Dutch writing on the glass, some have no seams and airbubbles in the glass. They’re really cool. Two of them are groddy with some bits of mud inside from laying on the bottom of a river since the 1700s. What would be the best way to clean them up?
Jill
Place the bottles in the sink with a mild soap solution to loosen the dirt, and then scrub out gently with a bottle brush. Make sure there are no wires which will scratch the sides.
Other than that, glass is pretty durable, and there aren’t many special precautions you need to take. If the paint doesn’t seem likely to come off, you can wash them normally.
My aunt the antique dealer (mostly china/wedgwood) says that people often cure “sick” glass by putting it in a bucket of water with some denture tablets.
Thank you for your suggestions. The bottles don’t have paint on them - the words on them are raised. What about a weak bleach solution? Or will that discolour the glass?
Jill
You could try a handful of salt, lots of crushed ice, and a little bit of water. Add all to the bottle, swish and swirl it around, and then empty it out. Rinse well so the salt doesn’t cloud the glass as it dries. Just remember to rinse with cold water. Thermal shock would be bad. Ask me how I know.
Yet another cleaning quandry solved by Deej, the SDMB domestic goddess.
Avid antiquated bottle collector here. A weak beach solution will work, and it will not discolour the glass. You must leave it for around three days for the bleach solution to work.
The denture cleaner is actually a great way to get some of the deposits off. And an old toothbrush is a great way to clean the inside of the bottles. It won’t scratch the glass at all.
Now on to the seamless bottles, are they completely seemless indicating they were blown, or is there a seem that only goes partially up the neck? It makes a difference when it comes to worth. For instance I live in a part of New England that is very old. Some of the bottles in my collection are late 17th century and early 18th century. They are mostly brown, “quick-silver” bottles. A friend of mine just got 30k for one of his bottles…it can be a lucrative hobby. Email me if you’d like more indepth info…