Back some time in the 70s, something happened to the plastic soda bottle: before that, the bottom 3-4 inches were enclosed in an opaque hard plastic exterior that was flat on the bottom, which covered the little bumpy knobs on the bottom of the main part of the bottle (this seemed to be its purpose in life).
After the changeover, we had the plastic soda bottles we have today: one piece (not counting the cap), bumpy bottom, no hard plastic ring covering it.
I seem to recall dimly that the demise of those hard plastic rings had something to do with safety, but I can’t remember what was supposed to be so dangerous about them that American soda drinkers needed to be protected from them. What’s the straight dope?
As I recall the bottoms of the bottles were rounded and would not stand up without the extra part. The ring became unnecessary when they figured out how to produce the bottle with the ridges that allow it to stand up.
Probably the safety you heard about wasn’t safety to people, but to the environment. It seems to me that they were probably eliminated because they were a waste of plastic (probably this was more of an economic incentive than an ecological one, but even though their heart was in the wrong place, they still did it…)
To continue the speculation, my guess is that the rings were there to make the bottle more stable. If you’ve noticed, the bottle bottoms are completely redesigned now to enable them to stand very well on their own. The old design had a rounded bottom beneath the ring which would need the support of a flat object if you wanted to stand it up in the fridge.
Of course, the rumour is that if you stick a silver spoon in the neck, the ring grows back… around your frozen troll doll.
You mean this @!?#@! 5-pointed star bottoms. I hate them!
Several stores I went to had metal shelves with slats. No matter how the bottles were position, one point of the star would fall into a ridge and start a domino effect with the whole display.
Why don’t they fill out the whole base? That seems like it’d be more stable.
When danger reared its ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled
This is yet another example of the impact of technology and cost savings. Originally, plastic soda bottles could only be molded in a round-at-the-bottom shape. In order to keep them from falling over, they had to attach the plastic bottoms. The bottle manufacturing technology then advanced to the point where they could add those 5-pointed “feet” to the bottle (and later further advanced to the point that each soda brand now has a different plastic bottle, most looking like some kind of kinky sex toy). Once the bottles could not stand on their own (though not on wire shelves, unfortunately), there was no need incur the extra cost of attaching a plastic bottom. Likewise, filling out the whole base would be more expensive (and possibly technically too difficult), and the bottlers figure that we’d rather have cheaper soda than have better bottles.
Billdo: The bottle manufacturing technology then advanced to the point where they could add those 5-pointed “feet” to the bottle (and later further advanced to the point that each soda brand now has a different plastic bottle, most looking like some kind of kinky sex toy).
Actually, it looks like most brands have the same bottle. Coke & 7UP are different. But all the empties on my desk (5), all different brands, have the same design, with the “rounded-lightning-bolt” in the area above the label. (FYI, the brands were Citra, Fruitopia, Dr. Pepper, and Sprite.)
*Once the bottles could not stand on their own (though not on wire shelves, unfortunately), there was no need incur the extra cost of attaching a plastic bottom. Likewise, filling out the whole base would be more expensive (and possibly technically too difficult), and the bottlers figure that we’d rather have cheaper soda than have better bottles. *
Actually, a filled out bottom would use less material. After thinking about it, though, the 5-pointed star is probably more stable because there’s less chance of a bottle coming out with a bottom too unstable to stand. If they were all designed flat, any ripple in that would make the bottle wobbly. But with the 5 points, it’s assured that at least 3 of them will be “lower” than the other two and form a stable tripod.
When danger reared its ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled
From what I remember, the reason they got rid of the black bottoms was that, back in the day, you had to seperate your types of plastic for recycling, and for some reason the bottle and the base were different types. So to be all environmentally friendly, the manufacturers got rid of the base.
Perhaps it depends on your local bottler, but the soda bottles that I’ve seen lately (particularly the 20 oz. types) have had a variety of different shapes. The Coke bottles look like traditional glass Coke bottles, and a few other brands have their own special pattern. Some other brands have more generic bottle types, though there are a number of distinctive types.
My favorite is the Sprite bottle, which has a sort of bulbous end and a central shaft covered with small protrusions. If that doesn’t scream marital aid, I don’t know what does.
With regard to making them flat on the bottom, you have to realize that they must hold liquids under pressure. A large flat section would almost certainly bulge out with the pressure of the contents, and would probably be a likely point to burst. The curvy, 5-pointed shape is fairly immune to the pressure of the contents.
Regarding bottle shape, the smaller bottles (liter and smaller) have some specialty shapes, but the larger bottles (2L and 3L) have generic shapes.
And I second Billdo’s comments on the driver being pressure. A flat bottom would be prone to bulging, thus becoming round and falling over. The star-shaped bottom is more stable because it provides the pressure retention while providing a multitude of feet. 5 was probably chosen as more stable than 3 or 4. Sure, 3 points define a plane, but the closer the base is to a circle, the more stable. Three is a triangle, four a square (or rectangle), five a pentagram. It’s probably the same reason office chairs shifted from four prong feet to 5 prong feet. If it was three or four, there’s a position you can lean back and shift weight far enough past the edge to tip over. Same with soda bottles.
Regarding the wire racks, sounds like the grocery store should accommodate the bottles. How hard would it be to put a cardboard layer between the rack and the bottles?
You used to be able to make a neat li’l windowsill greenhouse by prying off the black base, then taking the bottle and cutting it halfway up the length. Pop it onto the black base upside down after filling the base with soil and adding a plant and you were in business.
Another cheap science fair project ruined.
“I guess one person can make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”
The wire racks in the grocery stores? What about the ones in my fridge? I have a heck of a time getting my diet Dr. Peppers to stand up on my fridge shelf (after I cut all the plastic things holding the six bottles together).
Gee, Nano, so did I. And here I am, all ready with a delightful tale of physical danger and corporate callousness. Tough shit, I’m gonna tell it anyway.
I’m carrying two 2-litre bottles of Coke. It’s 1979. I have them against my chest, tucked inside of my High School jacket. As I am walking down the stairs, they explode. Thankfully, the young lady in front of me was also walking DOWN, instead of facing me, walking UP. My hand and chest were cut by the shards of glass, and it took a LONG time ( apparently ) in the shower for that girl to feel like she was rid of the shards.
Blood all over the H.S. Jacket. Didn’t need stitches. Mom calls the people at Coke the next afternoon, and the day after THAT, a nice man from Coke pulls up. Now, we aren’t litigiously minded in our family. I got cut, and in fact, to this moment, I have a tiny bit of glass embedded in my right index finger, against the nail. This man was sufficiently terrified that I would sue, that he got to my parents’ house within a DAY of the phone call.
I had kept as much of the two bottles as I could- assuming that they were defective. They were indeed, they had sand in them ( just a few grains, but the structural integrity of the bottles was compromised).
We agreed to have them pay the dry-cleaning bill, and take all of the soda he had crammed into the trunk of his car. ALL IN PLASTIC BOTTLES !!! This was the era when they were all switching over. And, of course, we signed an agreement not to sue his sorry ass.
Ever time I drop a soda bottle, I think of that day. Poor Marnie Sissenwine, she washed her hair forever, apparently. <sigh> If only she had allowed me to assist in the proceedure…
Cartooniverse
If you want to kiss the sky, you’d better learn how to kneel.
Cartoon - you still have a piece of glass in your finger? :eek: Why??? Seems like that would hurt like hell and would’ve caused an infection As for cans…well I’m one of those people who thinks the soda (or whatever) just doesn’t taste right from a can. I prefer glass, so I pour into a glass with a bunch of ice cubes.
I live in NY state, god knows why I spelled it like that. Maybe I was just being smarmy. At any rate, the incident in question happened in Philly. THAT should tell you something right there.
Cartooniverse
If you want to kiss the sky, you’d better learn how to kneel.
Oddly enough, I didn’t get an infection. The Dr. said that to dig in, get it out, and then suture would have damaged the nail bed. He felt that wasn’t worth the risk. It’s a tiny wee bump. I hardly notice it, although it has sent women screaming from the room in abject horror. Their loss.
Cartooniverse
If you want to kiss the sky, you’d better learn how to kneel.
