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Antique Bottle Cleaning

An interview with an expert bottle cleaner

The cleaning of antique bottles has long been a question mark in the minds of many bottle collectors. Some people want their bottles spotless and that often requires a professional cleaning. Some people, like myself, aren't that picky and almost prefer a little stain just to show its original condition. We have adopted that policy here at American Bottle Auctions..... so the buyer knows exactly what the bottle looks like before anything is done to it.

The 21st century bottle cleaner has advanced quite a bit over the last 10 or so years. They now use very special compounds and more efficient machines. The professional can clean more bottles more quickly now, and do a better job than ever before. I talked with a professional bottle cleaner named Lou Lambert last week and asked him some questions about having bottles cleaned and what to expect.

What is the most important part of having a bottle cleaned?

Lots of factors should be considered when having a bottle cleaned but I think the most important thing is NOT to over clean. It's always better to under clean than over clean for many reasons. The longer the cleaning time, the more glass is going to be removed. If you look real closely at the surface of a blown bottle, you will see that there is a texture to an original surface. Often, over cleaning will remove this texture leaving the surface smooth, thus reducing the appearance of an original surface. There is also the risk of causing bubbles in the glass to open by cleaning. I've seen cases where a bubble will open and the tumbling media will pack in the open bubble causing the bottle to crack. You should also consider that who ever cleans your bottle might not have the experience of someone who does this professionally. I've seen way too many botched attempts at cleaning a good bottle and then they are brought to someone like myself to fix. I can't tell you how many bottles I've cleaned after someone else has tried. This will often result in the over cleaning of a bottle to remove stain that could have been avoided.

You also need to consider the fact that breakage can happen in the cleaning process. I think some of the best advice I can give someone is this; "If you don't want to risk the chance of having your bottle damaged in the cleaning process then don't have it cleaned".

What are the most difficult bottles to clean?

Thin and flat bottles can be very hard to clean because of the uneven tumble action, unlike a round bottle that will roll more evenly. Bottles with heavy embossing can also be a challenge getting the glass completely clean around the lettering without over cleaning the surface. Bottles with deep pockets or crevices like a Cathedral pickle can also be a problem for the novice cleaner.

Bottles that have been hydrofluoric acid cleaned are almost impossible to restore once dipped in the acid. This type of cleaning is extremely dangerous and will not produce the lustrous effect of a pro cleaning. Bottle glass has hard and soft spots in it. Acid will eat away at the soft areas faster than the hard ones. When this type of thing happens, the surface will look and feel uneven. Acid often will leave a slightly dull appearance to the glass and acid can work its way into the glass, leaving a dullness that can not be polished away.

What are your feelings about people that think it a sacrilege to clean a bottle?

In general, most antiques and collectibles are more desirable with their original surface, providing that it's not too far-gone. Bottles are one of the few antique collectibles that are often found buried in the ground. Because of this, it's impractical not to clean certain bottles. Often the value of a bottle can be increased by as much as ten times just by having the surfaces restored (cleaned). It took me years of experience, by trial and error and having cleaned thousands of bottles, but it is possible to restore a bottle surface without giving it that polished look. I think the ones who don't like to have their bottles cleaned may not fully understand, or may not have seen a restored glass surface by a true professional.

What are the do and don'ts of bottle cleaning?

If someone has an expensive bottle, some of my best advice is (DO) let a pro clean it. Over the years I've had dozens of good, expensive bottles brought to me for re-cleaning that had been attempted to be cleaned by others. This being the case, when it's properly cleaned the second time around, there has to be more surface glass removed, thus creating an over cleaned bottle. You're also risking damage to the item by someone who's not a pro.

The proper approach to cleaning an expensive antique bottle should be conservative, like having a piece of fine art restored. It's my opinion that improper or over cleaning can ruin the appearance and value of a bottle. It's always better to under clean a bottle than to over clean. You can always clean it more, but once over cleaned, there's no going back.

All bottle glass has a surface texture and once that texture is broken through, a bottle will have that smooth over cleaned appearance. It is possible to spot clean a bottle and only polish where it's needed, without cleaning the entire surface. Another very important factor, is being able to master 100% uniform cleaning, where the entire surface is being cleaned evenly. It's important to clean the base, top and body at the same rate, which is very difficult to do without the know-how. Often you will see bottles that are over cleaned on the top, but under cleaned on the base and in between lettering.

I recently viewed two very rare Western Whiskey bottles I was interested in buying. I saw both of these bottles before they were cleaned and liked them. The owner felt he would get more money for his bottles cleaned, rather than stained. He had a friend clean them who had over and unevenly cleaned them, leaving their surfaces mirror smooth. They looked clean all right, but unfortunately, their original surfaces had been ruined by the excessive cleaning and, in my opinion, it only decreased their value and my interest.

Tips for people who want to clean their own bottles? Also, why is it better to use a pro?

Cleaning your own bottles can be fun and rewarding. However, I can tell you from twenty years experience in cleaning that it takes several years, and hundreds of bottle cleanings, to master a technique. There are many, many, many variables that need to be taken into consideration when cleaning a bottle. Composition of glass, cutting and polishing compounds, tumbling duration, rotation, machine speed, tumbling media, amount of polish, combinations, fluids, rate at which cleaning compounds break down, temperature, how item is secured, canister size, etc.

A good way to start is with items of little value. Expensive or rare items are better off having someone with a great deal of experience handling them. Also, consider the fact that just because someone has cleaned bottles for a long time, it does not make them a professional. I've seen many attempts made by some folks, who have cleaned for years, that were satisfactory at best. The best way to find someone who knows their stuff is to ask around and actually look at some of their work. Don't have a good bottle cleaned by someone who's work you're not familiar with or who doesn't come highly recommended.

Anything else you think is important? Cost of cleaning, what not to clean, whatever you think is important?

That old saying: "You get what you pay for", usually holds true for bottle cleaning, too. There are a few folks out there who will clean any bottle for around $15.  And, that's exactly what your going to get... a $15 job. I'd strongly advise anyone to NOT have a good bottle cleaned in this manor. Most true professionals will charge on a individual basis, depending on budget and the extent of restoration needed.

What about potstones, cracks, bubbles and tight corners?

All of these can present problems and possible damage in cleaning a bottle.

Potstones will often star crack in the cleaning process. I'd advise folks who have a nice bottle with a potstone, NOT have it cleaned.

Cracks will often run in the cleaning process and can cause a bottle to come apart while cleaning.

Bubbles close to the inner or outer surface can open, thus causing compound and tumbling media to lodge inside the open bubble. I've also seen bottles break when this happens from the pressure of the material being packed into a tight space.

Corners can become tightly packed with tumbling media, causing a bottle to crack from the pressure. However, there are ways to prevent this from happening.

What's clear from our discussion with Lou, is that not every bottle needs cleaning and that over- cleaning is the worst thing you can do to a bottle. For those of you who just want to spruce up a favorite bottle, without going to a pro, you might try what Bryan Grapentine does. He gets a little polish from a rock-polishing store. He next makes a water/polish compound and coats the bottle with it. Then, he very gently rubs the bottle, continuing to use cool water on the surface. This way of cleaning is easy, inexpensive, and it enables you to stop at any time when the results are satisfactory. Of course, that doesn't do you any good if you have a bottle stained from the inside. For a good start, with real hard to get rust and other gunk, a solution of 50% water and 50% muriatic acid can really help. Also, don't forget that if you dig a bottle, sometimes it's amazing what a little soap and water will do. Make sure you don't use warm or hot water and then allow it to sit in a cool breeze. The same is true of the reverse. I had more than one bottle talk to me after I cleaned it, then let it dry by a warm light. It said, "tink".

Some cleaning suggestions:

1.      Room temp water only. Anything other than that can cause bottle glass to crack.

2.      Always turn bottle up-side-down and leave in box over night to drain all excess water.

3.      Vinegar and water 50/50 is a good cleaning combo.

4.      Coca-Cola works well too believe it or not.

5.      If you use muriatic be sure to wear eye protection and gloves. ALWAYS keep your muriatic solution covered with a lid. The fumes will cause steel to rust up to 40 feet away.

Lou Lambert can be reached at (707) 823-8845 and his email address is [email protected].

Jeff Wichmann

11/21/05

Responses from our readers:

Hi Jeff- Great article. Lou is one of the best, has good tips and has been a help to me in the past. One step I have learned with Muriatic acid dipping is to keep a bucket of fresh water with a good dose of baking soda in it next to the acid bucket. after dipping in the acid. drain the bottle and give it a dip in the soda solution. This will neutralize any remaining acid. Also, if you have open bubbles, the foaming action will help with getting the left over oxides out after polishing. I find that a quick dip in acid solution after polish will remove most left over oxides. The bottle should be rinsed with clean, fresh water after the baking soda dip. Larry Chipman [email protected]

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After reading the very informative article, I still have one question that wasn't answered: is it possible to "pro clean" a bottle using a polishing compound only, without removing any glass? In other words, remove the foreign stain, mineralization, etc. but not "cut" into the bottle's original glass surface? Always wondered about that! Anybody know the answer?  Regards, Mike Dickman

Hi Mike; Here's the answer to your question; There are basically two kinds of stain that you'll find on most old bottles. The first being the kind that adheres to the glass similar to content stain or a kind of deposit left by something that causes it to stick to the glass. This kind of stain can usually be removed with a liquid cleaner of some sort. A 50/50 mixture of muriatic  acid and water is the strongest chemical you should  ever use on vintage bottle glass for any kind of  deposit that appears to be stuck to the surface. However the acid will have no effect on an oil based deposit. For this, I've had to use either paint thinner or paint stripper.

The second and most common kind of stain is one that actually eats into the surfaces of the glass. This is usually caused by a mineral or chemical interacting with the composition of the glass causing it to break down. If you were to look at this kind of stain under very high power magnification you'd actually see that the surface is partially eaten away or etched/pitied looking. When this happens the only way to get it clean/clear looking is to polish it.  When a bottle is polished you're actually taking down the surface of the glass ever so slightly to cut through or remove the etching/stain. That's where you need to know when to stop. Under magnification, the textured surface of bottle glass is usually very thin. Polishing it ever so lightly will preserve the surface but over-polish and you'll cut right through it. On some bottles with heavy etching/stain there's no way to do a light job and have it look right. I've found that a light polish on a heavily etched/stained bottle will often make the appearance look worse. When working with a bottle like that is where things get tricky in order to do a good job without over cleaning.  You'll need to know what kinds of compounds to use, rotation speed, number of steps to take and  rate at which the compounds break down.  -Lou

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Unlike painted surfaces, glass does not oxidize nor does it patinate in dry air.  In my opinion, cleaning should only be done by a professional is the bottle is valuable.  If it is over-cleaned which includes weakened embossing, or making the bottle oval, then I fell the bottle has been significantly reduced in value. Personally, I don't like or buy over cleaned bottles, not do I like weakly embossed bottles, but that is a personal opinion.  If a bottle is stained, and cleaned nicely, I feel it enhances the value because its eye appeal is increased.  Very few people like to look at colored bottles in the light when the bottle is heavily stained.  That being said, there are exceptions to every rule.  Good Article, you should start publishing a magazine.

 

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