90+% want clean bottles even in cheaper ones. The original state was not stained or etched. And, cleaned bottles/any antique glass brings a higher price. Very few want to display dirty, stained bottles.
The best brush for sodas is one Jar Doctor sells number B170 for $5.00. It is 14" long and the brush is 4" long - it is bendable to get in to corners, and shoulders. Our most popular for bottles especially sodas.
Bill is correct that if it is soft glass sometimes copper will cause pitting - only on soft glass and the ribbon trick will solve that. The way to tell the difference is - is the cloudiness only on the sides and not on the base. If that is the case, the ribbon trick will work. If not, you do...
Was it an ACL or an actual label? It is an ACL the paint is on the outside so cleaning the inside has no affect on the ACL. And using just soap and water should not damage the paint either as long as you don't use a scrubber over the painted area.
Good luck.
They can be buffed out by someone who has a wet buffing wheel. With a standard buffing wheel glass gets too hot with horrible consequences. Flat glass except for fruit jar lids is one area that is not able to be tumbled currently.
Good luck.
Most collectors want their bottle clean - even die-hard diggers. It adds to their value. How many people do you know that complain about the white buid up inside drinking glasses, vases? Same principle. Coating them might make them look better, but, hasn't changed the fact that they are...
Your bottle has etching and even though it appears the inside may be ok, it probably isn't. Many times when the outside looks like this, it appears the inside is fine, but, once the outside is clean, you realize the inside wasn't either.
I would tumble the bottle and it will look awesome -...
What oxide you use and how long it is tumbled depends on the stain and the bottle. I have found that each bottle is different. My instructions are a general guide and work for the majority of bottles.
If it is etched/scratched, start with cutter (slow cutter) - not something like 600 or 1000...
Hydrofluoric acid can kill you. That is why it has been stopped in the UK where it used to be the popular way to clean bottles (and etch them). If any of you remember, this used to be done in the US and there are many bottles still around that were cleaned with acid and look it.
Bad idea...
You need to be careful with copper. There is hard copper and soft copper. The copper used in electrical wiring is soft copper and, therefore, does not scratch glass. Many other applications, like your scrubber, use hard copper which does scratch glass. I had a customer just this week ask me...