Question of Color? SCA! SCY?

epgorge · Jun 17, 2008

Here is a question for y'all to ponder.

If sunlight (radiation) brings about solar colored amythest in bottles produced from manganese, does sunlight bring about solar colored yellow in those bottle produced with uranium, etc to bring about a yellow color?

I have a Dr. Pierce Smart Weed that had yellow streaks through the neck, middle and base of the bottle a few years ago. Now the whole bottle appears to be turning deeper yellow.

What say you?

Epgorge

GuntherHess · Jun 17, 2008

as far as i know UV radiation doesnt affect uranium colored (vasaline) glass.
The yellow in your pierce's bottle is likely some amber impurities. Not sure I can see a way UV light would change that.

capsoda · Jun 17, 2008

I had a Kerr fruit jar sittin in the window that turned a slight yellowish gold color. Never figured it out.

Thought I was all alone.[&o]

GuntherHess · Jun 17, 2008

The Kerr is late enough to have selenium in it...

Selenium, also used to bleach the green tinge from glass, also exhibited a color change phenomenon when combined with iron oxide and ultraviolet rays. If left exposed, the glass would turn amber in color (pale goldy yellow).

I have seen many clear selenium based bottles that have a yellowish tint. I never tried exposing them to UV.

whitefeather · Jan 14, 2009

Hi, I was looking at this site and as far as I know We use to get the manganese from germany and during the war the got pissed at us and said " tou can't have any more manganese soooo we had to find another way to get the natural glass clear and as I understand it it came with selenium.

Now I was talking to my aunt and I asked her about a vase she has. It is red with silver leaves on it. Very beautiful, she said the red glass is made from pigeon blood, has anyone heard of this? She is almost 80 and was told this by her mother, who could have been pulling her leg? Whitefeather

cordilleran · Jan 14, 2009

whitefeather:

Gold or ferrous oxide is used to create red glass. During the 19th century, trace gold was the chosen additive as ferrous oxide tends to produce a variable red coloration. The glass clearing agent, manganese, which upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVA) does, indeed, color clear glass amethystine (sun-colored amethyst, or SCA). the "wolf packs" of Germany (unterwasserboots), or U-boats, played havoc with Atlantic shipping during World War One, particularly when the United States entered the fray in early 1917. Hence, manganese importation was severely curtailed. I suspect there was a limited stockpile of manganese. But for all intensive purposes, "clear" glass turning purple on exposure to UVA dates from 1917 or earlier. Alternatively, selenium as a clearing agent for clearing glass was used. The element selenium, on exposure to UVA will turn the glass yellow in varying shades (depending on the concentration of the element to metal). By 1930, or thereabouts, glass manufacturers realized the error of their ways and discontinued the use of selenium altogether. Actual pigeon blood and its occasional consumption in any form is only good for fraternity initiation rites. Red Matthews, would you like to weigh in on this issue?

RICKJJ59W · Jan 14, 2009

Copper and selenium was also used to make red glass.

epgorge · Jan 14, 2009

I believe manganese was used for hardening steel and became a needed item for the war effort during WW2. Its value increased making it less desirable to use as a glass cleaning agent.

Though, I have never heard of the use of pigeon blood for red glass production, it sounds like a good one for urban legends.

Ep

cyberdigger · Jan 14, 2009

Hmmm.. I just filled a clear bottle with pigeon blood and it turned red right away!![

]

cyberdigger · Jan 14, 2009

Don't worry, my pigeon didn't die, she's just a bit sleepy now..

Question of Color? SCA! SCY?

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