How do you replace top on bottle?

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oldcrownbock

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I posted pic of my Excelsior bottle that needs top fixed I know nothing about this but I want to get it fixed.I looked on ebay and think I found some bottles that match but how can I tell? they are $30+ to buy.Are all tops same size if look same beer bottle wise? How is this done? money is no matter just want it fixed.Does anyone do this work still.

Thanks
 

ombudsman

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This may be no help at all, but here is how I would do it if it were my bottle and it was very important to me.

I have repaired many chipped opals by using Epoxy 330 (water clear epoxy,) tinting the resin appropriately. You can buy special colorants for epoxy, but I have found that Testor's paint (in extremely small amounts) works just fine. After the resin cures, I sand and polish the repair just like a stone. The epoxy seems to "pull" the flashes of opal fire up into it (visually) and the repairs are essentially invisible.

As to your bottle, first I would lightly sand the broken surfaces (to provide "tooth" for the epoxy) then I would create a mold (on the bottle) and fill it with properly tinted epoxy. It would, of course, take a good deal of pre-pour experimentation to get the color right. Then I'd sand (and shape the very top) and polish the repair. Making the mold correct would, obviously, be the difficult part of the job. I can think of several possible ways to do this.

Another way to do this would be to plug the mouth of the bottle and simply mold big globs of tinted epoxy on the broken sections (again, after providing some tooth,) then, using thin sanding disks and wheels (Dremel maybe?) to "carve" the proper shape. Then fine sand and polish just like a soft stone. This might be the easier method, if the operator is skillful.

This is what I would do with my own bottle - and I'd have to very badly want it repaired to invest this much work. I would not take on this job for money.

Hope this is helpful.
Dave

EDIT: I just looked again at your bottle. I think the repair I described would definitely be manageable. Please do not ask me to do it. I have way too much on my plate to take it on.
 

oldcrownbock

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Thanks for info and that might do job I know people have talked about replacing tops and see where it could be done anyone do that or know of someone who does?
 

suzanne

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I've never done exactly such a repair but I wouldn't go with e-bay unless I could be absolutely assured of a perfect match; especially if I had to spend 30.00 on it. I would get as exact as possible DIAMETER of the base of the blob (because it might be tapered) and take the bottle with you when you go to auctions and stuff so you can get an exact COLOR match. Can you tell if your blob has a MOLD SEAM that goes all the way to the top? Those are the 3 things you would want to match. I would not be in a hurry since it may take some time to stumble across the perfect candidate.

You would have to have a way to shear the old top off completely right at the point of the top of the decorative ring so as to hide the repair> sort of like how a plastic surgeon would hide a surgery scar in a naturally occuring fold of a persons skin. I don't know the ins and outs of cutting glass but maybe someone on here could be of help. Good luck.
 

suzanne

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I forgot to mention, to get a blob with the same bottom diameter you would just have to get one with the same circumfrence.
 

ombudsman

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ORIGINAL: suzanne

You would have to have a way to shear the old top off completely right at the point of the top of the decorative ring so as to hide the repair> sort of like how a plastic surgeon would hide a surgery scar in a naturally occuring fold of  a persons skin.   I don't know the ins and outs of cutting glass but maybe someone on here could be of help.  Good luck. 


I have lapidary diamond blades that would certainly saw the top off, though if it were my bottle, I wouldn't choose to try to repair it that way. Most rock shops would have the equipment to cut the top off. The cost should be minimal.

Personally, I would consider a bottle repaired with a replacement lip as assembled rather than repaired.
 

oldcrownbock

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Thanks to both of you for input very much to think of far as matching up.What ya mean by rock shops? also do you split the top off by cutting or just cut across? Seams like ya take new top and get extra glass out(with demeral?) and slip it over old bottle? all new to me
 

ombudsman

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I think what Suzanne was referring to is to: cut off the broken top and glue on an appropriate top from the "donor" bottle.

BTW, an advantage of the repair strategy I described is that if your first attempt(s) fail, you can just remove your work by soaking it in acetone for a day or three.

A rock shop is a business that sells rocks, minerals, fossils, lapidary equipment (including rock tumblers and grit) and other things pertinent to amateur earth science. Correct me if I'm wrong, but since you had not heard the term "rock shop", I'm guessing that you don't live "around here"[:D]
 

JOETHECROW

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ORIGINAL: oldcrownbock

I posted pic of my Excelsior bottle that needs top fixed I know nothing about this but I want to get it fixed.I looked on ebay and think I found some bottles that match but how can I tell? they are $30+ to buy.Are all tops same size if look same beer bottle wise? How is this done? money is no matter just want it fixed.Does anyone do this work still.

Thanks

This probably occured to you, but couldn't you go to your local dump and gather up some broken blobtops to experiment with? ....Just a thought...(or perhaps you don't have such an area to go to?)....bummer if you don't...[:mad:] Joe
 

ombudsman

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ORIGINAL: JOETHECROW

ORIGINAL: oldcrownbock

I posted pic of my Excelsior bottle that needs top fixed I know nothing about this but I want to get it fixed.I looked on ebay and think I found some bottles that match but how can I tell? they are $30+ to buy.Are all tops same size if look same beer bottle wise? How is this done? money is no matter just want it fixed.Does anyone do this work still.

Thanks

This probably occured to you, but couldn't you go to your local dump and gather up some broken blobtops to experiment with? ....Just a thought...(or perhaps you don't have such an area to go to?)....bummer if you don't...[:mad:]                                     Joe


That's a good idea.
 

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