Wheelah23
Well-Known Member
I was debating how to clean this bottle that epackage so kindly gave me... But I'm not really sure what muriatic acid can/can't clean. I've heard it can't clean ground stain or iridescence, but I also hear people saying they use it all the time. What's the story? Does anyone have before and after pictures of bottles on which they used muriatic acid?
Anyway, onto the bottle at hand. I have a feeling that muriatic would work wonders on this bottle. Underneath the dull stain, I can see a shiny, beautiful bottle! It was obviously never buried, due to the fact that it has the wire closure intact. I assume that if I used muriatic with the closure still on it, the wire would become corroded and useless. I am debating whether the closure is worth saving. The wire adds nothing aesthetically to the bottle, and is the only reason it isn't as shiny as its brothers. None of my other local bottles have the closures intact either, so this one also appears out of place in that sense. Putnam closures are hardly a unique thing, being used commonly throughout the 1860's-80's. The cork used to seal mine is missing, so I don't think it would really be a loss.
Another option I am considering is taking the closure off with pliers, cleaning the bottle the best I can, then reattaching the wire to the (now cleaned) neck. Is it worth it to do this? Am I hurting the collectability of the bottle by removing the original closure? What do I do?
Anyway, onto the bottle at hand. I have a feeling that muriatic would work wonders on this bottle. Underneath the dull stain, I can see a shiny, beautiful bottle! It was obviously never buried, due to the fact that it has the wire closure intact. I assume that if I used muriatic with the closure still on it, the wire would become corroded and useless. I am debating whether the closure is worth saving. The wire adds nothing aesthetically to the bottle, and is the only reason it isn't as shiny as its brothers. None of my other local bottles have the closures intact either, so this one also appears out of place in that sense. Putnam closures are hardly a unique thing, being used commonly throughout the 1860's-80's. The cork used to seal mine is missing, so I don't think it would really be a loss.
Another option I am considering is taking the closure off with pliers, cleaning the bottle the best I can, then reattaching the wire to the (now cleaned) neck. Is it worth it to do this? Am I hurting the collectability of the bottle by removing the original closure? What do I do?
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