Can anyone tell me what product was in this bottle and teach me about how it was made

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Mikez

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Phew that was a mouthful!

I'm really interested in the bottles from a historical point of view and I'm getting interested in bottle manufacturing.

Ive perused the sites and learned alot but am overwhelmed by data overload.
I wanted to see if any bottle geeks can help my education.

This bottle came from turn of century. It must have been office products. Had a cork top with brush applicator. Still contained alot of solidified black substance smelled like turpentine.
Anything about what was in it, especially a brand name, more exact age (I have a range) and any manufacturing notes would be much appreciated.

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Mikez

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Shoe polish totally makes sense. The applicator was the right size.

The bottle is amazing. Very thick glass. Like blue ice.
 

RelicRaker

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Sweet bottle—lots of bubbles and other irregularities. Shoe polish (or "boot dressing") was very popular before shoes were made from recycled truck tires like they are now. Sadly vintage shoe polish bottles are often unembossed—but the applicator, tarry contents, and turpentine smell are strong evidence. Cleaned a similar one in my kitchen last month, and the sink smelled like a shoeshine stand for 2 weeks.
 

Mikez

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Yep looks like shoe blacking it is.
So far I can't find a brand name. The popular brands seem to have bee embossed. No marks on this one but the two tiny **** on the bottom.
Found in Massachusetts so Boston manufacturing good bet, though not for sure.
 

Mikez

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Sorry if I violated a rule. I meant to use an engineering term that means " bumps".
 

CanadianBottles

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Nah that swear word censoring software on this site is wonky. I'm having a hard time thinking of what you wrote, but it often picks up on innocuous words. Before the update we couldn't write "analyzed" because, well...
 

Mikez

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Well anyway, I didn't intend to be crude.
The bottle has two little side by side bumps on the bottom, they resemble female upper frontal apparatus.
 

andy volkerts

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I think he meant **** on the bottom see that isn't so bad!! lol. yes shoe blacking or polish is what came in your little bottle. It was blown into a "snap case mold" so the top ring could be added or tooled, any time side mold marks do not go to the top of a bottle, means it was applied or tooled top, pre about 1885-90. the snap case mold made pontils obsolete in about 1865 or so, depending on the glasshouse making the bottle. ( the glasshouses used different technologies often and only the big ones were on the leading edge of breaking new techniques) some glasshouse were making pontiled bottle into the 1870s. your bottles color is called aqua and is the second most common color after clear or flint glass. Touluse wrote a good book about bottle-glassmaking, it is out of print, but you can find them on e-bay and some bottle auction sites. it is rare and will cost yu a bunch, but worth it for the info given.......Andy
 

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