Irradiating bottles?

[swizzle]

I can't imagine purpling anything that has any historical significance, even if its only a fairly common local med. I'm not really looking to turn any bottle into a purple monster. Just a light shade or tint. About half of the color that you have in the box above would be awesome. Where would I find a bulb like the one you use on your box above? Can I get them online somewhere? Nice job by the way. Swiz

 

[Digswithstick]

Got mine at -Hite Company - I have seen them on line as well []

 

[Digswithstick]

On the light

 

[Digswithstick]

Aluminum foil cover

 

[Digswithstick]

slick med bottles ,different sizes

 

[Digswithstick]

Ones that were on light in pic .

 

[Digswithstick]

Got the jar on far right from antique store ($2.00)when just starting with light to remind me not to get them too dark,but i believe this type of irradiation done on jar is possibly x-ray or gamma ray .
The light coloring gives slicks a chance to be window bottles not just throw backs [].

 

[GuntherHess]

Ones that were on light in pic .

Those bottles are identical to bottles that sat in the sun for months. Set side by side there is no one who could tell the difference.
So I dont see UV purpling as an issue.
Either you like purpled bottles (UV lamp or UV sun) or you dont . To each, his/her own.

 

[JOETHECROW]

Either you like purpled bottles (UV lamp or UV sun) or you dont . To each, his/her own.

I can remember thinking it was one of the coolest things when I started learning about bottles, that they started out clear and could get a "suntan" by being outdoors,...and turn that cool light purple/rose color...I think the reason I have such an aversion to "nuked" versions is the creepy association with, well, "Nukes" (and by that I mean done w/ gamma rays, or in a reactor)....and also the fact that such a cool thing that happened naturally, and outdoors, was blasphemously and (sometimes) sneakily represented as happening naturally. Odd as it sounds, I don't think anything as old and cool as an antique bottle, should be juxtaposed with anything as modern and evil as a nuclear reactor. [8|] Now uv lamps I have no such associations with and think they're fine. Go figure,...

 

[BillinMo]

One point -- there is a difference between sun-colored or UV-exposed glass, and truly IRRADIATED glass (which has been exposed to high levels of radiation). Most collectors understand the sun-coloring to be a natural result. For something used outdoors, like insulators, they're more likely to be found sun-colored than not.

ORIGINAL: Poison_Us

I see a lot of nuked glass down at Kellers flea market. I'm not sure if it sells or not cuz I don't go that often. But I do have a question...

What colors of nuke are there? We all konw of the purple... And I have seen discussions of the "amber" cokes that were nuked. Are their other artificial colors from his process?

Yep, a lot of different colors can turn up in irradiated glass: purples, sapphire blues, ambers, etc. It gets more complicated when someone takes irradiated glass and then alters the color further with high heat, such as a kiln. The heat sometimes softens the "unnatural" tones seen in irradiated glass.

It's been linked in other threads, but here's a good article on altered insulators:

http://www.nia.org/altered/index.htm

And gallery (and many more photos in the links at the bottom of the page):

http://www.nia.org/altered/Pictures_compare.htm