Late 1800,s to early 1900,s amber whiskey

[willong]

This is interesting, the turn in the mold. And the turn would erase the seam marks including the one at the top of the cylinder?

Turning would normally erase that seam, though I have seen a few where it was not totally obliterated. In those cases, the seam is still visible, though muted, not sharp.

I'm thinking a couple factors could affect the appearance of the horizontal seam. One might be how tight the mold itself was constructed and how much use it had endured. If sloppy construction or heavy wear of the mold resulted in a higher and wider seam in the glass before the bottle was turned it occurs to me than more seam might remain visible after turning. I am also thinking that how quickly the glass blower turned the bottle, thus its temperature and plasticity, might contribute to the final product's appearance.

If any glassblowers are reading this, I'd be interested in their input.

 

[buriedtreasuretime]

Turning would normally erase that seam, though I have seen a few where it was not totally obliterated. In those cases, the seam is still visible, though muted, not sharp.

I'm thinking a couple factors could affect the appearance of the horizontal seam. One might be how tight the mold itself was constructed and how much use it had endured. If sloppy construction or heavy wear of the mold resulted in a higher and wider seam in the glass before the bottle was turned it occurs to me than more seam might remain visible after turning. I am also thinking that how quickly the glass blower turned the bottle, thus its temperature and plasticity, might contribute to the final product's appearance.

If any glassblowers are reading this, I'd be interested in their input.

Do you know if molds were steel , pig iron or wood soaked in wate:I’ve read that steam rising off cold molds causes whittling in the black and amber pieces too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[willong]

Do you know if molds were steel , pig iron or wood soaked in wate:I’ve read that steam rising off cold molds causes whittling in the black and amber pieces too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In bottle collecting books from the 1970's, authors would frequently repeat the theory, or speculate themselves, that turn-molded bottles were originally produced in wooden molds that had charred with usage; the fine carbon particles thus providing a reduction of friction that permitted the turning and polishing. I even repeated that theory a couple times myself in my youth, though I've grown highly skeptical of the theory with time. I actually doubt that wooden molds, other than simple dip molds for esentially free-blown bottles ever saw any significant employment in commercial bottle production.

All photos of bottle production molds from the 19th century and onward that I have seen appear to picture molds made of iron, though not specifically "pig" iron. The high carbon content and resultant brittleness of pig iron would not be optimal for molds. Many of the photos I've seen have been captioned as depicting iron molds, or accompanied by text that so states.

My understanding is that the mold interiors were coated with a special paste that facilitated the turn polishing. I believe the process was employed most frequently in wine and champagne bottle production where, for whatever reason, the smooth glossy finish was considered desirable (for marketing purposes I believe).

There seems to be a modern consensus that cold molds are responsible for "whittle" marks; and I adhere to that notion. Whether the effect results from too-rapid cooling or steam flashing, I don't have enough knowledge to say. I had always heard that it was rapid cooling that produced the appearance; but your comment about steam seems to hold merit.

You've actually provided me a fresh thought to ponder. I've done enough metal work and welding to have noted appearance of dampness on metal disappear as it is heated with a torch. In many cases, the condensation was so thinly and evenly distributed on the surface, or in the microscopic pores of the metal as to not be evident before noting the change in surface appearance as the heat is applied.

I believe that a visit to the following website would provide you much interesting reading: https://sha.org/bottle/body.htm

 

[sandchip]

The amber whiskey would date between 1903 and 1920.

 

[buriedtreasuretime]

In bottle collecting books from the 1970's, authors would frequently repeat the theory, or speculate themselves, that turn-molded bottles were originally produced in wooden molds that had charred with usage; the fine carbon particles thus providing a reduction of friction that permitted the turning and polishing. I even repeated that theory a couple times myself in my youth, though I've grown highly skeptical of the theory with time. I actually doubt that wooden molds, other than simple dip molds for esentially free-blown bottles ever saw any significant employment in commercial bottle production.

All photos of bottle production molds from the 19th century and onward that I have seen appear to picture molds made of iron, though not specifically "pig" iron. The high carbon content and resultant brittleness of pig iron would not be optimal for molds. Many of the photos I've seen have been captioned as depicting iron molds, or accompanied by text that so states.

My understanding is that the mold interiors were coated with a special paste that facilitated the turn polishing. I believe the process was employed most frequently in wine and champagne bottle production where, for whatever reason, the smooth glossy finish was considered desirable (for marketing purposes I believe).

There seems to be a modern consensus that cold molds are responsible for "whittle" marks; and I adhere to that notion. Whether the effect results from too-rapid cooling or steam flashing, I don't have enough knowledge to say. I had always heard that it was rapid cooling that produced the appearance; but your comment about steam seems to hold merit.

You've actually provided me a fresh thought to ponder. I've done enough metal work and welding to have noted appearance of dampness on metal disappear as it is heated with a torch. In many cases, the condensation was so thinly and evenly distributed on the surface, or in the microscopic pores of the metal as to not be evident before noting the change in surface appearance as the heat is applied.

I believe that a visit to the following website would provide you much interesting reading: https://sha.org/bottle/body.htm

Thank you for this information, very helpful.?do you know the late 60’s book by Bob and Pat Ferraro, black glass collectors, wrote an illustrated paperback, copyright 1964. They were Nevada based and I met them at a county fair as a boy. It’s a great illustrated copy and with out rereading it. Believe this is where I picked up the wooden mold story. Iron makes more sense for longevity but I don’t think I have a single black glass piece that is a duplicate, they all seem to be different so I’m wondering in the earlier days 1840, whether the wood mold was only used a few times before it had too much char. I’ve watched glass blowers use wads of wet newspaper to smooth and finish a neck. But eventually it chars too.

This was my holy grail when I was a kid. I’ve strived to collect all the bottles in this but am woefully short in some areas.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk