zecritr
Well-Known Member
Beginning in 1933 a form of silk screening was introduced to put colored labels on milk bottles. The colored label was actually fused to the glass. This was cheaper and faster than using the molds needed for embossed milk bottles. It also made the labels much more prominent against the white background of the milk. This process was called pyroglazing (pyro for short) or Applied Color Labeling. Pyroglaze was the term used by the Thatcher Manufacturing Company of Elmira, New York. Owens-Illinois Glass Company of Toledo, Ohio used the term Applied Color Labeling or ACL for the same process. The Universal Glass Products Company of Parkersburg, West Virginia called the process Fire-Fused Color Lettering or Hi-Fired Color Lettering. Liberty Glass Company of Sapulpa, Oklahoma used the term Lustro-Color for their bottles with colored lettering.
An industry press release in May of 1933 indicated that Owens-Illinois Glass Company had developed this process at its plant in Huntington, West Virginia. Soon after, by July of 1933, they started promoting milk bottles with fused names and trademarks in color (they did not use the term ACL at that time) in their own advertisements. In August of 1932 they used the term "Applied Color" Bottles in their advertisements to refer to display milk bottles that had color fused to the inside of the glass bottle. Display milk bottles were internally colored white to simulate milk and a yellow color to indicate the cream. This was done inside the bottle and used by milk dealers in their promotional displays. One unintended use of these display milk bottles was as a way to hide liquor. Prohibition was still in place in 1932 and these painted milk bottles did a good job of concealing their contents, especially if it was not milk. We are not sure if coloring the insides of the bottle was the same technology as applying colored labels to the outside of the bottle but Owens-Illinois claimed that the colors were fused to the glass by intense heat. They said the color was an integral part of the glass and permanent and indestructible except through breakage. The first advertisement we have seen from the Thatcher Manufacturing Company for pyroglazing was in March of 1934. They used the term pyroglaze in that advertisement
an excerpt from sodapopbob in another forum
An industry press release in May of 1933 indicated that Owens-Illinois Glass Company had developed this process at its plant in Huntington, West Virginia. Soon after, by July of 1933, they started promoting milk bottles with fused names and trademarks in color (they did not use the term ACL at that time) in their own advertisements. In August of 1932 they used the term "Applied Color" Bottles in their advertisements to refer to display milk bottles that had color fused to the inside of the glass bottle. Display milk bottles were internally colored white to simulate milk and a yellow color to indicate the cream. This was done inside the bottle and used by milk dealers in their promotional displays. One unintended use of these display milk bottles was as a way to hide liquor. Prohibition was still in place in 1932 and these painted milk bottles did a good job of concealing their contents, especially if it was not milk. We are not sure if coloring the insides of the bottle was the same technology as applying colored labels to the outside of the bottle but Owens-Illinois claimed that the colors were fused to the glass by intense heat. They said the color was an integral part of the glass and permanent and indestructible except through breakage. The first advertisement we have seen from the Thatcher Manufacturing Company for pyroglazing was in March of 1934. They used the term pyroglaze in that advertisement
an excerpt from sodapopbob in another forum
