Please help me with suggestions!

[pupman]

Hi Guys,When it comes to bottles nobody knows everything and I learn somthing everyday about bottles that I didn't know before. I am having trouble getting the inside of my insect powders clean,mostly the necks ,which,when they dry show what looks like water stains. They aren't terrible but as these type of bottles are the only bottlesIcollect I would like to get them really mint.I am using aluminum oxide and spinning them for about 7 days I think the outsides are really good but the insides seem much tougher.Any suggestions? I appreciate anything anyone with alot of tumbling experience can help me with! Thanks,Kev

 

[GuntherHess]

Are you using copper? If the bottle has too little copper or too much the neck wont get done well. Those are pretty small bottles so the copper probably isnt moving well in the neck. Maybe try it some with smaller copper chips or glass beads. Something that would move in that smaller space better. When I tumble just the insides of bottles I just pack them in a tube with foam. No sense filling the whole tube. Are you using a conical stopple at the mouth end? Those stick in the bottle a bit and may hinder some of the copper from moving. Just some thoughts...

 

[pupman]

Hi Matt,Thanks for some good ideas,maybe I'm using too much copper,I've been filling the bug powders to the shoulder and maybe the copper just can't move around. I have the conical stopple,didn't honestly know there is any other kind that would hold the bottle in place. I've also heard Cerium oxide does a better job,have you used it? As I say,the rest of the bottle generally comes out nice and shiny but those necks really"bug me"! Kev

 

[otgb]

hey kev
i use the conical stopple for two days to clean the outside of the lip then i take it out and use the three finger angle stopple it holds the outside of the lip and the copper flows in and out of the neck or you can do what matt said just tumble the inside i just cut the finger of a rubber glove and use a tie wrap around the neck and the copper will flow into the finger
hope this helps i dont like the neck stains it seems to happen in harder aqua bottles more often but it does come out
tim

 

[GuntherHess]

If you are just tumbling the inside you can make a holder for the top by cutting a piece of heavy foam with a cut out for the bottle top. That way nothing will intrude into the neck. I havent used cerium. Experiment some with less desirable bottles. There are lots of people here that do much more tumbling than me , hopefully you'll hear from them. Necks are always going to be tough because you have less weight of copper on the polishing medium.

 

[bottlediger]

Kev, it does sound like you are using to much coopper. Try less. Another problem might be added to much oxide in the inside. It is hard to judge on those small bottles the correct amount sometimes, usally if you add to much you will get a cloudy look not sure if that is the prob you are having. Now Cerium makes bottles sparkle more, its a softer polish which should be used mostly on Pontil age glass mostly pre 1850 or any other soft glass such as amber colored glass. Alum. polish is a multi use oxide which I use on most of my bottles, I dont really see much a differnce from Cerium than Alum except on really soft glass like i said. I havnt worked up the nerve to tumble my costars yet, the neck is EXTREMLY fragile so I dont know if Ill chane it or not.

Digger Ry

 

[pupman]

Thanks everyone! Some good ideas which I will certinly try.I have had preety good luck tumbling most bottles but these insect powders with their thin necks are harder than most.I use quite a bit of aluminum oxide but i don't think its too much since the copper shines when it is taken out of the bottle which i think is correct. At one time I was only using a tiny bit with largely unsatisfactory results. Now copper Ry,I think you may be right it makes sense that if you spin these thin necks you can't have alot of copper as it won't clean right. Thanks again ,practice makes perfect I guess! Kev