To clean or not to clean?

[jerrypev]

Anyone who has watched Antiques Road Show has seen someone's appraisal of their Colonial highboy go from 30,000 to 5,000 because someone had it stripped/refinished. When I first began going to flea markets and auctions during the 1970s the rule was if an old piece of furniture had the original finish it got stripped. There was stripping, dipping and worse of all the horror of sand blasting antique furniture.
This applies as well to bottles. Of course as we all know there are plenty of collectible bottles that cry out for cleaning. And sure, cleaning seems the only option if we want to display and appreciate them. By cleaning I mean having them tumbled with copper powder.
Like everything else people can get carried away with perfection. Personally I can tolerate some stain, chips, even a minor crack. Trying to be somewhat scientific in my understanding and appreciation of Victorian glass there are many details and features of antique glass destroyed by cleaning. The surface will never be the same. It can never be restored.
Originally bottles were blown in iron molds made with the sand casting method. For this reason mold blown bottles have a subtle grainy texture. There are other interesting features of the surface of old glass.
I'd encourage collectors to have bottles cleaned only when condition truly justifies cleaning because there is no shortage of people not particularly good at cleaning bottles. I've bought a couple of bottles so over cleaned the embossing was almost worn off.
Like furniture a badly cleaned bottle is devalued. Your rare upside down pontil Joe Schmoe mineral water may be reduced from 500 to 30 dollars by someone who doesn't know how to properly clean bottles.

 

[AntiqueMeds]

The decision to clean is sometimes a difficult one. A few people dont like bottles cleaned, period. Based on the number of people who clean bottles I'd say that is a minority.
I dont think cleaning bottles can really be compared to taking the patina off antique furniture. Its rare to hear a collector remark that a bottle is more valuable because of its patina (maybe some black glass). I think the rules of cleaning in the bottle world are a bit more random compared to things like antiques or coins.
Generally speaking a well cleaned bottle is worth more than a sick one.
There is always a risk in tumbling, bottles can break.
There is a factor of personal preference. I dont clean a lot of early hazy bottles because I think they look fine as they are. Others would probably want them shiny.

just my opinion of course.
btw if your tumbling copper has turned to powder its probably time to change it[]

 

[Wheelah23]

I haven't had any bottles of mine tumbled, but I do think at some point I will have to make the jump. I absolutely prefer my bottles to be nice and shiny, unless that is at the expense of the glass being altered. Bottles with weakened embossing make me groan when I see them. I have a couple of really nice bottles that are ruined because of having been over tumbled. If I ever get a bottle tumbled, I'll want to make sure that the person is an expert... I love bottles with strong embossing, and the original glass texture is just as important... Tumbling usually ruins these things, like you said, so I am pretty much undecided on this issue.

 

[surfaceone]

Hey Jerry,

I bought a great Pie Safe in the early seventies. Really ratty 80 o/o pale green over white milk paint. Visible walnut rails on the doors. Did the "should I, or shouldn't I" while driving to the hardware store for a can of E-Z Strip.

Turned out to be a mixed walnut and poplar safe. Don't know how badly I crashed the value, but all that paint was impinging on the most magnificent pair of pierced eagles, so it didn't really matter. It disappeared with my then lady friend, alas.

I've never had a bottle tumbled, nor would I. If it's gotta be cleaned, there's no better method than the trade marked Chuckles Method, to my eyes.

 

[KBbottles]

Definitely depends on the piece. If its TOC locals, then not too much of a big deal. Old pontil sodas etc it can make a big difference. Collectors definitely pay a bit higher for attic mint untumbled bottles with strong embossing. Definitely just need to use judgment. i've used digger Ry before on the forum and find his work to be very professional and not overdone. I had one very nice pontil med done, and the results were exceptional and still maintained quite a bit of the original finish.

 

[SC pontil collector]

To clean or not to clean. This subject always sparks a lot of posts (besides ebay).
We feel its completely up to the owner of the bottle. Personally, for us its how the looks not cleaned. Some have beautiful patina and still have the details of the embossing showing. Some, you can't even see any embossing. So your looking at a bottle that looks like a its covered in mud. Then we clean it.
As far as the history, yes the bottle was thrown down into a privy along with other stuff along with fecal and urine and lord knows what. I guess that is part of its history. Cleaning it would take that part away and also that it was able to survive the whole ordeal is amazing.
There are arguments for both sides. Choose one or both, but neither is right or wrong.
sc pontil collector