To clean or not to clean?

[timeandabottle]

Sometimes a bottles staining is so bad it actually is pretty in many collectors minds. This 6 panel cathedral pickle is like that. I’ve debated having it tumbled for years but it remains as is. Thoughts?

 

[nhpharm]

I kinda like it. I've seen a few like this that were tumbled and the "glass rot" makes it so they don't look great even after tumbling. I'd leave it with its history intact.

 

[UncleBruce]

Sometimes a bottles staining is so bad it actually is pretty in many collectors minds. This 6 panel cathedral pickle is like that. I’ve debated having it tumbled for years but it remains as is. Thoughts?

It looks pretty rough. Doubt that tumbling would increase its desirability, but it might help you like it better. Tumbling will remove the discoloration, but it will still be rough.

 

[TexasRancher]

No, I would never tumble a thin uneven bottle like that one. Absolutely I would clean it to prestine condition instead of leaving it natural. Soak it in 30% vinager with Dawn dish soap for three days. It'll get rid of the lime and rust stains. Then use a good bottle brush inside the small crevices and a Stainless steel or copper brillo pad to scrub the remaining lime & scale to clean the surface of the glass. That bottle does not need tumbling at all...it's great smooth glass-mint.

 

[hemihampton]

I've tumbled alot rougher looking bottles. if your good at tumbling with lots of experience you can make that bottle attic mint looking in my opinion. but just my opinion. others may vary. Leon.

 

[Roy]

Sometimes a bottles staining is so bad it actually is pretty in many collectors minds. This 6 panel cathedral pickle is like that. I’ve debated having it tumbled for years but it remains as is. Thoughts?

My 2 cents.
Some collectors like their bottles like that, but I don't. I like them to sparkle as they did when they were new.
It reminds me of a nice classic car or truck with the primer coming through the old paint.
It just needs a bit of work to restore it to it's original beauty.
Having said that, here is a similar (though nowhere near as nice as yours) bottle that I bought for next to nothing with full intentions of tumbling it.
It came out better than I expected.

Roy

 

[nhpharm]

Zoom in on the bottle-it has delamination to the glass. We see this a lot on earlier glass in the South in certain soils. That discoloration isn't going anywhere without tumbling, but furthermore, the glass will remain very uneven even after tumbling. I have a Udolpho Wolfe's that was like this and was tumbled. It doesn't look bad but on the inside of the bottle the glass is very uneven from the delamination.

 

[UncleBruce]

Zoom in on the bottle-it has delamination to the glass. We see this a lot on earlier glass in the South in certain soils. That discoloration isn't going anywhere without tumbling, but furthermore, the glass will remain very uneven even after tumbling. I have a Udolpho Wolfe's that was like this and was tumbled. It doesn't look bad but on the inside of the bottle the glass is very uneven from the delamination.

It's a good day when we get to use "DELAMINATION" in a sentence!!!

 

[Semar]

I'm still wondering which way to jump with this pontiled cathedral pepper sauce.
Yea or Nay?

 

[hemihampton]

I say clean it or tumble it. Leon.