# 1st attempt bottle repair



## swizzle (Sep 21, 2011)

Well I finally decided that no one is gonna hand me the secret recipe to fix bottles so I decided to try to see what I can do on my own. The resin I'd like to get is a bit pricey so I think I did all right with what I had at hand. I'm not thrilled about the outcome but hey its my first attempt and maybe I can start to get some opinions on how to improve my work. Check out my pics and be as critical as you like. No sugar coating. I want true and honest opinions. Thanx for reading. Swiz


----------



## Wheelah23 (Sep 21, 2011)

I've been meaning to do the same thing for a few bottles I have. The problem is, I think it's near impossible to match the color exactly. Looks like you ran into the same difficulty. I think the color is the problem, you can see quite evidently that the bottle has been repaired.


----------



## swizzle (Sep 21, 2011)

From a distance its not nearly as obvious. The one thing I also wasn't happy with is that the epoxy says that it drys crystal clear. Its not clear at all. When you hold it up to the light the repair actually cast a shadow through the glass. I also noticed how clear the glass is but the repair has air bubbles. I'm thinking that I may need to set it on a vibrating surface to remove some if not all of the bubbles. I'm wondering if the tiny drop of testor paint really affected the clarity of the epoxy. Anyone else have thoughts, opinions, suggestions on better quality resin? Any suggestions at all? Thanx, Wheelah23. Swiz


----------



## JOETHECROW (Sep 21, 2011)

Not too bad for a first try Swiz,...I'm not too sure how else you'd color the epoxy than the way you have..Did you try some mixed w/out tint to see how it drys?


----------



## swizzle (Sep 21, 2011)

No I didn't. I think I may have to actually add a little more to get it dark enough. Matching the color is only one hurdle. The other problem that i think may have caused the clarity issue is the air dry clay that I used. It says it takes 2-3 days to dry and I used it wet. I think some of the clay may be bonded to the epoxy. Is there anything that dries faster or works better that I could use right away? I'm thinking that the air dry clay will shrink as it dries and that it won't be the perfect mold material That I need. I think I left my dremel up to my parents house. I was gonna try to buff it a bit to see if it would clear up some. I can't imagine that sand paper would be the way to go. So many questions but this is how the learning process works. Swiz


----------



## carobran (Sep 21, 2011)

well,other than the fact that the repair looks like its glowing i think it looks ok............at least now you wont slice you finger on it[8|][]


----------



## JOETHECROW (Sep 22, 2011)

Swiz,...how about a dam or mold made of scotch tape? I've heard of that used..


----------



## cyberdigger (Sep 22, 2011)

At least let the clay dry completely, then coat the inside of the mold with urethane or wax or something.. shelaquer maybe.. I also think the paint you tinted it with had too many solids in it's constitution.. but you were dam close with the color, I gotta say..!


----------



## AntiqueMeds (Sep 22, 2011)

using paint for coloring is definately a problem. You should use an organic dye.


----------



## cyberdigger (Sep 22, 2011)

Would food coloring work?


----------



## Btl_Dvr (Sep 22, 2011)

Swiz,
 check this site out. http://www.dickblick.com/products/castincraft-transparent-dyes/ You need a dye not a paint. The paint is made to cover things up due to the solids it has, probably why the fix was more opaque than you wanted. Think stains that tint but allow woodgrain etc. to be seen underneath.
 Jay


----------



## swizzle (Sep 22, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  JOETHECROW
> 
> Swiz,...how about a dam or mold made of scotch tape? I've heard of that used..


 
 I've heard of the scotch tape trick as well. It just seems like it would create more of a straight line between the edges of the chip. I keep picturing the top looking like an O but with the tape more of a C with a straight line where the chip is. 

 Btl_Dvr I'll check out that link for sure. 

 Cyber, that does make sense about the paint. I may even have to try food coloring just as an experiment. Worse that could happen is that I wasted another day trying to perfect my technique. Hardly wasting my time as long as I'm learning though. Swiz


----------



## AntiqueMeds (Sep 22, 2011)

dont use food coloring it fades in light.
 use quality dyes.


----------



## cyberdigger (Sep 22, 2011)

..how about  RIT?


----------



## AntiqueMeds (Sep 22, 2011)

no idea, I would use organic art dyes.


----------



## AntiqueMeds (Sep 22, 2011)

something like Orasol dyes would be good.


----------



## logueb (Sep 23, 2011)

They make a glass stain.  You can get  translucent glass paint that will allow the light to shine through. A small kit with the various colors would allow you to mix until you get a good match on the green.  This is just a thought and may not work at all.  I bought a glass/bottle cutting kit back in the 70s and played around with it a little bit.  Just a thought.  Buster


----------



## swizzle (Sep 25, 2011)

I popped out the old chunk yesterday to make way for my next attempt at repairing. I tried the tape trick and it seems to be fine for the back side of the chip but the front and larger part of the chip it would only make a straight line. So I decided to glob some more air dry clay on the side that is good and wait for it to dry. I should be able to use it by the end of today. I'll probably have to tape it in place but it should work.

 For tinting I actually found Emerald stain in the painting section. I bought food coloring too but there's no way I'm gonna use it if its gonna fade in time. I want a good solid repair that will stand the test of time. I'll most likely buy a few of those tinting agents in the next week. One other question I have is about the epoxy. I noticed when I popped it out it was about the consistency of hard rubber. I could also dent it with my fingernail. I would like a repair that is just as hard as the glass.  Is there an epoxy that will do that? Swiz


----------



## appliedlips (Sep 25, 2011)

Hxtal, is a resin that will harden to the point it can be ground and polished. It is pricey,though. I started out with Castin Craft casting resin available at Michael's craft stores. You can buy a kit of dyes in primary colors made for it.


----------



## swizzle (Sep 25, 2011)

Is there a cheaper alternative to hxtal. It just doesn't seem like that little bottle would go very far. If I could repair a dozen bottles with that one bottle then maybe but with experimenting with colors I don't believe it'd be worth it. At least not until I get my color matching skills down.


----------



## suzanne (Sep 26, 2011)

I use car windshield resin.  You can buy an ounce online.  42.00.  If you think that's a lot of money, remember you get what you pay for when it comes to bottle repair, same way with bottle cleaning. YOu can only use it in warm or hot weather.  After you apply you need to cover repair with clear plastic like a baggie and set out in the sun to cure. It's the most invisible repair I've discovered; If you use it on clear glass you can't tell it was ever broken a lot of times.


----------



## swizzle (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanx Suzanne. I was looking for windshield resin in Wally World and Big Lots. I didn't see anything there though. I should probably try an auto parts store instead. I'll go check it out on pay day. Swiz


----------



## suzanne (Sep 28, 2011)

Your welcome.  You are better off to get it online.  Autozone sells you a kit consisting of a razor blade, a 2 inch piece of of plastic wrap, a razor blade, and a tube of resin containing about 3 drops for 12.00. Enough for one small crack.  You don't need special plastic; any plastic works as long as you can wrap it around the repair area. I forgot to mention before you need a razor blade to peel off excess resin that runs down the side after bottle is dry.


----------



## cowseatmaize (Sep 28, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  AntiqueMeds
> 
> dont use food coloring it fades in light.
> use quality dyes.


Been there, done that.[]


----------



## AntiqueMeds (Sep 28, 2011)

If you want to make a small mold of an area, a cheap way is to buy clear silicone sealant in tubes at the hardware store.
 You have to coat the object with something like pam as a release agent first. Then build up a thick coating of silicone over the area to mold.


----------



## swizzle (Sep 28, 2011)

Thanx, AntiqueMeds. I'll go pick up a tube tomorrow. Swiz


----------



## suzanne (Sep 29, 2011)

That is a a very good idea.  Can't wait to try it.


----------



## baltbottles (Sep 30, 2011)

Most chips can be repaired to a very high standard. These 3 bottles all had lip damage repaired the cologne on the left had about 80 percent of its flared lip rebuilt the center one had about 30 percent of its lip and a a small hole on the right side filled in and the kidder ink had about 30 percent of its flared lip restored.

 Repaired bottles are strange for me as I don't like having them in my own collection. However my artistic creative side likes to mess around with the process just for kicks sometimes.....

 Chris


----------



## JOETHECROW (Sep 30, 2011)

Real nice job on the repairs.


----------



## suzanne (Oct 1, 2011)

Batbottles-
 How did you do it?


----------



## swizzle (Oct 1, 2011)

I'd like to see the process from start to finish. With video's if possible. I'll most likely video my whole technique when I get it perfected. I did order some dye. Green, yellow and Blue. Thet should be enough to get the tint right on most bottles. I can wait too get everything set so I can get started on a real repair. Swiz


----------



## suzanne (Oct 1, 2011)

I'm sorry - Balt bottles - please forgive my stupid spelling.  How  did you do that?  Can't even tell they were chipped.


----------



## Gunsmoke47 (Oct 1, 2011)

Chris did a repair for me on a "Medium end" bottle neck chip back in 03 when he was just starting out, and you still can't tell where it was repaired. Not even with a blacklight. The thing that makes this even more amazing was the bottle is a very ORANGE amber bottle. He matched the color perfectly. 

 Not blowin smoke up your skirt Chris, but you do have a very profound talent in bottle repair if you ever chose to persue it. Kelley []


----------



## suzanne (Oct 5, 2011)

Baltbottles; I can see that you are not going to divulge your ancient bottle fixing formula, probably because you know many people who would try to duplicate your results would just end up with a bigger mess than before.  I respect that.
 I guess if it was easy everyone would be doing it.


----------

