# Need some advice on a solvent that will work.



## RICKJJ59W (Aug 5, 2007)

I have been digging bottle for a little over 30 years, and I was never into the tumbling, or hard core cleaning, I clean them to look good on my shelf and that is good enough for me, I have dug some really good bottles over the years, and got them pretty clean, with a variety of methods and cleaning solvents, but this bottle I just dug, is giving me a problem, it came from a 50s privy and was nose down in the pit in the use layer, I am happy to have it, because there was 12 broken historical flasks in that pit, my dilemma is the black mess inside will not brake down, its like a black glue almost, I tried soaking it with soap and water over night, that didn't work, I tried the small bottle brushes didnt work, now i put white gas in it that seemed to brake it down some, I have used white gas on many bottles with that waxy white goo found often in bottles from privies and it worked, i just don't want any thing to hurt the bottle it is thin glass, its a puce Dyottville Eagle, I never got a bottle tumbled and if any one has any suggestions on what would be the best, to tumble or not to tumble, or a good solvent that might work I would appreciate it, heres the bottle semi cleaned. Thanks Rick[/align] 
 White gas in there now.


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## tigue710 (Aug 5, 2007)

man that thing is pretty!


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## bottlenutboy (Aug 5, 2007)

have you tried acid?


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## Gunsmoke47 (Aug 5, 2007)

Rick, if it were me, I would tumble it. ( Of coarse, I own a tumbler). It is a great flask and to tumble is the only way to bring it back close to mint. All of this soaking and scrubbing and cleaning BS is just that. I have tumbled close to 200 bottles and only lost 1. Luckily for me it was a non valuable clear pumpkinseed flask. Of coarse, in the end, it is entirely up to you. Whatever you choose to do...... It is a wonderful flask. I enjoy reading your posts.  Kelley


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## RICKJJ59W (Aug 5, 2007)

No, I would be afraid to put acid in that thing, what type of acid?


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## RICKJJ59W (Aug 5, 2007)

I have never got a bottle tumbled. How much do you think it would be to tumble that? I would be a little afraid to send that out to a stranger lol and mabey not get it back how does that work with high ends bottles?Rick


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## passthebottle (Aug 5, 2007)

Hi Rick, should'nt you say "how much is a tumble worth", sorry could'nt resist. Personally I would have it tumbled , because that is one that should look as good as is possible, all the high end flasks in the auctions sparkle like they were just made, none say stained or cloudy. Eventually someone will tumble it so it might as well be you.


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## GuntherHess (Aug 5, 2007)

I have used carburator cleaner on a couple bottles with black tar gunk that nothing else would touch. I corked them and let it work over night and it turned the stuff into a fluid.


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## bottlenutboy (Aug 5, 2007)

occasionally i use muriatic acid straight, not dilluted, and it never seemed to harm the glass at all, but i never tried it on anything other than soda's because thats what i collect[]


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## RICKJJ59W (Aug 5, 2007)

hahah see I never even use that term any more might get me shot[8D]  so where is a good place to go, and how do you send a bottle to some one you dont know, and get it back not that we dont do it on ebay. Rick


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## RICKJJ59W (Aug 6, 2007)

Yea thats right! I used that before,we used PB blaster to, I am going to get a can tomarow, Thanks Gunther. Rick


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## LC (Aug 6, 2007)

Had a bottle of that acid in my garage last fall Spence. I some how knocked it over and did not know I had done so till this past Spring. Of course the acid slowly leaked out of the bottle all winter. It ate one hell of a hole out of my concrete garage floor, the concrete was like mush where the acid layed all that time, made me sick. Pay attention to how you store it. Make sure you store it safely.[/align]


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## baltbottles (Aug 6, 2007)

Rick that carbortor spray evaporates very rapidly and will cause the bottle to super cool you should be very careful touching the bottle until its warmed up to room temperature again or simply the temperature change from your skin could crack the bottle. If i was you go to home depot and get a gallon of muriatic acid and dilute it in about 3 gallons of water and let the flask soak for a couple hours in the acid bath. This should dissolve the black gunk.

   Chris


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