# Turning bottles purple



## Winmeek (Feb 10, 2013)

I am new to the forum.  Recently I dug a place with lots of common turn of the century bottles and trying to turn the clear ones purple.  I made a box and put four 15 watt UV lights in it.  These lights look like they were designed for reptile terrariums. After about a month over half the bottles are turning purple, some dark purple but most just lightly purple.

 Are there UV better lights to use that work faster and where can I buy them?

 Also, I don't understand what it means when someone zaps or nukes a bottle.  Is it a strong UV light or something else?

 I live in Houston Texas and have a place near Goliad Texas.  If anyone is in these parts and wants to hook up I would be interested in going bottle hunting.  I also metal detect and hunt arrowheads.


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## epackage (Feb 10, 2013)

I'd welcome you to the forum but I don't care for what you're looking to do to the bottles you find...[8|]


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## RICKJJ59W (Feb 10, 2013)

I turned a few eyes purple in my day [8D]


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## theroadwarrior10 (Feb 10, 2013)

It is one thing to have a bottle that is amethyst from decades of sunlight, but what it basically does is ruin any value. As far as nuking that is more less used for ripping people off by convincing them of the extraordinarily rare color. You can turn your commons into amethyst, but you should stay away from nuking. Even if you are honest about it, the next guy who owns it might not be.


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## Winmeek (Feb 11, 2013)

I just wonder what Nuking is, do you know what is used to make the bottles these strange colors?


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## epackage (Feb 11, 2013)

http://reviews.ebay.com/FRUIT-JARS-OVER-COOKED?ugid=10000000002321087


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## jays emporium (Feb 11, 2013)

Fred, good to see you on the forum.  I'm Mike's friend from Victoria.  In my opinion, what you're doing is just speeding up what would happen if the bottles were exposed to sunlight.  Nuking changes the glass color to something that would never occur naturally.
 You can email me if you want.  I have a place to dig in Goliad where I have dug bottles for 38 years.
 Jay


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## ratbastard (Feb 12, 2013)

did you leave the lights on 24/7 ?


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## Winmeek (Feb 12, 2013)

I used four 15 watt bulbs on 24/7 for a month.  Some bottles had a purple tinge after a week.  I also lined the inside of the box with tin foil.


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