# Before and After, a barnacle encrusted milk



## RIBottleguy (Apr 9, 2014)

One of my recent salt marsh finds was colonized by a whole generation of barnacles.  First I crushed the barnacles, then scraped off the remnant with a flathead screwdriver.  Since the bottle was already well worn I didn't fret over the screwdriver scratching the bottle.  I didn't see any damage from scraping. Before: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			








 After:


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## ChrisP1 (Apr 9, 2014)

Hey Talyor, Nice job.  I come across quite a few NY milk and cream bottles on my dives, but I don't bother to pick them up since they're not my thing and I wouldn't be able to make it to the surface with all the weight.  I would rather leave them for the next guy to pick up. As far as cleaning, have you ever used acid to remove barnacles?  We use muriatic on our bottles and it dissolves even the most encrusting growth off pretty quickly.  I haven't seen any damage from the treatment that I am aware of; even the glossy bottles don't seem to be affected as they have full shine after.  On the other hand, when I have tried to use something metal to scrape off the growth, it leaves a mark. A piece of plastic, like a pen cap, can also work to push off some growth without leaving a mark. The one thing you do have to be careful of is the fumes and definitely wear gloves.  Even with the most dilute solution, you learn pretty quickly if you have any small cuts on your hands because the acid will go to work on them immediately. Chris


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## botlguy (Apr 9, 2014)

I dunno !,   I kind of like it "before". [8D]


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## JohnDeereMoxie (Apr 9, 2014)

Awesome.


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## RIBottleguy (Apr 9, 2014)

Jim, the before looks interesting, but you definitely would not have liked how it smelled!


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## Dugout (Apr 10, 2014)

How long did it take to from beginning to end??


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## adshepard (Apr 10, 2014)

Diluted muriatic acid dissolves barnacle very quickly, usually in hours.  There is no need for scraping. Nice job though. Alan


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## RIBottleguy (Apr 10, 2014)

Thanks for the tip, I need to get some muriatic!  Being impatient, I cleaned it the hard way, which took about half an hour.


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