# I need advice.



## Kaleb Pusateri (Jun 27, 2022)

What do I use to clean this without tumbling.


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## Kaleb Pusateri (Jun 27, 2022)




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## RoseOnTheRocks (Jun 28, 2022)

I got some brushes on amazon that are specifically for cleaning bottles (came with a few different sizes to fit various bottle necks). Warm water w/ dawn soap has worked well for me. For tougher ones, I'll soak in vinegar for awhile (I haven't had to do more than 12 hours but also haven't tried less than 12 hours so...). Once I cleaned a bottle I found on the beach on site- put some sand in/mixed with ocean water, put my thumb on top, shook the bottle for a little, rinsed a few times & it worked well. Hope this makes sense/helps!


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## Roy (Jun 28, 2022)

RoseOnTheRocks said:


> I got some brushes on amazon that are specifically for cleaning bottles (came with a few different sizes to fit various bottle necks). Warm water w/ dove soap has worked well for me. For tougher ones, I'll soak in vinegar for awhile (I haven't had to do more than 12 hours but also haven't tried less than 12 hours so...). Once I cleaned a bottle I found on the beach on site- put some sand in/mixed with ocean water, put my thumb on top, shook the bottle for a little, rinsed a few times & it worked well. Hope this makes sense/helps!


Sometimes a plastic Scotch-Brite pad and a little dish soap will work wonders also.  Half of the fun is cleaning them.
Roy


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## RoseOnTheRocks (Jun 28, 2022)

Roy said:


> Sometimes a plastic Scotch-Brite pad and a little dish soap will work wonders also.  Half of the fun is cleaning them.
> Roy


Agreed! I originally said dove soap & meant dawn, I edited my original answer. Nothing against dove soap!


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## RoseOnTheRocks (Jun 28, 2022)

RoseOnTheRocks said:


> Agreed! I originally said dove soap & meant dawn, I edited my original answer. Nothing against dove soap!


Dawned on me* 
Ok I'm done


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## Kaleb Pusateri (Jun 28, 2022)

Thanks for the help!


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## Len (Jun 28, 2022)

Kaleb, 

What might not be clear is that there are stages for cleaning methods. You'll probably use two or more depending at which level you jump in at. You will also develop a different probe, wadding, and cleaning agents for various bot mouths and stains. Think of it as a new tool box you're building.


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## K6TIM (Jul 6, 2022)

I use a old tooth brush,and a steel extention to lengthen rod (like a part of a cloth hanger) and then scrub the insides of the bottle to get the excess dirt off the insides.Yes use dish soap to losson up the dirt.


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## DavidW (Jul 6, 2022)

In my opinion, the best thing to do (after rinsing out all loose dirt, if there is any still in the bottle)  is to soak the bottle (completely immersed) in room temp water that a can of "Bar Keepers Friend" powder has been carefully mixed into  ( in a five-gallon plastic bucket) for a good 24 hours minimum.  (Bar Keepers Friend has a mild form of Oxalic acid as the main cleaning agent, and this is often used by insulator collectors to remove stubborn train-soot).

 After soaking, pour out water, fill the bottle about 1/3 to 1/2 full with warm water and SMALL SIZE aquarium gravel. Shake and swirl the bottle around in   random motions  for at least 3 or 4 minutes.   If most of the stain has not been worn away, it probably will not come out without an actual professional tumbling job.

After shaking with aquarium gravel and water, you can also try putting such liquids as alcohol, bleach,  vinegar, ammonia (One at a time, not together) in the bottle and let it sit for a day or so, and then thoroughly rinse out.

But those methods will not really work if the inside of the bottle is degrading ("SICK GLASS" - a microscopically thin layer of the surface of the glass, usually the soda content of the glass formula, is being leached out and that leaves a grayish/whitish stain/haze) and that can only be solved by tumbling.

I've used various methods of cleaning (bottle brushes, etc) but they never do much good unless the stain inside is just dried former contents.

Sometimes dried contents will be stubborn and you can stick part of a steel wire clothes hanger (curved and bent somewhat at one end) and gently "scratch" against the inside of the bottle and loosen/remove  small patches of soiling. 

 If it is truly "sick glass", after cleaning with any normal methods, it might look temporarily better (shinier) but  THEN after the bottle dries out again completely inside, it is back to looking dull and hazy inside.


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## willong (Jul 6, 2022)

DavidW said:


> Sometimes dried contents will be stubborn and you can stick part of a steel wire clothes hanger (curved and bent somewhat at one end) and gently "scratch" against the inside of the bottle and loosen/remove small patches of soiling.


Bending the wire into a small, tight J form on the end with needle nose pliers, wrapping around that J with fine steel wool, including a couple passes inside the "hook", and then crimping the wad with the pliers to keep all in place will produce a small scouring pad that one can introduce into a bottle's interior. The wire shank above the steel wool can then be bent to access the desired nooks and crannies.

However, if the glass is "sick" enough, the only solution short of tumbling might have to be an acid soak with a stronger acid solution than acetic acid (vinegar).

Dave of "*Digger Dave & Shovelin Shelley Beeler*" YouTube channel posted an almost hour-long video on cleaning topic. He included acid soaking technique.


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## DeepSeaDan (Jul 6, 2022)

Kaleb Pusateri said:


> What do I use to clean this without tumbling.


My first clean is a mix of Barkeepers Friend, warm water & about 1/3 of the bottle filled with bits of copper wire I cut from stripped, 12ot wire. Then, I fire up KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Shake your Booty” and sing along loudly while I shake it like a quake hit ( substituting “Bottle” for “Booty” - very important! ). Next, tackle any remaining cling-ons with an assortment of brushes. If it passes final inspection, it’s off to the drip tray for drying, then final polishing. Have fun!


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## Bohdan (Jul 6, 2022)

DavidW said:


> In my opinion, the best thing to do (after rinsing out all loose dirt, if there is any still in the bottle)  is to soak the bottle (completely immersed) in room temp water that a can of "Bar Keepers Friend" powder has been carefully mixed into  ( in a five-gallon plastic bucket) for a good 24 hours minimum.  (Bar Keepers Friend has a mild form of Oxalic acid as the main cleaning agent, and this is often used by insulator collectors to remove stubborn train-soot).
> 
> After soaking, pour out water, fill the bottle about 1/3 to 1/2 full with warm water and SMALL SIZE aquarium gravel. Shake and swirl the bottle around in   random motions  for at least 3 or 4 minutes.   If most of the stain has not been worn away, it probably will not come out without an actual professional tumbling job.
> 
> ...


If you know what you are doing and are careful, try various solvents - acetone, laquer thinner, muriatic acid (be very careful), etc. But I agree that it looks like typical "sick glass" - tumble or live with it.


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## K6TIM (Jul 6, 2022)

Hi,
Sick glass really can't be cleaned.It sometimes has a iridesent( rainbow) look then leave it alone!
TIM


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## Bohdan (Jul 6, 2022)

Bohdan said:


> If you know what you are doing and are careful, try various solvents - acetone, laquer thinner, muriatic acid (be very careful), etc. But I agree that it looks like typical "sick glass" - tumble or live with it.


Digger Dave is just another bottle digger with another opinion. I've been digging since the early 70s and believe me, tumbling is the only answer for "sick bottles". The interaction between the glass and elements in the soil has slowly eroded the glass and is microns thick in the glass. So remove microns of glass by tumbling down to 'clean' polished glass.


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