# Possible sickness cleaner? "The Works"?



## Wheelah23 (Aug 11, 2011)

In a thread about my holy grail bottle, which is moderately sick, I got this suggestion from creeper71 on how to clean it:

 "Conner, You probly won't have to tumble that bottle.. all you probly going to need is a bottle brush set an a bottle of THE WORKS TOLIET CLEANER. What you will need to do is put the works inside the bottle 1/4 way up an surmerge in a bucket of water for aleast 2-3 days. checking on it after 2. after it has been soaking an your ready to clean the bottle have a another bucket of clean water an dump the water with the works out in the same bucket it was in then carefully drop the bottle into the clean water an rinse it off if there is anything sticking to the bottle use your bottle brushes. btw USE GLOVES WHEN USING THE WORKS OR YOU WILL GET MILD CHEMICAL BURNS ON YOUR HANDS. ALSO FOR YOUR SAFETY WEAR GOGGLES TO PROTECT YOUR EYES. "

 Has anyone used this method before, and if so, did it help cure the sickness at all? This bottle is extremely rare, so I want to be careful when cleaning it. It is covered in thin white stain, but has patches of iridescent stain too. I know tumbling is usually the best option, but this bottle has EXTREMELY strong embossing, so I want to preserve that if possible. Any suggestions on how to clean it would be appreciated. 

 It also has a couple of small chips out of it. One on the lip and one on the base edge. What product should I use to repair them? I don't think I'd want to attempt it on my own, so do you know anyone that specializes in repairing chipped bottles?


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## RedGinger (Aug 11, 2011)

I like that bottle.  Very nice.  You can try cat litter.  Dump it in and shake it up with a little water for a few cycles, then rinse.  I have found this method works well for really getting it clean and removing a tiny bit of haze.  Unfortunately, tumbling is the only thing that will get rid of sickness and haze completely.  With the chips and it being rare, I would just put a little olive oil in it (let it coat the whole inside and drain well), and display it.


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## RED Matthews (Aug 11, 2011)

Hi to you bottle cleaners. I use Works and find it works well on a lot of bottle stains. Especially those that had water stains.  RED Matthews


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## epackage (Aug 11, 2011)

Get it tumbled but make sure whoever does it concentrates on the inside so that strong embossing doesn't get worn down, then see how she looks ....


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## pikewaynepabottles (Aug 11, 2011)

Connor , display this one for now . Your young ... you have many years to try to upgrade it ... be patient !


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## cyberdigger (Aug 11, 2011)

Yeah, try cleaning something less meaningful first..


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## Wheelah23 (Aug 11, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  RedGinger
> 
> I like that bottle.Â  Very nice.Â  You can try cat litter.Â  Dump it in and shake it up with a little water for a few cycles, then rinse.Â  I have found this method works well for really getting it clean and removing a tiny bit of haze.Â  Unfortunately, tumbling is the only thing that will get rid of sickness and haze completely.Â  With the chips and it being rare, I would just put a little olive oil in it (let it coat the whole inside and drain well), and display it.Â


 
 My neighbor has cats... maybe I'll try the cat litter idea tomorrow, as a first step! [&:]

 I definitely think of tumbling as a last resort, as there's no going back from there... I have examples of over tumbled bottles in my collection, and they torment me to no end... Such wasted beauty... [:'(]

 I've got plenty of sick slicks to try all sorts of chemicals on... I guess I'll try "The Works" on them first.


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## lexdigger (Aug 15, 2011)

The works will take stain and some haze off, but the sickness will remain. Myself, I prefer the as dug look. To me, once they have been tumbled they lose a lot of character. The only way I would even consider it would be if it was a High end piece that I was looking to sell. 
 As far as the chips, there are some very talented restoration artists out there. Two of the Best do ancient native american artifacts, but will also repair about Anything else that's broken or damaged. If you do decide to have it done, choose someone who uses UV enhancement so that the repair will be obvious under a black light.


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## Picklejar (Aug 27, 2011)

Have you tried 0000 steel wool and BKF, plus lots of patience? This coupled with the copper pellet method (for the inside), has gotten aqua bottles that were so sick I assumed they were clear, about 85% clean of sickness. It being yr holy grail and all, you might be hesitant to scrub with metals, but then again there are risks to all heavy duty cleaning methods. Good luck and congrats on finding the one! ---Joe


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## Pinzel (Oct 27, 2011)

That stuff contains 25% hydrocloric acid and it is NASTY,NOT safe to really even have if you have kids,pets that could get into it.This stuff can burn you badly if left on unprotected skin....not to mention if it gets accidently mixed with chlorine,bleach,comet..really really bad.You will have mustard gas in your kitchen.Its just too strong for normal household needs.With that said,use it if you feel 100% confident.It does remove a lot of stains but with danger potential.           I wish i could stop burying my tools.


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## bombboy (Oct 30, 2011)

Have you thought of using oxylic acid (wood bleach), again, hazardous, so follow directions.

 Pinzel, mustard gas is a blister agent, normally doesn't kill unless in extremely large doses, but will put some nasty fluid filled sacs on your body if exposed. However hydrochloric acid and bleach or chlorine will release large amounts of chlorine gas and it can kill quickly. I watched a guy inhale chlorine gas, a low dose, and he had instantaneous lung issues. He never returned to duty. Not sure about the comet and acid reaction, but sure it isn't good for you either.

 There are many products out there that can cause serious harm/death even when used properly, so read the labels.


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## trilobite541 (Oct 30, 2011)

Don't use acid as it can stain the glass if it is of inferior quality.
 Chicken grit (no, I am not a chicken farmer) works great for inside issues.


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## suzanne (Oct 31, 2011)

I don't blame you for wanting to be cautious, that is a neat bottle.  From the picture it looks like mineral deposits are not only sitting on the surface but have leached into the glass.  + I see scratches.  I am curious, did you try any of the suggestions and how did they work out?


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