Finally found an older bottle dump on the farm.

Dug

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You have some really nice bottles there!

Recently I have become a big fan of Whink that was passed on to me as a cleaning tip for bottles. Bet it would really clean up some of those iron stained bottles. I was unsure at first since the warning label says not to use on glass but tried it anyway. Not only does it remove iron stains but it actually removes some of the white milky stains too. I didn't believe it until I tried it. I use it full strength and completely immerse the bottle in it letting it soak for 24 hours. Then wash and rinse it in fresh water. You still have to wear rubber gloves and be precautious handling Whink but much safer than Muriatic acid.

whink.jpg
 

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VaNana

VaNana

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You have some really nice bottles there!

Recently I have become a big fan of Whink that was passed on to me as a cleaning tip for bottles. Bet it would really clean up some of those iron stained bottles. I was unsure at first since the warning label says not to use on glass but tried it anyway. Not only does it remove iron stains but it actually removes some of the white milky stains too. I didn't believe it until I tried it. I use it full strength and completely immerse the bottle in it letting it soak for 24 hours. Then wash and rinse it in fresh water. You still have to wear rubber gloves and be precautious handling Whink but much safer than Muriatic acid.

View attachment 1446674

Thank you! I will try and find some. I cleaned most of the small ones but did not have a bottle brush long enough to finish the larger ones. I will see if I can do that today. I will post some new pictures when the are cleaned.
 

Dug

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I suspect that something in Whink will etch glass if it is left soaking too long so I would not go past 24 hours; that is the only explanation as to why it is removing the milky stains that nothing else can short of tumbling it IMHO. Whink cannot remove the etched sickness where as tumbling can. Here is both a pic of a Cochran I put in the solution yesterday, and the results after I pulled it out this afternoon and rinsed real well and let it air dry upside down. I'm pretty excited about the results and in most cases this is saving me from tumbling bottles. I found Whink at Wally world in the dishwashing area.

I have not tried Whink on any pre 1850s yet as I read that the glass is softer on those. May try a plain open pontil food jar in the near future.

cochran.jpg

cochrand.jpg
 

Bass

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In most instances you don't find privy goodies until you hit the 3-4 ft depth. However, I've seen older privies filled in with newer stuff(early 1900's) just to cover it up and fill the void
 

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VaNana

VaNana

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I suspect that something in Whink will etch glass if it is left soaking too long so I would not go past 24 hours; that is the only explanation as to why it is removing the milky stains that nothing else can short of tumbling it IMHO. Whink cannot remove the etched sickness where as tumbling can. Here is both a pic of a Cochran I put in the solution yesterday, and the results after I pulled it out this afternoon and rinsed real well and let it air dry upside down. I'm pretty excited about the results and in most cases this is saving me from tumbling bottles. I found Whink at Wally world in the dishwashing area.

I have not tried Whink on any pre 1850s yet as I read that the glass is softer on those. May try a plain open pontil food jar in the near future.

View attachment 1446761

View attachment 1446762

That did an amazing job! Looks great! I did look for it today but did not find it. Now that I know where to look I will get some or send one of the boys. Tuesday is my day off from watching grandkids so won't be able to go till Saturday.
 

Dug

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Re: bottle brush not long enough. I very seldom use brushes anymore. I meticulously (along with the help of some carbonated adult beverage) cut copper wire into 1/8 - 1/4 inch lengths using some 10-2 and 12-2 wire I happened to have. I load it in to bottles that need to be cleaned along with some detergent and gently shake the bottle back and forth. The copper won't scratch glass, but it will break any interior bubbles if you shake it too hard. Works great on getting loose gunk out. Some say to use BBs but I stuck with what I know was safe on the glass.

You can also buy cut copper from the Jar Doctor, but cut copper can be pricey as copper is pricey in general.
 

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VaNana

VaNana

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Re: bottle brush not long enough. I very seldom use brushes anymore. I meticulously (along with the help of some carbonated adult beverage) cut copper wire into 1/8 - 1/4 inch lengths using some 10-2 and 12-2 wire I happened to have. I load it in to bottles that need to be cleaned along with some detergent and gently shake the bottle back and forth. The copper won't scratch glass, but it will break any interior bubbles if you shake it too hard. Works great on getting loose gunk out. Some say to use BBs but I stuck with what I know was safe on the glass.

You can also buy cut copper from the Jar Doctor, but cut copper can be pricey as copper is pricey in general.

I also looked for long brushes today did not find them either. I asked my son Joshua to bring me some copper wire. He works in construction and on the farm. Maybe I will check the tractor shed for some. I had seen the copper wire mentioned on here before but not in such detail. That helps a lot thank you.

As for the depth of the privy thing that is what I was afraid of that I would have to dig so deep just to find any thing. 🙁 I think my kids are already wondering about my sanity. Are all privy lined? It would help to find the walls.
 

Bass

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No, they are not all lined.
 

PikesPeakCharlie

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Nice digs !! Congrats !! Out here, on the depth thing, we have found bottles in only the last foot of a pit ,,,, and I have stuck the shovel in cut the sod and flipped out 4 bottles . Moral of the story,when in doubt dig till ya cant
 

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VaNana

VaNana

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Nice digs !! Congrats !! Out here, on the depth thing, we have found bottles in only the last foot of a pit ,,,, and I have stuck the shovel in cut the sod and flipped out 4 bottles . Moral of the story,when in doubt dig till ya cant

Thanks Charlie and Bass, I do have a sunken spot in my front yard that is about 50 feet away from another old foundation I found a couple years ago where I found the buckle in my avatar ' Eagle on Rocky Mount', a South Carolina button. A few dropped civil war bullets, a king George III large cent, some clay pipe stems and tons of square nails, buttons and house hold parts and pieces. I started digging that low space ( lots of coal or coke) but it was hard digging and did not find anything a foot or so down may have to try it again. I did find where they threw all their broken glass out the window or door.
 

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