About This Forum

This snuff bottle community forum is dedicated to the novice, more experienced, and expert collectors. Topics are intended to cover all aspects and types of bottle collecting. To include trials, tribulations, identifying, researching, and much more.

Among other things, donations help keep the forum free from Google type advertisements, and also make it possible to purchases additional photo hosting MB space.

Forum Bottle in the Spotlight

Charll shared this beautiful Xianfeng (1851-1861) dated bottle depicting NeZha combating the Dragon King amongst a rolling sea of blue and eight mythical sea creatures.


Chinese Snuff Bottle Discussion Forum 中國鼻煙壺討論論壇
March 29, 2024, 03:07:30 am
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
 
  Home Help Search Contact Login Register  

Corks and stopper restoration

Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6
  Print  
Author Topic: Corks and stopper restoration  (Read 8211 times)
0 Members and 157 Guests are viewing this topic.
Peter Bentley 彭达理
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 2600



« Reply #60 on: March 11, 2014, 11:40:08 am »

Hi All

George  moved  my  idea  for    new    topic  /  board  to  this   board

GEORGE   :  Is  that   right  ?

If  so,  please  let  me  contribute  a  whole  load  of  new   stuff   which  I  will  do  in  subsequent  postings  : if  possible  a  once-and-for-all  attached   word.doc    when I have  finished  it 

Meanwhile :  there  is  no   deep   secret  as  to  how  to  extract  a  cork  stopper   neck  from a bottle    if the   top has  broken  off  ( nor   even  if  the     cork  neck  has  fallen  inside   the  bottle )

Just  push a  needle -  or  any  other  long /  sharp  object  -  into the   cork   stopper, and  thus  pull  it  out

BUT ....  if  that  does  not   work  (too  much  friction   at the  bottle  neck )   put  some  super  glue  onto the  needle / sharp  object    tip before    pulling  out

OR  -  use a  wooden  chopstick and  coat   the  end  with  super  glue  to  bond  to the  end  of  the  cork, and  when   dry  PULL  !

Super -  glue  (  "Aron  Alpha "    or   similar  brands )    fixes  almost  anything   re   stoppers. 

But  DO  give the  super-glue    24  hours  to   dry  completely  ...

 (Actually  one  hour  is  OK  but  I   always   give  myself   24  hours   to be  on  the  safe  side ) 

So no deep  secrets...  just  commonsense

Cheers
Peter

« Last Edit: March 11, 2014, 11:41:47 am by Peter Bentley 彭达理 » Report Spam   Logged

Wattana
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 6133



« Reply #61 on: March 11, 2014, 10:24:37 pm »

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the tip. If you read the small print on super-glue it usually lists all the materials on which it can be used. Glass is never mentioned, because it does NOT make a good chemical bond with super-glue. (I can't vouch for 'Aron Alpha', as I am not familiar with this brand.)

Anyhow, that closely coincides with my experience. The stoppers that end up coming apart (sometimes years later) are invariably ones where I have bonded cork to glass. In most cases I had thought the stopper was coral or stone, only to discover they were glass imitations after examining the ones that failed. 

I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Tom
Report Spam   Logged

Collecting since 1971

Mandarin
Private Boards
Full Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 168



« Reply #62 on: March 12, 2014, 06:15:37 am »

Hi Peter, Tom,

If you're unlucky enough to find the stopper has broken off and is inside the bottle with no possibility of using the 'chopstick and glue' method, you could pour a concentrated sodium hydroxide (lye) solution into the bottle and wait for the cork to dissolve before thoroughly washing the debris out with warm water. Of course this should never be done with IP bottles but should be OK to use on quartz, glass and agate bottles. As an alternative to lye, the cork should break up enough to aid removal if a good quality liquid paint stripper such as Nitromors were used instead, with a chopstick gently pressed into the cork from time to time through the bottle neck to aid its breakup. Nitromors will not attack quartz, glass or agate.

Vaughan (I'm still around but working on repotting my bonsai trees before they bud).
Report Spam   Logged
Peter Bentley 彭达理
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 2600



« Reply #63 on: March 12, 2014, 10:43:15 am »

Hi  Vaughan,

I have  used the   chopstick and  super glue  method  with  even a very  tight   cork  stopper   that  really needed  to  be  PULLED  out  of the  bottle  neck  like a   wine  cork (  and I do mean  PULLED  - the    cork  was a  really tight  fit )

It  takes  patience   for the  super  glue  to  set  firm  on the   cork  end ( a  couple  of  hours  or more)  but  it really  works. 

The  needle  +  super  glue  method  occurred to me   only recently  :  in fact a   rusty  /  rough thick  / stiff  wire    works   even better 

Yes  super  glue  does  not  work on glass.  I  learned   that  from my  old   Porsche  924  that  stupidly  had the  rear  view  mirror   glued  to the   front  windscreen.  Only a  special   2 - part    glue  worked  to   fix  it  back  ( I never  found  out  what the  glue  was called)

But  99%  of   modern  IPB  stoppers  use  some  kind  of  plastic  disc  as the   flat   surface   which  goes between the    cork  and the    actual    stopper   head.    Super   glue   works  well on that :  both    cork-to-disc  and   disc -to- stopper  top.

One can  thicken  a   cork  stopper  if it is  loose   with a   few  coils  of   Scotch tape wound   round the  cork . 

Equally, one can  shave  down a    too-tight cork   stopper   with a  paper  cutter

Cheers

Peter

Report Spam   Logged

Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 11283


« Reply #64 on: March 12, 2014, 01:29:15 pm »

Guys,
   YF Yang taught me to use Elmer's Glue-all (white glue) on corks and stoppers, because it was reversible. It takes a lot longer to bond and dry, but so what?
   I also use 2 part epoxy...
Joey
Report Spam   Logged

Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

Mandarin
Private Boards
Full Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 168



« Reply #65 on: March 13, 2014, 07:04:11 am »

Can someone tell me what does it mean when a topic has been 'stickied'??

Vaughan
Report Spam   Logged
Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 11283


« Reply #66 on: March 13, 2014, 07:28:34 am »

Vaughn,
   Damned if I know...  Wink
Joey


Can someone tell me what does it mean when a topic has been 'stickied'??

Vaughan
Report Spam   Logged

Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

richy88
Private Boards / Forum Themes and Scenes Specialist
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 3036



« Reply #67 on: March 13, 2014, 08:22:28 am »

Hi Vaughan

When a thread is being 'sticked' it will always appear right at the top of the board for easy access.

For your reference.

Regards.


Richard
Report Spam   Logged

Richard from sunny Singapore
Evaluate • Educate • Entertain
George
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Gender: Male
Posts: 11350


Test


WWW
« Reply #68 on: March 13, 2014, 11:11:32 am »

Can someone tell me what does it mean when a topic has been 'stickied'??

Vaughan

A stickied topic will appear highlighted at the top of any given board, and stays there because the topic/thread is a bit more interesting than others that are allowed to fade away into the archives..

Report Spam   Logged

"Experience Each Experience To The Fullest To Obtain The Most Growth"

Snuff Bottle Journal
Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 11283


« Reply #69 on: March 13, 2014, 11:15:14 am »

Thanks, George. I didn't know that.
Joey
Report Spam   Logged

Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

Mandarin
Private Boards
Full Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 168



« Reply #70 on: March 17, 2014, 06:56:21 am »

Thanks Richard and George!

Vaughan
Report Spam   Logged
Mandarin
Private Boards
Full Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 168



« Reply #71 on: May 14, 2014, 04:59:52 am »

Hello Everyone,
I’ve used Araldite Crystal Clear epoxy in the past to repair chips in glass and hardstone bottles, but have found a very good alternative in thick auto windscreen repair gel. Its advantages over the epoxy are that it does not require mixing and is really 100% clear (sometimes the epoxy would have minute bubbles in it from the mixing process); also, the chip does not need scratching to provide a key because the resin sticks well. Its disadvantage is that it requires strong sunlight to set it so in the winter you might need a UV lamp! When hardened, it is also easy to polish using a good plastic polish and it takes a good shine. I used it recently on a goldstone (glass) stopper that had chipping around its sharp edge and it gave good results. There were some light scratches to the glass surface which I removed with a buffing pad soaked in cerium oxide windscreen polishing paste chucked in a hobby drill. Then I cleaned the stopper and especially the chips with isopropyl alcohol. I applied the gel to the chips and wrapped clear sellotape around the rim. This pushed the excess gel out and helped give the hardened gel a fairly smooth outer surface. The stopper was left in strong sunlight for a couple of days and then the sellotape was peeled off. The hard gel was polished with plastic window polish and blended in. Small gaps where the gel met the glass surface were touched in with a brush and Humbrol no. 35 clear varnish; excess varnish was gently removed with a finger moistened with white spirits. The flat bottom of the stopper was gently hand rubbed with water on a 1500 grit flat diamond wheel to remove excess hardened gel and to give a uniform satin finish. A thin coat of silicone oil was applied to the shiny surfaces to further blend the resin into the stopper and give an attractive sheen, with excess silicone oil rubbed off with a soft cloth. The chips are now much less noticeable. I fitted a cork stopper in the usual way. I’ve found that corks from Boots wine bottle stoppers are of superior quality with little inclusions and this is what I used. I hope this information will help in restoring those chipped necks and stoppers.



* 1.JPG (62.29 KB, 640x480 - viewed 32 times.)

* 2.JPG (61.13 KB, 640x480 - viewed 33 times.)

* 3.JPG (62.34 KB, 480x640 - viewed 35 times.)

* 5.JPG (61.74 KB, 640x480 - viewed 33 times.)

* 6.JPG (62.92 KB, 640x480 - viewed 25 times.)

* 7.JPG (60.45 KB, 640x480 - viewed 26 times.)

* 10.JPG (60.89 KB, 640x480 - viewed 32 times.)

* 9.JPG (60.71 KB, 640x480 - viewed 35 times.)
Report Spam   Logged
Pat - 查尚杰
Hero Member
*****
Gender: Male
Posts: 3461


Zha Shang Jie 查尚杰


« Reply #72 on: May 14, 2014, 08:45:35 am »

Great info and tips Vaughan!  Much appreciated. Thanks a lot!
Report Spam   Logged

Best Regards

Pat
查尚杰
Zha Shang Jie

Steven
Global Moderator / Forum Detective
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 4101



« Reply #73 on: May 14, 2014, 10:34:19 am »

Great info and tips Vaughan!  Much appreciated. Thanks a lot!

Ditto!

I am amazed by the result, Vaughan, Amazing job! wish I can be as handy as you.

I have been very lazy, but I sure will pick this thread up one day to repeat your step one by one,and try it on one of my bottle.

Thanks again Vaughan!

Steven
Report Spam   Logged

Mandarin
Private Boards
Full Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 168



« Reply #74 on: May 14, 2014, 12:06:04 pm »

Thanks fellas, I can at least try to make up for my lack of knowledge of snuff bottles with some practical stuff!

Vaughan
Report Spam   Logged
George
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Gender: Male
Posts: 11350


Test


WWW
« Reply #75 on: May 14, 2014, 08:05:24 pm »

Excellent tutorial Vaughan !

Really enjoy these ...

Thank you ..
Report Spam   Logged

"Experience Each Experience To The Fullest To Obtain The Most Growth"

Snuff Bottle Journal
Wattana
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 6133



« Reply #76 on: May 14, 2014, 08:58:48 pm »

Hi Vaughan,

Not much more I can add to what has already been said - great tips, step-by-step instructions, and illustrations to boot! What more could one ask for...?!?

Many thanks,

Tom
« Last Edit: May 14, 2014, 09:48:51 pm by Wattana » Report Spam   Logged

Collecting since 1971

Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 11283


« Reply #77 on: May 15, 2014, 02:32:43 pm »

Vaughan,
    I agree with everyone else. Great information.
Thank you,
 Joey
Report Spam   Logged

Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

Wattana
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 6133



« Reply #78 on: May 18, 2014, 09:01:09 pm »

Hi Vaughan,

Do you have any experience with 'wrapped cork' on snuff bottle stoppers? That is to say, the traditional way of making a Chinese cork stopper. The cork 'bung' is a relatively recent introduction (mid-1800s onwards). And superglue even more recent!

Tom
« Last Edit: May 18, 2014, 09:03:33 pm by Wattana » Report Spam   Logged

Collecting since 1971

OIB
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 1273



« Reply #79 on: May 18, 2014, 09:25:34 pm »

Hi Vaughan,

Thank you for the very interesting step-by-step tutorials on SB accessories !
Learnt a lot indeed.

Inn Bok
Singapore
Report Spam   Logged

Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal