Glass Message Board

Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Paperweights => Topic started by: RAY on June 04, 2012, 10:55:24 AM

Title: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: RAY on June 04, 2012, 10:55:24 AM
someones been at the dremel again lol http://goo.gl/nh8Er
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: Lustrousstone on June 04, 2012, 11:14:54 AM
Have you informed them?
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: flying free on June 04, 2012, 04:32:27 PM
I guess they might realise though as they haven't put 'St Louis' in the title.
I think that's a gorgeous weight.  Does it devalue weights if they have had things scribbled on them? (or is that a stupid question judging by your title)
m
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: chopin-liszt on June 04, 2012, 05:00:17 PM
It's damage m, so yes, it devalues it.
Maybe makes it more affordable? - it's to the base it so it probably wouldn't show on display.
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: flying free on June 04, 2012, 05:29:58 PM
yes I see what you mean.  It's funny how the mind works though.... if this was on a rare vase I really, really wanted, I wouldn't consider that at all.  However if it was on something I was ambivalent about, but quite liked, it would put me off.
m
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: KevinH on June 04, 2012, 11:21:20 PM
I have sent the seller the following:
Quote
For information, this paperweight was not made by St Louis. Unfortunately somebody has added the signature to what is actually a typical paperweight made by Ysart Brothers (Vasart) in the years 1946 to 1956.

For details on those types of paperweights, please see my article at:
http://www.btinternet.com/~kevh.glass/pages/salv-ybros/ysartbros.htm
The same pattern, including an identical cross-type cane, can be seen in my detailed page for Item 24 of my article:
http://www.btinternet.com/~kevh.glass/pages/salv-ybros/detail-concentric-01.htm
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: KevinH on June 04, 2012, 11:26:12 PM
Academically, it is a good example of something that is obviously wrong as it is quite easy to match the style and canes to known examples from Ysart Bros.
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: mmarc77 on June 05, 2012, 05:07:02 AM
I think it's a beautiful weight and since the fake sig is on the bottom it wouldn't be visible in my display cabinet anyway. I'm sure some wouldn't be interested in it because of the counterfeit attempt but I would not hesitate to buy it for my collection. If I were to sell it later though I would clearly state the "damage" in the description. By the way isn't it Saint Louis not St. Louis? ;)
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: tropdevin on June 05, 2012, 09:34:18 AM
***

If we are being pedantic, it is actually 'Saint-Louis' with a hyphen, although the company does use St-Louis as well. See the  Saint-Louis website (http://www.saint-louis.com/en/history).

Alan
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: KevinH on June 05, 2012, 02:40:07 PM
The seller has asked if they may use my comments in their listing. Which, of course, they are free to do by inclusion in the "Q & A" section.

But nice to be asked. :) So there could be an update to the listing soon.
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: Sanborn32 on June 30, 2012, 05:28:37 PM
Is that something that could be polished or ground out without damaging the weight?
Title: Re: someones wrecked a nice weight
Post by: tropdevin on June 30, 2012, 06:27:15 PM
***

It depends what you mean by 'damaging'. Removing the signature would mean grinding off maybe 1mm of glass, which is not very much - but would leave a flat area.  More important is the risk involved whenever you grind glass off a paperweight: there may be significant stress within the weight, which can then be revealed as a catastrophic - often terminal - crack during polishing. I have seen this several times with Ysart / Vasart weights ( I have two nice Paul Ysart 1930s flowers which looks great, unless you see them side on - then you see they are riddled with huge cracks, post polishing, and might fall apart at any minute.). I think it comes down to the glass they used and the poor, badly controlled annealing process.  Antique lead glass weights are far more tolerant of polishing, as are modern paperweights - but the cracks run much deeper into modern glass.

(If anyone wants to be bored by the intricate physics of Hertzian ring cracks (which is what bruises are), just let me know. It was part of my post-doctorate work on diamonds, and I used to know too much about it.... Don't Google the phrase unless you feel strong (really, don't), but if you must dig deeper, check out this article  Hertzian fracture (http://www.msel.nist.gov/lawn/Publications/Papers.BRL/PapersBRL.1967/PRSL%20A299%20291%201967.pdf) - it  describes the theory of bruises in brittle materials like glass.

Alan