Topic: Chances ashtrays,

[David E]

Coming back to the ashtray, you might be interested in this earlier discussion:
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,19637.0.html

[keith]

Interesting,trouble is now I've got to go out and see if I can find one in that colour,Keith.

[Lustrousstone]

Compared with other jade-type uranium glass, it's sludge  . Mine is hidden in a dark cupboard  :24:

(Unlike my other gifts from David)

[keith]

Sludge is a nice colour if you live in the 'Black Country'!Keith.

[David W]

Re Reply 2: All stocks of Uranium (salts etc.) were confiscated by the government early on in WW" for use for instrument dials. One firm, Plowden & Thompson kept a small chunk of uranium glass back as I have a piece, but I do not think a significant amount of domestic uranium glass would have been made during the war for this reason. I am no expert on ashtrays but would expect any with uranium to date from the 1950s. Nazeing were a great maker of ashtrays and may be able to help in this matter.
A floating fibreglass ashtray might prove useful for sub-mariners!

David W

[David E]

Thanks for the feedback, t'other David. The lack of uranium is covered in my book, Chance Expressions, but as these ashtrays were originally produced before the war, then it is reasonable to assume they date pre-war rather than the 1950s when they may have already been discontinued.

If Stephen Pollock-Hill or Nigel stumble across this thread I'm sure they can comment re. Nazeing's output, but I doubt if any items were produced with uranium after WWII: I believe it was many decades before uranium was used again in British glass, but it would be nice to nail that particular point for dating purposes.

P.S. If the ashtrays were floating then, as a sub-mariner, I would be very worried! :24:

[David W]

Quite possible, but I rather though that the design under consideration looked more post-war, certainly not earlier than between the wars.
I have read that after the war untreated uranium salts gave way to so-called 'depleted uranium' with one of the isotopes removed. Does anyone know whether this distinction can be detected by using a radiation monitor?

A further thought on Uranium use. Small amounts seem to have been added to many glass recipes in a quite unexpected or random way. My only suggestion is that it was added as a brightener, particularly in daylight/sunlight rather in the manner of using a bluebag (I hope you know what that is!) for washing.

David W

PPS. I always thought sub-mariners were allowed out for a smoke occasionally.

[David E]

The design is definitely pre-war (designed by Robert Goodden) as it appeared in trade magazines when first announced. I'll wait for one of the uranium experts (Christine?) to comment on its use, but I agree: most glass I have with this included is always a bright citric colour, hence the comments on these trays being a very subdued -disappointing - colour.

Ah the blue-bags! I do just about remember them, but didn't they double up as a remedy for wasp stings?

PPS. I always thought sub-mariners were allowed out for a smoke occasionally.

Only if it wasn't raining.

[Lustrousstone]

I think uranium was often used as a brightener if it wasn't required to give a yellow colour or a green with a hint of yellow, but why was it used in grey glass (Bohemia) or green glass that's so pale as to be barely green (Brockwitz)? Although it does brighten the Chance ashtrays a bit, it's still sludge green.

I think all uranium salts being confiscated it a bit of an urban inaccuracy. We know that there were some remaining at Sowerby when Adam Dodds was there, he's told us so, but I don't know that they made any uranium glass post war. I also understand that the only coloured goods made during the war were exported, but there are some items that only seem to appear in uranium outside the UK. Goods for internal consumption were flint utility goods. Bagley definitely made uranium glass for UK consumption post war in my opinion, as its Carnival range is found in the UK in uranium glass with and without the 1936 registration mark. The marked ones are less bulky http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,26878.0.html , which I think indicates post war economy.

I think modern uranium glass (post 1970s probably) uses depleted uranium (Fenton certainly), but Barrie Skelcher has found that is not necessarily true of all post-war uranium glass.

I seem to have done a lot of thinking, but these only thoughts based on observation.