Topic: Is it worth investing to get this decanter professionally restored?

[GlassIsGood]

I think you would have told me by now if my decanter was remotely valuable.  So I think I shall assume that I am not sitting on lump of Waterford and in for a penny in for a pound I've ordered some cerium oxide.  Mind you I wonder if a tube of T-cut would work as well?

[Pinkspoons]

The chip was on a rounded rim, so it was just a case of sanding it level and then polishing out the marks using a fine diamond paste (the stuff usually used for metal tool restoration). The sanding was the laborious part - the polishing took maybe 20 minutes. I'm not sure, yet, how I'd tackle a chip on a flat polished rim... which is a shame, as I've maybe 10 vases that need this kind of restoration, including a swanky Iittala piece.  

Mind you I wonder if a tube of T-cut would work as well?

T-Cut is far too soft to have any effect. Been there, done that.  

[GlassIsGood]

Great I won't waste cash on T-cut then - hopefully the cerium oxide will give me something to play with - now all I have to think about is how to get is acting on the interior sides of the decanter.  I wonder if I could fit the decanter onto my dads lathe in some way to spin and put our pot of magic balls in it with some of the cerium product.  The trouble is the balls will naturally spin to the outer edge - it almost needs to be an off centre rotation.  If not I'll try a bendy bottle brush.

[glassobsessed]

Don't put it on a lathe, that could be disastrous, a lathe spins much too fast. If you can build a contraption to rotate the decanter once every four or five seconds then the metal balls and/or cerium goo should work, leave it rotating for as long as required, certainly hours, possibly days.

When you have a working device can I borrow it?

John

[Paul S.]

I had visions of the decanter wizzing round at some mega rpm, then shattering and flying off in all directions .   Re the sanding, believe you need to be careful that you don't put 'flats' on a curved surface - so a sanding block with some 'give' is best presumably.   I really would like to hear from anyone who has tried the IPD polishing kit.

[johnphilip]

Try lead balls Airgun pellets .

[Pinkspoons]

Yup, getting the curve 'just so' is the laborious bit. I found that just applying the sandpaper using your hand, rather than a block, gives the best contour response.

I tried the IPD polishing drill attachment - it was FAR too heavy and flexible (unstable) for its purpose and nearly burnt out my hobby drill's motor. That said, it does work well as a hand tool... but I could have easily made one myself, in that case.

[GlassIsGood]

I think the most difficult bit will be finding something to fit into the neck and yet expand enough once in to meet the sides.    Looking at things like sponge scourers, light wire wool and similar with the cerium oxide between the medium and the sides.  I think the best thing will be some thing rolling round inside it - airgun pellets might work being an angular shape, but I reckon you would lose the powder inside their structure.  I'm also wondering about a handful of gravel, but that might be too coarse.  I guess I could while away some hours hand shaking the thing, but something automated obviously has preference, but I don't want to spend cash on too much stuff and would rather utilise what I have.  At the moment I am compiling a list of things that I can get to move, lathe, pillar drill, washing machine, honey spinner, bicycle pedals and wondering if there is anyway I can connect the bottle to them without too much effort.  Even putting the decanter in my car boot in a padded box full of the chosen scouring medium and just driving round with it for a month or so.  At the end of the day I'm only experimenting with a £4 bottle after all.  If I ever get it clean I will report back and let you know what I did.

[Paul S.]

quote today from GlassIsGood......'honey spinner'........I thought for a moment that you were trying to say you had found a 'money spinner', because if you had please let me in on the secret.   However, don't think I know what a 'honey spinner' is though (bet that gets me a reply or two
At the end of the day if your problem is glass degradation, then I don't think you will get inside adequately to abraid the glass sufficiently to restore the piece.
Avoid gravel - it may contain qaurtz, which will be at least 6 on the Morhs hardness scale, and you will only exacerbate the problem.  Would suggest also that you avoid steel wool/wire wool - because you need to rub vigorously, and the steel will again quite likely cloud the glass surface.
I don't know whether jp is recommending air gun (lead) pellets from personal experience, or just suggesting them as a possibility  -  I had previously thought of them, but wondered if they might leave lead smears on the glass?
Try the copper balls with cerium oxide plus some Brasso.   Be prepared to shake vigorously for perhaps 15 - 30 minutes, and if there is no improvement, bin the decanter, and try you luck at renovating the inside of something more easily accessible  -  i.e. a cheap boot sale vase or two.

[GlassIsGood]

Copper balls I've got, the oxide is on its way, and I'll get some brasso.  If 15-30 mins is all it might take to see if it is working then its worth a try    If it works on this decanter I'll lob the mixture in that blue cone shaped one too as that is also suffering the same problem.  I guess you will all be slightly interested to hear how the job goes on? ;-)  Air pellets might well still be made of lead, but these days fishing shot is supposed not to be and may provide an alternative to the copper balls, mind you they don't break the bank anyway.