Topic: Early Mdina greeny bubbley glass/casing

[WhatHo!]

I have speaking to Alfred Sammut who worked at Mdina in the early 1970s and he answered a question that I have been wondering about for ages. I have always noticed that the 'clear' glass or casing of early pieces has a greeny tone and is often full of tiny bubbles. Alfred has now cleared this one up by letting us know that they used to re-melt old milk bottles for their clear glass.
So the crizzle stones, fish vases etc are recycled milk bottles

[chopin-liszt]

 
How wonderful to know!
I'm big on recycling; this makes things far more interesting and valuable to me. 

I was aware they had trouble sourcing cullet and had to make do with inferior quality stuff, but knowing exactly what was used is just brilliant.

[Patrick]

Hi,
 Another question answered, thanks for posting it here WhatHo...........

I think maybe it was a stroke of genius that led Harris to use it in his pieces, what better than something that has the geenish tone of WATER and also includes BUBBLES. 

[WhatHo!]

Nice thought Patrick

[chopin-liszt]

Labino had used marbles in his first small pots, (the origin of the Studio Glass Movement) which was what he had found worked for melting small batches.

[Baked_Beans]

Interesting stuff , I hope you can persuade Alfred to join Glassmessages Wolfie. he is a font of knowledge and very passionate about glass .

[glassobsessed]

Just confirming when held up to light that green tinge is visible in all of the following, with the small sidestripe in the last photo it is almost blue.

John

[glassobsessed]

I noticed that the green tinge is absent from this lollipop.

[Patrick]

I think maybe it was a stroke of genius that led Harris to use it in his pieces, what better than something that has the geenish tone of WATER and also includes BUBBLES. 

Well my theory has just been blown out of the WATER because Alfred just told me that "Harris and Boffo were not happy with the rubbish glass"......

He was not sure when they stopped using the bottle glass ( maybe that was after he left ) but he mentioned the bottles were replaced with cartons .

The bottle glass also had the addition of glass used for chemistry bottles, very fine.

Alfred tells me he will join the group so hopefully you will have answers ' Straight from the horse's mouth'

[WhatHo!]

Lovely pieces John