Topic: Cloudy Fostoria tableware

[leppard]

I know nothing of glassware so bear with me.  I have some Fostoria tableware, different sized plates and glasses, that are cloudy.  These were located in my grandmother's house.  They were never used or washed because they had the Fostoria Made in USA stickers still on them.  They had been kept in a wooden china cabinet for at least the last 40 years.  No air conditioning or heat during that time so temperatures varied.  And this is in Florida, near the Atlantic, so we're known for our humidity.  How long she had them before that, I don't know, so I have no idea how old they are.  They looked dirty and cloudy so I decided I'd wash them.  I washed them by hand with Dawn and air dried.  They're still cloudy looking (see attached pictures).  I took a couple of the plates and soaked them overnight in vinegar - no change.  Tried again and added some Dawn this time - no change.  Other glassware in the cabinet looks great.  Hand washed it and it is crystal clear (no pun intended).  Does anyone have any idea what is going on here?  Any idea how to clean these up?  I've done some google searches but with no luck.  Most results are about hard water.  Well these looked cloudy before being washed.  They had never been washed!  I read about glassware in wood cabinets and that it can affect the glass, but then why did it not affect all the glassware in the cabinet (seems to just be this Fostoria set)?  I'm hoping the experts on here can help me out!  Thanks in advance.  Jeff

[Ekimp]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

The clouding looks very like the white bloom you get inside vases that is water damage and actual physical damage to the surface of the glass. For example, see this topic http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,32957.msg178497.html#msg178497

Another possibility might be glass sickness or crizzling: http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,71522.msg398316.html#msg398316

It’s interesting as your second photograph looks like it’s the residue of being wiped with something. If you search the forum for cleaning you will come up with tips for cleaning, but it might well be damage that would have to be polished away. I have been wondering about mould damaging glass, like lens fungus in cameras etc.

[chopin-liszt]

There can be a problem arises when the recipe for the glass was a bit deficient.
The glass gets a greasy feel on the surface and has a vinegary sort of smell.
But that doesn't appear to be the problem you have here.

But do try feeling and sniffing it carefully.   
If you don't think that's quite weird enough, try licking it.   

[leppard]

Thanks for the responses.  Unfortunately, I've already washed all of them (I think - there may be more in another box in storage).  But they did have a greasy feel and an odd smell.  So are you saying chopin-liszt that this may be inside the glass and not correctable?  Your explanation would explain why it seems to just be this Fostoria set that is having the problem.  I would assume this would affect the value of them (if they have any value to begin with).  I wonder if other sets from this timeframe/batch have the same issue.  Maybe their owners have already thrown them out. 

[chopin-liszt]

If you did notice the strange feel and smell, this is the problem. A bad batch of glass or the bad recipe was used. It is a feature of the glass itself. It's quite common in some older Chinese paperweights. If they are kept in a cupboard, the feel and smell will come back.
It will affect the value, but I don't know if they had a lot in the first place.
And it's why it doesn't happen in your other, superior glass. 

It's always a bit sad to find out an heirloom you think might be precious is not of more value than you had hoped. You get kind of fond of it.

[leppard]

Thanks for the info.  Luckily, this was not anything I feel a connection to or view as an heirloom since they never used it.  I have some china though that I believe to be fairly old (1800s) that I am connected to.  Not sure which family member was the original owner but I have some good suspects.  But whether it is worth anything or not, I'm not getting rid of it.  This Fostoria - I'm fine with getting rid of it.  But as you said, it might not have ever been worth much, even in excellent condition.  Thanks again for the help.  At least I won't have to keep trying to figure out how to clean it!

[chopin-liszt]

  If you did want to preserve it, don't keep it in an enclosed cupboard.

It struck me later on that I should have said that if it is very humid, the acid that leaches out of the glass will dissolve in the damp and this will eat into the glass itself. That will be what caused the cloudiness, as further damage down the line.
This is less likely to happen if air is circulating around. They should still be washed fairly frequently to remove the build up.

The glass recipe that does this doesn't tend to be used for top end work.

We do have a sister board for identifying ceramics and I'm sure folk there would be delighted to help you out with finding out about the china you do love.

Link here. 

https://www.yobunny.com/pottery/

[leppard]

Follow-up comment on my post:  I found some additional plates, appearing to be the same as the plates in the aforementioned set.  These I believe were kept elsewhere in the house, or perhaps even transferred to my parent's residence at some point years ago.  Anyway, they do not have the cloudiness that the other plates have!  This would seem to lend credence to the idea that the wood china cabinet the other plates were kept in, is what caused the cloudiness to occur.

[chopin-liszt]

 
Others have had this weird problem arise and there have been discussions about it here before, the lady who had the trouble did a bit of experimenting with her weights to see if the problem arose again in an enclosed cabinet. It did. Her hubby is a physicist, he took a lot of interest in what was happening too. It was very, very interesting.