Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: bungie60 on June 03, 2008, 01:32:03 AM
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Checking some bits of uranium glass yesterday and noticed a clear glass candle stick reacted, so checked some more pieces, some did and some did not.I have never known this to happen before it has always glowed purple or bluish, could it be contaminated or was uranium or some other chemical added to the clear glass for some reason. Is it rare and can the makers be identified by the pictures, would it help if you knew who made them was it standard practice. I know some Scottish paperweights glow but i think this is crystal glass. I am at a loss all help and input greatly appreciated.
p.s in plain English please
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10107
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10105
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10111
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10113
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10109
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10101
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10114
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10110
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10112
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10115
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10108
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10102
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10103
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10104
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The greenish glow in your clear glass (including paperweights) is caused by the presence of a manganese compound. This was very commonly used as a decolorising agent; clear glass often naturally has a greenish colour cast like Coke bottles. Other decolorising agents are generally used instead these days.
This yellowish green glow can be found with other glass colours, including green, so unless your green glow is really really bright green, you can't attribute it to uranium. Uranium always glows the same shade of bright green, no matter how little was used. The glowing just looks a little diluted.
This is the sort of glow uranium gives, your photos are excellent examples of the glow manganese gives in glass of any colour
Managanese is also what causes clear glass to develop that greyish or purplish tinge (or even a very bright purple tinge but not in the UK, not enough sun or UV rays). The ultraviolet light causes a chemical reaction that turns the manganese compound from a colourless one to a purple one,
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Thanks for the reply Christine very intresting so basically what you are saying is that the added manganese is what is making these items glow. The one set of candlesticks i have managed to identify as sowerby regd 752847 the plainer set which glows better than the rest. also the tray came with the sticks which glows well. And thanks for comments on photographs if you can use them to educate other people please feel free.here is a link to some uranium glass i have. learning something new every day yours Mark
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-10134
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You've got a nice collection there. :) I do wonder if your blue Fenton hobnail thingy is really uranium or whether that's showing a manganese glow.
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Wish i had access to a Geiger counter it really did glow brightly. I do recall reading on one of the American sites that it was a rare blue uranium vase by Fenton, but with out backing it up with a Geiger counter i will never know. Thanks once again for info yours Mark
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I want one too, there's always the odd piece that you can't be sure about. The OH is on the look out but they always go too expensive on fleabay and he hasn't found one at a boot sale, yet...
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Chistine, Uranium in glass won't set a Geiger counter off. See my reply to the post on Moser ;)
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Some of it might. A few years ago (actually over a decade now I think about it) the Head of Physics at my childrens' school helped us to do some experiments using a hand held geiger counter and a variety of vaseline pieces. I will try to locate the results (they are in the depths of my archives somewhere :-[) but I can recall that the piece that kicked it off the most and got the highest reading was a modern Summit item. The older glass didn't react anything like as much, as Leni says, but it did tick a bit.
I also (ages back) conversed with a very learned man who worked with the Geiger Mueller tube. He reckoned it was far better to use with vaseline glass than the geiger counter. Again, the correspondence is buried in my archives. I haven't had the need to use it for some time.
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Here's an interesting article for students (written in the sort of scientific language I can just about cope with :P) that uses a Geiger Mueller tube and experiments with household items including Vaseline Glass and Fiesta ware!
http://local.ans.org/mi/Teacher_CD/Activities/SECO%20GM%20experiemnts.pdf
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:hiclp: Thanks very much for that, Glen! I've printed off a copy for husband (and son!) -hope that's OK? I expect they'll be wanting to get their hands on a Geiger Mueller Tube next! ::) ;D
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Perhaps that's what he's after. He will have investigated
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Aaaaarrrrggghhhh :hb2: I have just sat through one of those delightful meal-time 'discussions' between husband and son which I have come to dread! >:( Husband says his Geiger counter is an old Civil Defense model, and is really only able to detect Beta and Gamma radiation, whereas Uranium ore emits heavy Alpha radiation. However, Alpha particles don't escape very easily from inside glass, so you would need a much more sensitive Geiger counter than his ::) If I have understood properly (which it's very possible I haven't, in the 'heat' of 'discussion' :-\ )
Both husband and son are currently reading 'The Big Book of Vaseline Glass' and Glen's Geiger Mueller Tube experiments and arguing about the implications ::)
And I'm beginning to wish I hadn't stuck my nose into this thread :-[