Topic: Genie Bottle Stoppers

[Penelope12]

I wonder if anyone can help me to locate some replacement plastic seals for my genie bottles. Most of them have perished and need replacing, but I can’t seem to locate any anywhere. It would help if I just knew what they were called; I have tried Googling everything that I can think of, but so far have drawn a blank. 

Thanks Penny

[Ekimp]

Hi Penny, if you google ‘bottle stopper sleeves’, it comes up with a few examples. You may be able to get them from hobbyist wood turning suppliers as I believe people make decorative wooden stopper tops but buy the bit that goes into the bottle. Alibaba also has them but you might need to buy thousands!

[chopin-liszt]

I resorted to a slim flat ring of blu-tack between the rim of the bottle and the base pad of the stopper to hold it in place. All my plastic bits were perished.

[Ekimp]

Another option could be ‘tube end caps’ that come in different diameters but you would have to cut a hole in the end. Cheap on eBay.

[Penelope12]

Hi Ekimp & Sue,

Thanks for the info, I would never have thought they were called ‘sleeves’, no wonder I couldn't find any. I have taken the plunge and ordered some from a wood turning suppliers in the US, not quite 100,000, but they should keep me going for a while...fingers crossed that they fit or I might just need that blu-tack. The ‘tube end caps’ look like a viable option though. 

[Penelope12]

Wow! Just received my bottle sleeves from the US already, why don't my items that I post to the US arrive as quick!
Anyway, just tried the first one and it's not a bad fit, not quite as snug as the original, but not bad all the same. 

[Helen W.]

Hi Penelope. Just out of interest, seeing as you mentioned your 'addiction' in another post, have you been collecting these genie bottles for long? The example in your photos is a beautiful blue.

[Penelope12]

Hi Helen,

No I haven’t been collecting them for very long. Unfortunately, the one in the picture has some water marks which look like bubbles all over the inside, I have tried everything that I can think of, but nothing will shift them, I also have another one the same in amber and some other nice examples still in boxes in the garage cause there's no more room in the house!

The problem is, that to get around my glass addiction, I turned it into a business (that’s what I tell my husband anyway!) I just need to be able to part with a few bits here and there to make it work!
 
I am very intrigued by this 18” inch tall one that I purchased a couple of months ago, it looks like a lamp and has been used as a candle holder, but it is also a bottle with 'made in Italy’ stamped on the bottom...I'm mystified?

[Helen W.]

I've found that some water marks cannot be removed with any of the usual materials and methods. Apparently, at that stage you're dealing with 'glass sickness', a chemical change in the glass itself after prolonged contact with water. It can be ground out by a restorer, as long there is sufficient access - and you can actually find a glass repairer/restorer. I've been sent from pillar to post trying to find one in the north-east and Cumbria areas.

I've never seen anything quite like your pink candleholder/bottle. I hope someone can identify it by the time  you come to sell it on, as part of your 'business'. (Great ruse )

[Penelope12]

Yes, a few of mine have a dose of 'glass sickness', I have found that Peek metal polish works very well - with some elbow grease - as long as they are not too badly infected and you can gain access.

I too have almost given up hope on finding a glass restorer, I also have some lovely pieces with minor chips that would grind out quite easily, I often come across pieces where they have been ground out, so there must be some out there somewhere.  I am at the point of asking for a Dremel for my next birthday –never was one for handbags! – or one of those Kristall glass grinding machines, at least I’ll have plenty to practice on.