Victorian decanter

Bennoble

I purchased this Victorian decanter a while back from a local jewellers. There is a white misting to the glass and I was wondering how I should go about removing this? I have not tried washing it out as I didn't want to make the problem worse.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Ben

historic

Ben,

The white misting inside is likely what is commonly known as "etching" - this is caused by water sitting in the glass and leaching out a certain portion of the glass composition.

It is possible that it is simply a mineral deposit that can be removed safely with a product like CLR. CLR is available at a hardware store or possibly in the grocery cleaning supplies aisle as well. It is an acid, so be careful and use rubber gloves and follow the directions. It will not harm glass.

If it is indeed etching (most likely) then this can only be removed by mechanical means. Bottle collectors polish the glass using an optical polishing compound and copper wire bits. In the case of this particular bottle, that option will not be possible...it is too fragile.

Hope this helps.

Bennoble

Thanks a lot for your help, I shall certainly try the CLR. It'll be such a shame if that doesn't do the trick, it's such a great looking thing.

Best wishes,

Ben.