fonze
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posted on July 15, 2001 01:46:31 PM
Hello,
Has anyone ever used C.L.R. Calcium Lime and Rust remover to clean glass? I have some large Heisey centerpiece bowls that have mineral deposits (probably from hard water) that I inherited. I am looking for a way to clean them and put them up on eBay. They are not very bad, but I like to put up good items and am hoping to clean them up a little. Thanks for any help.
fonze
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jayadiaz
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posted on July 15, 2001 01:52:36 PM
I don't know but am hoping to learn something here. I have a couple of old vases of my own I'd love to clean up.
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smw
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posted on July 15, 2001 02:14:22 PM
Fonze: The first rule of restoration: "Don't do anything you can't undo". With this in mind it may be helpful to consider starting with something a little less caustic than CLR.
Polidant tablets will sometimes work. But you have to be careful that the water isn't too hot or it can crack the glass. I had a piece of fine crystal that had lime stains that I loaded up with Polident and let sit for a day or so. I then gently rubbed the lime off with my fingers. It took a while but it worked very well. Plus the Polident gives it a shine.
I have also used a tiny bit of liquid dishwasher detergent straight from the bottle and rubbed off lime with my fingers. Anything you rub on glass or metal will alter the surface. If the gunk on the glass is really gross I have used old diapers and not my fingers.
Other stuff from Mother Nature's kitchen that could work would be Calgon, since it is a water softener.
You seem to want to go straight to the big guns with the CLR. I prefer to try the less caustic stuff first. I don't know if the CLR will damage anything, but it is very unlikely that denture cleaner would. But whatever works for you.......
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MurphyBird
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posted on July 15, 2001 02:15:23 PM
Funny you should mention this, I was just looking at Kovel's Antique and Collectibiles Price List 2001, and saw a little blurb in there about cleaning hard water deposits, Page 213:
Sometimes glasses get a cloudy look from the lime deposits in hard water. Cover the cloudy part with wet potato peelins for 24 hours. Rinse, dry.
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silkmoth
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posted on July 15, 2001 02:34:09 PM
Vinegar should work. It's used to clean calcium carbonate deposits from coffee makers, and it's mild enough not to hurt the glass.
--------
SilkMoth only on the message boards
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roadsmith
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posted on July 15, 2001 03:58:29 PM
Try this: Do you have any lemon oil, like Old English Lemon Oil, in your house? Years ago we had glass shower doors that got terrible deposits on them with normal use (we had pretty hard water). About every month or two I'd just apply straight lemon oil with a soft rag, and you would not believe how sparkling clean and clear the doors were--like new! You can't hurt the Heisey, I don't think, with this. I'd try it on just a small area first, though. Good luck. Adele
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overworked
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posted on July 15, 2001 04:01:24 PM
The person that invents something to "fix" tired or cloudy glass will become immensely wealthy. Ain't happened yet 
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fonze
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posted on July 15, 2001 04:19:37 PM
It's not cloudy. Just has those little rainbows from minerals in water.
The thread title should have read CLR to cleaN Heisey Glass? Does it work well?
I misspelled Clean and it came out clear.
[ edited by fonze on Jul 15, 2001 05:07 PM ]
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glassperson
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posted on July 15, 2001 04:54:45 PM
If the glass is "etched" with mineral deposits, NOTHING will eliminate it.Trust me on this! If acetone doesn't help, forget it.
PS putting oil of any kind of glass to cover
defects is not good as the first soap and water to hit it will dissolve the oil.
I specifically feel the inside of cruets, vases, etc before I buy to make sure there is NO oil inside.
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Mikecol
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posted on July 15, 2001 06:18:41 PM
Have to agree with overworked there is no cure for sick glass and coating with oil will get you a well deserved negative if you are selling this glass.
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fonze
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posted on July 15, 2001 06:42:22 PM
All I wanted to know is if anyone had ever used CLR? The glass is very nice it is a very minor problem, not a big mess. I never said I was going to try to cover up the problem.
Moderator you can lock the thread now.
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brie49
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posted on July 15, 2001 09:17:32 PM
Hi fonze, I have never used CLR on crystal, but I have used it on old glass bottles and vases like Van Briggle and it cleaned them up fine without any damage.
I was concerned about applying it to the glaze on the pottery, but it was such a mess anyway that it was not worth a thing in its current condition - so I used it and worked great.
Like those above have mentioned, I would try the denture tablets and straight white vinegar (several soakings and scrubbing applications) first before resorting to the CLR, just in case.
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fonze
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posted on July 15, 2001 09:19:05 PM
Thanks!
fonze
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MichelleG
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posted on July 15, 2001 09:26:02 PM
Oops - sorry I missed your request earlier, fonze (it's been one of those days....)
Locked at the request of the originator.
Michelle
[email protected]
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