Posted 10 years ago
Bigsarge
(139 items)
I know folks someone has already shown this type of Glassware. I am thankful that they did because if I had not seen it on CW I would not known what it was. I forget it's name amd pattern. What I am having a problem with is I am confused as to what is Uranium glass verses Vaseline Glass. I though they were one and the same, Other than they both glow under black light what is the difference and how can you tell one from the other? I know a lot of it was made at one time but why were they made?, not everybody would have had black light to keep them under. I now have 11 pieces of this type of Glass and will continue looking for them. Gotta start taking my black light flashlight with me.
Where is that edit button CW? Sorry I could not give you a better image of the glow. I tried several times and this is the best I could do.
Basically it was used because it colored the glass! Uranium glass is glass which has had uranium, usually in oxide diuranate form, added to a glass mix before melting for coloration. While once used freely for tableware and household items it fell out of widespread use when the availability of uranium to most industries was sharply curtailed during the Cold War in the 1940s to 1990s.Vaseline glass is a recent term that probably dates from the 1950s. Uranium glass, an older and more general term, is sometimes used as a synonym for Vaseline glass, but this can lead to confusion because some types of glass colored with uranium (e.g., custard glass and Burmese glass) are opaque whereas Vaseline glass is transparent. There are exceptions. Some uranium-containing glass does not fluoresce under ultraviolet light, e.g., the yellow glass "gemstone" does not fluoresce under UV despite the fact that it contains uranium! Uranium was first used to color glass in the 1830s and it has continued to be used for this purpose with the exception of a fifteen year (or so) period beginning in World War II. Prior to World War II, natural uranium was used, but when Vaseline glass production resumed in 1959, the switch was made to depleted uranium (DU). The most typical color of uranium glass is pale yellowish-green, which in the 1920s led to the nickname vaseline glass based on a perceived resemblance to the appearance of petroleum jelly as formulated and commercially sold at that time. Specialized collectors still define "vaseline glass" as transparent or semitransparent uranium glass in this specific color.
"Vaseline glass" is now frequently used as a synonym for any uranium glass, especially here in the US, but this usage is not universal. The term is sometimes carelessly applied to other types of glass based on certain aspects of their superficial appearance in normal light, regardless of actual uranium content which requires a blacklight test to verify the characteristic green fluorescence.
In the UK and Australia, the term "vaseline glass" can be used to refer to any type of translucent glass. Even within the United States, the "vaseline" description is sometimes applied to any type of translucent glass with a greasy surface lustre.
I actually carry a small handheld blacklight, its not really powerful but it gets the job done - I think if you ask different people you get difference answers on Vaseline glass - the terms used on eBay really threw it out of balance. I'm not sure of your pattern though, I know there were several glass makers that made a lot of items with Vaseline glass (that uranium was used to make the color) - Hope this makes sense, it was in one of my research files and parts of the entire section came from various resources or things I learned from my glass books.
Thanks wksgibson you really put a lot of thought into your response.
I took this from someone else's site.
Indiana Glass Uranium Green Pebble Leaf Small bowl nut/mint individual ashtray
Thanks agh you didn't let me down.
If it is green it is not Vaseline.
Vaseline is yellow with perhaps a touch of green.
If you check this post of mine.....
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/133678-l-e-smith-glass-co-jardinere-fern-bowl?in=user
You can see uranium glass in the background.
lol love the one line Bigsarge - I think they are very pretty! Yes, sorry for my lengthy response. It was some research I was doing, was afraid to chop it up, thought I might miss a point ;-)
Ok fortapache I am going to send some of my former soldiers to meet with you. You keep down grading my whatever glass. I was told if it glows under black light like mine does it one or the other. I have run into green glass that has no glow. If all of mine that I have show has the glow then what are they?
You sure my flash from the camera isn't causing it to look greener then it is?
Bigsarge, here is an excerpt from an article written by David Patterson, Founding Member of Vaseline Glass Collectors, on the website: http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/vaseline_glass.htm
*The Vaseline Glass Collectors, Inc., uses the following definition:
"Vaseline glass is a transparent, yellow-green glass that will fluoresce a bright green color when exposed to any ultraviolet light source, due to the addition of a 1%-2% amount of uranium dioxide in the original glass formula. The transparent quality may be obscured by treatments such as opalescent, carnival, iridizing, stretch, satinizing, sand or acid etching, casing, inclusion and cutting treatments. Hand painted and applied decorations are also acceptable. These treatments do not change the original transparent quality of the glass. The name vaseline glass is due to the similarity of the color to that of petroleum jelly as it appeared in 1901." AND "According to the most widely used definition, vaseline glass has to first be yellow-green and THEN has to glow a bright neon green under a blacklight. If it does not pass the first condition, then the second condition does not apply. Another way to look at it: all Camaros are cars, but not all cars are Camaros." - Like I mentioned before, everyone started using the term because of the UV glow.
Maybe this will help? idk =)
Sorry Bigsarge both uranium and Vaseline glass glow. To make it green they add some iron oxide to what would be Vaseline glass. One is not better than the other.
Your glass in this post is Vaseline glass I think but I am not sure due to the background perhaps. I can't quite tell the color.
Can you call off your soldiers? Also does my picture of Vaseline and uranium glass together help?
fortapache, I get now these http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/131059-vaseline-glass, http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/129803-more-vaseline-glass, are Vaseline. This is http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/129796-vaseline-glass, uranium? I though they were one and the same. Which is more desirable/collectible? Those I bought from a dealer were sold to me as Vaseline guess the dealers didn't know the difference either.
Thanks Weirdpuckett, BTW fortapache, I forget today is 9/11 so I have to reroute the my Soldiers and put them on stand by just in case so they won't be coming lol.
http://indianaglass.carnivalheaven.com/id263.htm
Weirdpuckett, How can I date this piece, see it was offered more than once, any Idea. listen to me say PIECE, I am starting to sound like you guys "Real and Serious Collectors."
Yes Bigsarge you got it now. Thanks for calling off the soldiers.
I think the Vaseline is a bit more valuable as it can be older, dates back to the late 1800s I think. But there is some more recent too so it really depends on the piece.
And yes many/most dealers don't seem to know the difference.