How to clean the glass of your Sparklets Type C or D soda syphon using common household chemicals

Advice on using chemicals commonly found around the household, such as dishwasher tablets, or easily available from hardware stores (brushes, jugs, etc) to provide a good cleaning effect on dirty and soiled Sparklets Types C and D syphons or seltzer bottles.
Most of the staining found on Sparklets glass bodied soda syphons seems to be from grease and dust, although - as shown with this Type D - stubborn stains can be caused by tarry deposits transferred from the hands of the heavily smoking users of the 30's to 50's. In this example the chrome was stained a pale yellow giving it a hint of a brassy or old gold colour. Frequently these stains can be removed by a combination of a strong degreasing agent with later polishing with a water based metal polish (oil based polishes like Brasso will leave a nasty flavoured taint if used).
The techniques outlined should also be effective on other brands or ages of seltzer bottles taking account of the precautions given in the video with regards to chemical hazards and how to mitigate their effects: Wear appropriate protection, such as rubber gloves, an apron and some form of eye protection and wash your hands afterwards.

[@kathrynpennal9118]

Interesting, I was told to never used lemon dishwashing detergent because it can etch glass (make it cloudy) in the dishwasher. Very informative video.

[@acquaspumante_for_soda]

Most dishwashing tablets are made from sodium silicate, enzymes and strong detergents. They are formulated to be very alkaline and the combination of the high temperatures in a dishwasher and the alkalinity will etch old glass items and those items made of "crystal" glass, such as old decanters, etc. In this cleaning application the alkaline pH, strong detergents and added enzymes in dishwasher tablets will all help to remove the greases and protein based stains left on the glass after many years of handling and give a good cleaning action. The alkaline pH will, however, attack the aluminium neck collars on Type C syphons if left on for prolonged periods so should be washed off with tap ( or, ideally, demineralised) water after a few minutes. Do not use hot water on your syphon bodies, or put them in a dishwasher, as the combination of high heat and the thick glass of the body (some areas are over 12mm 1/2 inch thick) could cause it to crack!

[@LaDivinaLover]

Unfortunately whilst I was cleaning mine I forgot about the red line beneath the side of soap and scrubbed it completely off of the bottle.🙃

[@acquaspumante_for_soda]

The red "max fill" line on Type D soda syphons made in the late 40's was composed - I believe - of cellulose acetate (a chemically similar material to the plastic that was made to produce old film stock) and becomes brittle with age, peeling and cracking away from the glass. On older Types B, C and D syphons the red lines were made from some sort of resin bonded paper and are actually more durable! Any strong cleaning agent will potentially damage it further, in some cases causing it to break up into small pieces and be washed away.
It is possible to replace the "max fill" line with a new one that looks like the original, and is placed between the metal mesh and the glass body, but it is a difficult and time consuming process to get right. We can replace the red line with a new one but this requires people to send their soda syphon in to us for it to be physically worked on.

[@leohorishny9561]

At least with these wider metal mesh netting, you wouldn't use a fine metal wool, like 4 or 5 aught wool?🤔
Avoiding the redline....

[@acquaspumante_for_soda]

I would not suggest that you use any steel wire wool or wire based brushes on the mesh on these types of soda syphons unless you are doing some spot cleaning, in which case a brass fibre/wire brush may be appropriate. I have used small brass bristled brushes on the mesh to remove the powder remaining stuck inbetween the wires when someone tried to clean the mesh with Brasso (a metal polish consisting of fine abrasive particles in a kerosene base) which ended up with lots of the powder stuck in the mesh giving it a very chalky white look. Dishwasher tablet solution and fine natural brushes (bassine or coir) are surprisingly good. The mesh on the early type C and D syphons was generally coated with either zinc or tin and will not come up to much of a polish regardless of what you do. Later Type D's had their mesh plated with either bright nickel or chrome and can take delicate wire brushing to clean them. Try an unobtrusive area first to see how you go. Replacing the max fill redline with a new one can be done, but you would need to send the heavy syphon body to us for it to be inserted under the metal mesh.

[@lehesson]

Thanks, is using distilled vinegar a good solution?

[@acquaspumante_for_soda]

Distilled (or malt) vinegar consists of a dilute solution of Acetic Acid and hence is acidic, although only mildly so. Because of this I would not recommend you use this on the metal mesh on the outside as it may slowly remove the metal plating on the wires, causing them to rust more easily later on. However, if you have limescale stains from dried up water inside the bottle I cannot see any reason why you could not use this to try to remove those provided you are careful to not spill it during filling the bottle. Being a weak acid it will not etch the glass but will be rather slow to remove the limescale. A proprietary limescale removal product would be quicker but you would need to be more careful, especially with the Type C syphons, if you were to spill some during filling as the neck collar is made from aluminium. Also, the threaded part on the top (at least on the American made versions) is unplated zinc alloy (British made ones were plated with nickel) so will be attached with acids and strong alkalis.

[@lehesson]

Thank you🙏

[@jb-fh2og]

Where are you!!!

[@acquaspumante_for_soda]

The rear of our workshop is built into a hillside and the retaining wall forms a convenient ledge for us to work on during the summer months.