The bottle is a common and useful container for liquid substances – like milk, soda, motor oil or shampoo – and dry goods such as medications or nutritional supplements. Glass, plastic and other materials go through a complex manufacturing process to become the bottles we see on store shelves. The bottle is such an important item that many of us take for granted, and few consider the raw materials or manufacturing process involved.
The following glossary is an attempt to clarify some of the specialized terminology used on this website, in particular, that found within the pages on bottle morphology. Some of this terminology is collector based, some is technical glassmaking jargon and some of it is a mixture of both. Some of this terminology is not repeated here, but can be found in the glossary at the bottom of this page (click to enlarge).
A diluent is a substance added to a molten glass during the manufacturing process to reduce viscosity, allow for a smoother flow and more rapid cooling. A diluent can also add a degree of flexibility to the glass that allows it to retain a certain shape.
Batch – The mixture of raw glassmaking materials in the correct proportion ready for the melting pot. The term is not to be confused with “batch” as used in the brewing industry, which refers to a larger volume of a beverage.
Baffle mark – A seam left on the parison resulting from a joint between the blank and baffle mold on a machine made bottle. This marks the base of the bottle and may extend up onto the heel. The ejection mark (aka valve mark) is similar in nature and appearance, but is joined by ghost seams on two opposite sides of the base rather than only one.
The bore – The opening from which the bottle contents are accessed. Also called the aperture, orifice or neck.
Coarse – A finish on a bottle that is rougher than a fine, satin or clear. The rougher finish is often associated with an earlier age of manufacture than a finer, satin or clear finish.
Down-tooled – A finish described by Jones and Sullivan (1989) on an early (1800-1840) American utility bottle where the string rim has a lower profile than the upper portion of the bottle. The picture at the link illustrates this feature, which is easier to visualize than describe.
Ejection mark – A circular mark, usually centered to quite off-centered on the base of a bottle (click to enlarge). This feature was created on press and blow, automatic or semi-automatic machine produced bottles by a more or less centralized metal rod which pushed (“ejected”) the pre-bottle out of the first parison mold into the second and final blow mold. This is not to be confused with a diluent mark, which is joined by a ghost seam on two opposite sides of the base (see above).
Plastic is used in place of glass in a variety of products and applications today. It is available in a wide range of finishes, shapes and sizes to meet specific product requirements. Plastic is a durable and lightweight material, and it has the added benefit of being easy to clean and sanitize.