Determining bottle color standards with Peachridge 6-Log Drakes

6LogDrakesStudy

Determining bottle color standards with Peachridge 6-Log Drakes

14 September 2013

MikeAtHouse

Apple-Touch-IconAMichael Seeliger (Brooklyn, Wisconsin) recently visited us at Peach Ridge where Mike took exacting color measurements of my 6-log Drakes Plantation Bitters run and various other bottles using a color spectrophotometer that he designed. The device, which is pictured below, is carefully lowered into each bottle and a color reading is taken. This is only after it has been carefully calibrated using pieces of stained glass.

The eventual goal will be to measure enough bottles to get a standard chart of bottle and glass colors. So down the road you might have the following for some of the greens. Two amber readings are also listed.

3138 – Teal Green

3646 – Forest Green

3845Grass Green

4146 – Citron Green

4547Moss Green

5344 – Light Amber

5544 – Amber

This is pretty exciting work as color is subjective and is seen differently by each person. Having a standard might help a person understand a bottle color before it is added to a collection. Of course nothing will ever replace seeing a bottle color with your own eyes under various lighting conditions. I believe Mike is headed to Jeff Burkhardts to do the same process with his wonderful Drakes.

Read More: Color Measurement – Latest from Michael Seeliger

ColorMsmtsPR

That is Mike on the right reading a color graph from a greenish Drakes in front of me on the left. We set up in a dark, back hallway to the laundry room as to not have any other natural light influence.

DrakesPRGNumbers

Arbitrary numbers were assigned to each 6-log Drakes for recording purposes.

PRG_DrakesChart

Chart showing the arbitrary bottle numbers and the ‘X’ ‘Y’ coordinates from the color spectrophotometer

TypDrakesReading

Reading for a yellow-green Drake’s Plantation Bitters

PRGDrakesColorChartX

Approximation of points on palette corresponding to Meyer collection of 6-log Drake’s Plantation Bitters

About Ferdinand Meyer V

Ferdinand Meyer V is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and has a BFA in Fine Art and Graphic Design from the Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design. Ferdinand is the founding Principal of FMG Design, a nationally recognized design consultation firm. Ferdinand is a passionate collector of American historical glass specializing in bitters bottles, color runs and related classic figural bottles. He is married to Elizabeth Jane Meyer and lives in Houston, Texas with their daughter and three wonderful grandchildren. The Meyers are also very involved in Quarter Horses, antiques and early United States postage stamps. Ferdinand is the past 6-year President of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors and is one of the founding members of the FOHBC Virtual Museum.
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