But, first let’s talk about lye

First, John Styler of Prospect Heights, Illinois reports on his experience with lye as a mineral deposit cleaner on glass

The perfume bottle we have was very cloudy. I bought a $3.98 container of 100% lye powder at True Value and followed the cautious directions to the letter. I put in less than a teaspoon, cold water and two hours later flushed it out with several rinses. It’s as clear as a bell!

Next, Donald Love of Spooner, Wisconsin provides this note of caution

A word of caution when using lye. When you mix lye & water it becomes very very hot. So if you do use it in glass make sure that you mix it in a porcelain, stainless steel or crockery type container ( Never mix it in aluminum as it will react with aluminum) so it can cool before putting it into any glass object. Regards, Don

Tommy Dreiling of Brooklyn gives his views on the market as he analyzes the recent Julia auction results

I too was surprised that the turquoise vase went for only $4,000.00 The last one I remember seeing was at Early Auction Co. a few years ago and sold for $18,000.00 With a few exceptions all the Steuben went for what I though were bargain prices. As a whole, I think the auction was very weak. There were over 400 passed lots, that’s about 35% not sold.