Can anyone identify this bottle?

Julie Moyna
by Julie Moyna
Picked up this bottle from a dentists home estate sale. It's larger than a sparklett bottle and has marking on bottom of DOT -M NRC 1987. I'm not going to drink out of it but not sure what it is
There is some white film on the bottom of the bottle
  18 answers
  • Z Z on Sep 28, 2013
    Well NRC stands for Nuclear Regulatory Commission so maybe something to do with the radiation from X-Rays? I think I'd check it out before I opened it. Though I don't really know exactly what form radiation comes in, not a science person though I do love The Big Bang Theory, I doubt it's a simple bottle like this, but who knows? Not me. Neat bottle though.
  • Kathleen Brady Kathleen Brady on Sep 28, 2013
    ether ? not sure if I spelled it right
  • Julie Moyna Julie Moyna on Sep 28, 2013
    thank you @kathleenbrady. I did google before asking and kinda freaked out when that popped up about the nuclear stuff!!! I appreciate your knowledge from Big Bang. lol! I am on a mission. and no I won't open
  • Z Z on Sep 28, 2013
    My very smart hubby filled me in on some radiation facts while we were watching, of all things... the Big Bang Theory. He said he knows of no form of radiation that could come in a bottle. It's some kind of something or other kind of like radio waves. I think.... He said allot more about it and I may even have gotten mixed up what he said it was because it was at least a half hour or an hour ago that we talked about it. I have no concept of time either. Maybe you can call your dentists office and ask them.
  • Julie Moyna Julie Moyna on Sep 28, 2013
    Funny @becky my besties ex is one. The home this came from had so many dental items. My hubby thinks it was a liquid for cleaning. There is no medical or dental markings. Just what I posted. It's pretty cool to google what I did!
    • Z Z on Sep 29, 2013
      @Julie Moynaare you talking scientist?
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Sep 29, 2013
    Glass "carboys" are what you have. Historically these were used mostly for water but some were also used for various chemicals. I have know many a home brewer who have used these. When I was heavily into home brewing I used some very much like this but mine were of pryrex and from a lab supply company. The pyrex was much better for working with hot liquids. The DOT is for department of transportation the NRC is for non reusable container the date is the date of manufacture. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/nuclear-carboy-20415/index4.html These "markings" are part of the requirements from the federal specicfications
    • See 1 previous
    • Z Z on Sep 29, 2013
      @Kevin, non-reusable sounds so much better than Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Ha ha ha! Thanks for the great info. So you think this dentist may have brewed his own, huh? :^D
  • Jane Burkhart Jane Burkhart on Sep 30, 2013
    I do believe it it an old water jug.
  • Starla Swanson Starla Swanson on Sep 30, 2013
    I make wine at home. You have carboys. They were probably water jugs in their previous life. Maybe your dentist made wine.
  • Kelli Kelli on Sep 30, 2013
    Carboys are typically used for home brewing your own wine, beer, or natural sodas.
  • Diane Faulks Diane Faulks on Sep 30, 2013
    Is it a demi-john for wine making, might have been his hobby.
  • Carol Carol on Sep 30, 2013
    I think these bottles held developing fluid for a dentist's x-ray darkroom.
  • Pat Pat on Sep 30, 2013
    Sort of looks like bottles that water come in...you know, you turn them upside down on the fountain like machine that you drink out of. Mainly bought by people who could not drink their well water or city water with too much clorine in it....Can't tell how big they are but the water bottles I have seen are 5 gallon size.
  • Chris Raine Chris Raine on Sep 30, 2013
    To me they look like carboys too, and being a dentist probably contained some chemical or another that he used, possibly that mouth rinsing stuff, or sterilising solution. well cleaned and rinsed and sterilised I see no reason why you shouldn't reuse, hosepipes, hydrogen peroxide, salt and rice all work well to clean up bottles, even sand shaken around on the inside. lucky girl, would love to be able to get hold of these in New Zealand
  • Angie Angie on Sep 30, 2013
    I have one and I was told it was used for brewing cider or beer. Love it and wanted to make an aquarium out of it but afraid to drill into it. maybe a very large lamp like pottery barn had this past summer.
  • Gail Salminen Gail Salminen on Sep 30, 2013
    @Julie Moyna definitely looks like a carboy https://www.google.ca/search?q=wine+carboy&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=KftJUvHcJeie2AXfmYHwDQ&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=643&dpr=1 Perhaps your dentist was a wine maker. You could take one to a make your own wine facility and ask for information. At any rate it should be cleaned completely prior to using.
  • Denise S. Denise S. on Sep 30, 2013
    Hi.. It looks like what my friend uses to brew beer. Just because he was a Dentist doesn't mean he used it for any of his work I would not think... My friend is a carpenter but has one...If he sold one at his estate sale.. itwouldn't mean it is used to soak his nails in.. aha! Enjoy the glass they cost about $30. 00 new.
  • TJ TJ on Sep 30, 2013
    The things we learn on Hometalk. As an antique buyer/seller I have run across these from time to time but never knew they had a name other than "big glass bottle".
  • Lindcurt Lindcurt on Jun 25, 2015
    My neighbor used to buy drinking water in a bottle like this. It had a special rack that it fit in so you could tip it and pour out water into another container. She called it a carboy.