Degenhart Owl Depot - Unique Factory Traits

Unique Factory Traits

In this section, we will cover all the unique traits that can occur during the manufacturing process. There are many reasons why they occur, which will be discussed below. Often, Degenhart owls with these traits look a little different from the typical owl. It's a reminder that these wonderful owls are completely handmade, one at a time. Because of this, no two are identical. Collectors often feel that these owls with unusual differences simply have more character due to their uniqueness. This is especially true with the Whimsies!

Whimsies

"Whimsies" or "Gooney Birds, like the ones pictured above, were made by distorting the pressed glass immediately after it came out of the glass mould. Often, these birds were made during the worker`s lunch hour. These are interesting works of art and no two are a like.

Gooney Birds

These owls are the byproduct of not enough glass being poured into the mould to completely form the owl. You can see that these owls are almost completely formed, with softened features along with partial or missing ears. These are not to be mistaken for “whimsies,” which are intentionally distorted by workers while the glass is still hot.

What Causes a Leaning Owl?

The owl pictured above leans forward quite a bit when it should have an upright posture. Leaning owls occur when the glass is still too hot when the owl is removed from the mould. The freshly pressed glass tends to sag slightly when this happens. Some collectors find the leaning owls charming as it looks like they are about to take off for flight.

What Causes Black Specks on the Glass Surface?

Perhaps you've noticed tiny black specks on your Degenhart owl, like the one pictured above. You've tried to wash them off, only to find out that they're permanent. What are they? These tiny black and sometimes brown specks occur during the glassmaking process. They are caused by iron or carbon that has loosened from the glass mould when the owl is being pressed. They are present on the surface of the glass only. They are completely harmless and do not affect the integrity of the glass.

Why Does My Owl Have Bubbles Inside the Glass?

Chances are that you own at least one Degenhart owl that has a bubble or sometimes many more inside the glass. In the image above, you can see that the blue owl on the far left has thousands of bubbles inside, while the amber owl has much less. This is caused by air being trapped in the glass as it's being picked up on the punty in a winding motion. The punty is a rod with a ceramic ball on the end that's used to gather glass from the furnace. The glass is gathered on the end of the ceramic ball. Other causes of bubbles are trapped gases in the melted glass.

The bubbles fall into two categories. "Blisters," which are classified as a bubble that's 1/16th of an inch or larger, and "Seed," which is a bubble that's smaller than 1/16th of an inch. Neither of these is harmful to the integrity of the glass unless they are located extremely close to the surface of the glass, which could allow it to break open. This is a very rare occurrence, though.

Many collectors appreciate the bubbles in their Degenhart owls, as it's a reminder that they are individually handmade.

Why is There Color Variation Between Owls That are Supposed to be the Same Color?

Pictured above are two Heatherbloom (Alexandrite) Degenhart owls. The one on the left leans slightly more pink, while the one on the right leans more purple. Even under fluorescent lighting, the blue is a slightly different shade. Translucent Alexandrite glass appears lilac (or sometimes pink) in natural sunlight or yellow artificial light. It looks smokey blue in fluorescent/white light. This is due to the presence of Neodymium oxide (Nd²O³) in the glass. Some owls are naturally more purplish, while others look more pink. The more purple owls have a stronger reaction to the fluorescent lighting and turn a brighter blue. Color variation sometimes occurred due to the amount of glass that was in the tank. If the tank was very low (almost out of glass), it could cause variances in the color. A freshly mixed tank of glass can also have the same effect.

Other potential causes, according to Fenton's Glass Engineer Howard Seufer, are the following: Variations in times and temperatures of glass production, and variations in the melting and fining of the glass batch in tanks and pots (as mentioned above). Also due to the sensitivity of the materials used in the glass formulas, including variations in the chemicals used in the batch and/or the composition of any cullet glass that might have been included.

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