Antique Store Treasures — Clementine and Sage

So I may have come down with a new obsession. And by “may have” I mean I’m already a goner. Vintage Pyrex. Need I say more?

Maybe just a few words…

Next to my soldering station, I have kept a pair of Mason jars used to rinse my silver after it came out of the pickle. The first is filled with baking soda and water to neutralize the acid and the second contains just water to rinse off the baking soda residue. None of my work spaces so far have had running water in the room, so this makes it possible for me to keep working without having to run to the sink every two minutes just to rinse my metal. Dip, dip - good to go.

The jars do the trick and work just fine…but they’re hard to clean and not particularly pretty (especially the baking soda one which gets awfully crusty after awhile) so I’ve been looking for replacements. And somehow, some way, I had myself (what I believe to be) a brilliant idea.

Cue the Pyrex.

It checks all of the boxes - bright and cheerful, easy to clean, durable…I was sold from the moment the thought popped into my head. After looking through far too many pictures of people’s collections on Pinterest, I couldn’t wait another second - so Saturday saw me down at the antique shops hunting for some Pyrex of my own.

Of course, as soon as I got home with my treasures I had to KNOW about them - that is, how old they are, if they’re part of a larger set, etc…so I did a little searching. The pair of green containers both have the “Spring Blossom” pattern, though the darker one is a little newer (Pyrex changed the pattern from big to small flowers in 1979). The larger, cream colored casserole is older - 1959. Originally, it came with a candle warmer so you could keep your food hot after it was already out on the table. I love knowing these little histories - they make the containers a little more special in my eyes.

Frankly, I’m pretty proud of only coming home with three pieces - though I will admit it was hard not to go overboard! The little green casseroles are already brightening up the studio (and making my life a whole lot easier!!) and the cream is currently in the oven with dinner. After last week’s setbacks with a bad batch of flux, my replacements just arrived and I’m settling in for an evening of smithing. Life is good (and now a little more colorful).

PS : I did my 5 minutes of Pyrex research here - just in case you love this sort of thing as much as me!