Anyone use Chinese Snuff Bottles?

If so, how do you fill them? Using a snuff spoon would take forever, through its tiny mouth. A funnel would get more on the tabletop than in the bottle.

I have a few with the little spoon. I can’t remember how I filled them, but do recall it was tedious. I just use them for display/

My thought on them if they are hard to fill then it will be hard to get out. Also if it painted on the inside it more than likely contains lead. Do your self a service and get a Toque Mini Flask http://www.toquesnuff.com/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=prodshow&ref=SnuffBottleFlask Easy to fill is sleek and comfortable to carry; when you attach it to your keychain you can’t leave home without some snuff.

not chinees but i have a 5ml cubic shape bottle with a small hole. I use a 5x7cm rectangular shape cut off a paper used for owen. I put on it half tea spoon off snuff and fold it then all goes into bottle. I do this several times to fill it with schmalzler snuff. Pooring for back of the hand method is easy.

I just got a Tibetan copper flask in the mail. It seems to work best for me with really dry snuffs, toasts. I also ordered two different types of tibetan yak bone bottles.

I gave Chinese snuff bottles a try for a short time, but the abrasion shows too easily on the glass. If they are painted on the outside, the artwork wears off extremely fast. IMO Chinese snuff bottles are only appropriate for desktop usage or as collectables.

You can get small stainless steel funnels for filling hip flasks. Depending on the size of the mouth of your bottle, it might work. The battery in my caliper has died, but the hole in my funnel appears to be roughly 8mm. If you live in a free country, you might be able to get hold of a rifle cartridge case that you could cut to make an even smaller funnel. There are quite a few rounds that are .22 caliber but have quite wide cases.

…if it painted on the inside it more than likely contains lead.

Shaman, I am reliably informed that the paint used inside of Chinese snuff bottles is water-based and always has been. So it cannot harm us, but we can harm it by putting liquids or anything damp into the bottle. Linguist, thanks, I think you have the answer. Granted, the Ming Emperor had enough servants to fill his snuff bottles grain by grain, but many other Chinese probably used your method. Thank you!

Just the 2oz. glass ones for afternoons at the ballpark. Always take a dry snuff in them as the opening dose not agree with the moist ones.

…if it painted on the inside it more than likely contains lead.

Shaman, I am reliably informed that the paint used inside of Chinese snuff bottles is water-based and always has been. So it cannot harm us, but we can harm it by putting liquids or anything damp into the bottle.

I don’t wish to alarm you, but being water-based does not mean the paint is lead-free. For example: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/88020/perils-in-paint--fda-warns-public-vs--water-color-for-kids-after-finding-high-lead-levels Several compounds of lead are brightly colored (or pure white) powders which make good* pigments for many types of paint, including water-based ones. *except for the fact that they are toxic of course!

Yeah I completely agree with @basement_shaman & @doctorbeat best to avoid using Chinese bottles that are painted inside (though I’d agree they’re very tactile curios). I have one of the infamous MrSnuff Snuffhouse steel bottles, very nice and practical to use. The Toque number recommended by Basement looks good to me and is cheaper if I recall correctly…

I’ve seen them for sale and had a close look at them. My feeling is that they are designed as souvenirs and art objects, and not for real use. I’d say there are a lot better boxes out there, including the Toque flask or the Mr Snuff plastic boxes, if you want to keep it simple.

then there are these: http://www.snuffbottlestore.com/Bone&HornSnuffBottles.html here’s mine:

@Mouse that’s charming, really like that :slight_smile: