The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-04-15 00:00:00

'mire anTi Imticulturr.

MR. HENRY DEACON'S-. FIFTH PAPER ON
FACTURE OF GLASS.
The grinding and polishing of patent plate, being the
same as for cast plate glass, need no description. It only
remains for me to describe the method of making shades.
The " metal" is always chosen from the bestin the fur.
nace, and every care is taken with the materials and
mixing, to obtain an article as free from defects and as
devoid of colour as possible. There are three kinds of
shades—round, oval, and square. The round shades, up
to about the sixteen i :.L.:, diameter, are blown like sheet
glass ; all above that diameter, and oval and square shades
of all sizes, are blown in wooden moulds.. first, of round
shades. The " gathering" is made mere closely than for
sheet, but in precisely the same way, and varies much
more in weight, 5. oz. being enough for the smallest
shades, and upwards of 50th. being required for the
largest. The " piece" is " blocked" as if for sheet until
it would be ready: for opening, but the closed end forms
the top of the shade, and the workman's object is to give
it an agreeable form. He manages this-by heating it and
allowing it to cup in, again heating when the sides become
more softened, and then, according to circumstances,
blowing out the depression with the end- more or less ele-
vated or hung' down ; by these means he destroys the
pointed form resulting from the swinging, and, according
to skill, gives a more or less elegant curve to the " top."
The " cap" is then removed, and the open end of the
" shade" squared in the same way as the cylinders. As
a great deal has lately been said and published about large
shades, and as we allow ourselves to be beaten by no one,
I will mention the size of those we have made. We have
by us several specimens 72in. long and 181 in. diameter, and
39 in. long and 34 in. diameter; 30 in. diameter and 50 in.
long is the largest shade we have got made, though we
should not refuse an order for one of a yard in diameter
without a trial, and, I think, with success. It must not,
however, be imagined that any of these examples are the
general sizes to which shades are made, the dimensions, on
the contrary way, vary very greatly. Round shades from
about 16 to 18 inches diameter and upwards are blown in
wooden tubes, made like tubs and hooped. The breath
of the workman being assisted by a simple expedient.
There is a well-known newspaper paragraph of a grey-
bearded Russian, who gained a large sum of money, and
astonished his fellow-workmen, by making glass globes of
enormous size by blowing water into them, the steam ge-
nerated acting as so much additional breath. We proceed
on the same principle, but find water objectionable; every
isolated drop partly chills the glass, and forms innumera-
ble small creases up and down the shade, and in the
strongest French brandy we have a substitute quite as
agreeable to the workmen, and in no way detrimental to
the glass. The blower takes a mouthful of Cognac, and
blows into the " piece." After reheating it, is placed in
the mould, and blown fully out by the same means. The
square shades are nearly finished as if for round ones, and
are then reheated and inserted into a wooden mould of the
proper form and size, the blowing being effected by the
breath or by brandy, according to size. All the oval and
square shades, and the round ones of large diameter, are
annealed ; the small round ones are not ; their shape ena-
bles them to bear the sudden cooling without the least
injury. After the caps are removed, the open end of
the shade is squared by a mounted diamond and a board
with a pillar and V arms, as described for sheet glass.
Having gone over the various manifestations of blowing
window glass, perhaps a few statistics of the works may
not be uninteresting.

THE MANIT-

The building of the St. Helens crown, sheet, and plate
glass works was commenced in April, 1826, and glass was
first made there in 1827. The firm consisted of six part-
ners, among whom the shares were proportionably di-
vided, Mr. William Pilkington being one of the number.
In a short time Mr. W. P. and his brother Mr. Pilking-
ton purchased the shares of four of the original proprie-
tors, and subsequently those of the remaining one, the
late Mr. Peter Greenall, member for Wigan. The works
therefore now belong entirely to Messrs, Richard and
William Pilkington, by whom they are carried on, under
the original title of the St. Helens Crown Glass Company.
At the commencement there were were about forty or
forty-five hands, but they now have in different depart-
ments, and exclusive of the colliery, between 800 and 900
in their employment. It is by no means easy to ascer-
tain the exact number, there are daily changes, and many
join as partners in taking certain kinds of work by the
piece, only one name appearing in the wages book for the
whole gang, as nearly as I have been able to ascertain the
actual number is between 870 and 880. They are distri-
buted in various ways, about 560 are such as miry be truly
called glass makers, divided among crown, sheet, and plate
glass, ornamental glass and shades.
The rest of the men are employed in the warehouses as
assorters, cutters, packers, and loaders, as makers of pot
brick and other articles of clay, and in the different trades
of carpenters, wheelwrights, sawyers, bricklayers, masons,
smiths, mechanics, engine-drivers, carters and plumbers,
all being waited upon by a large number of labourers and
assistants of various kinds.

In addition there is a staff which, without reckoning
the proprietors, who take an active part in the business,
consists of two general messengers, and one resident on
the works, and whose duties are now limited, of fifteen
clerks, twelve managers of departments, and twenty-seven
working foremen. Then there is a functionary of quite
another class, the schoolmaster. Many boys are employed,
and working at uncertain hours, often all night, no regu-
lar clay or night school would receive them as scholars.
A school was therefore established at the works for the
use only of such as are actually employed. Under sixteen
years of age the attendance is compulsory at times ar-
ranged by the schoolmaster, different managers and fore-
men. The number on the school books, both above and
under that age, is 117. The discipline fines of the works
for drunkenness, misbehaviour, and so on, go to buy
books for a library for tho use of the workpeople; only
from forty to fifty regularly avail themselves of it, but it
is to be hoped from the greater care bestowed upon edu-
cation of the young glass makers, that the number of
readers will in time increase.

The weekly product of the works is about 100 tons of
glass, in making which 650 tons of coals are consumed.
In conclusion, I cannot help feeling how inadequate any
description has been in my attempts to explain many of
the processes ; in extenuation of my short coming, I shall
be happy to answer any inquiry, and I have, on the part
of my employers, the pleasure of inviting any member of
this society, either with or without their friends, except-
ing, of course, those in the trade or connected with it, to
view the works at St. Helens, and there I shall be happy
to show them what I have failed to describe so clearly as
I could have wished. I may also say, that if any member
will favour us with a call this week, between the hours of
eleven and two, we shall be able to show them the largest
ornamental plates, intended for our contribution to the
great exhibition. Each plate is in one piece, upwards of
nine feet high and nearly five feet wide. One is a subject
known to many in this society, Mr. Frank Howard's St.
Michael casting out the great dragon, coloured as the ori-
ginal. Of their appearance I will say nothing, they must
speak for themselves, but it is rarely that such large plates
are safely burnt, perhaps I may say they are the largest
ever yet produced ; and we congratulate ourselves on our
good fortune in not having broken or injured one of the
plates, and St, Michael has been three times in the fire
and is unscathed. With this digression ends my paper.