The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-07-24
AMONG THE GLAssarAKERs.

AMONG THE GLASSAAkERS-
Going into the glassworks, let us
look first into the room where the
esbafches" are mixed ready for melting.
Here lies the sand, in heap, looking
something like snowdrift, it is SO
white. This is the principal ingredi-
ent used in glass-making and must be
the very purest and whitest that can
be obtained, or the glass will not be
clear and bright. As nice and clean
as the sand IS when brought here, it
has to be thoroughly washed to free
it from anything that might injure the
quality of the glass. So, too, the
pearlash has to go through cleansing
process, before it will suit the very
particular man who attends to the
| mixing of the compound. This is
done in another part of the building,
by teaching the pearlash in great bot
ties, and after it has we'll settled evap-
! Grating the water. To the sand and
pearlash are added litharge, or red
! led, a little manganese. nitre and arse
mic, and sometimes cobalt. 1t re-
quires great care in getting the right
proportions of the different materials.
This will make a very fine quality of
glass, such as is used for. our very best
table ware, mirrors, and all other ar
ticles that require the greatest purity
and briliancy. For q more common
kind of glass coarser materials are
used, and lime takes the place of lead.
After the batch Is thoroughly mixed
it is taken to the furnace and poured
into great pot of fire clay, that viii
hold a great many hundred pounds.
The heat of this furnace is so terrible
that we do not care to inspect it very
closely, and we are glad TO get out
and breathe a cooler air. In about
eighteen or twenty hours some one
opens the pot, that has been securely
closed, and tries the glass. 1t is doing
nicely, though as yet only partly
melted. AS it has settled down a good
deal, he puts in a fresh lot of the
batch, and closes up the mouth of the
pot again. Once again it is tried, and
is then found to be clear and bright.
1t has taken thirty-fVe or forty
hours to change the dry mixture into
a molten mass, ready for working.
And now commences a busy time !;
for glass, like candy, must be worked
while it is soft. Quite a number of
men and boys are employed at time
in making up the ware. A part of it
is to be made into lamp chimneys.
The experienced "bloweW sits near
the furnace, waiting for his work to
be brought to him. His assistant dips
long iron tube into the pot of melted
glass, taking up D sufficient quantity
for one chimney, rolls it on a fiat
piece of iron, and blowing through it
a little, hands it to the other to finish.
He blows through the tube, pinches
partly formed chimney, whirls it
swiftly around, heats it in the furnace
to soften it-for by this time it has
become toe cool to work nieely
ND a rim at the bottom, tests its width
aud with piece Of cold steel cuts of
At the right length. All this has been
done in a minute from the time the
glass was taken from the pot.
Further on the workmen - still
called blowers, though they have now
no blowing to do-are moulding the
glass. Before the mould press, anna
chine depressing the glass into lVari-
ous articles, that could not be shaped
by the first method, the blower sits
ready for the lump of glass that the
assistant is bringing on his iron rod.
This he pouFs into the open mould on
the platform, and taking pair of
shears he cuts off just the right guam
tity ; then pushing the mould into its
place, down comes a plunger, pressing
the glass into its proper shape. Then
the mould is taken away, and dainty
little vase is turned out of it, just
right tospat upon your table, filled
with fresh roses. These mOulds are
made of cast-iron, and some of them
are engraven with very beautiful pat
terms.
Yonder is pot of red glass, from
which some handsome lamps are be-
ing made but see how careful the
blowers are of It'll They first take a
ball of clear glass, large enough to
make the lamp, and then dipping it
quickly into the red glass, coat it with
that color In whatever way the
lump may be shaped, the color re-
mains the same, and one would hardly
think that the brilliant hue is only on
the surface. The very great costs of
the coloring-oxydized gold-makes
1t necessary to use it sparingly, or the
articles would be too expensive 1or
common use. ~ 42e - e - 4 g
The wares now made are not al
lowed to cool off suddenly. They are
taken to the annealing furnace, which
is many feet in length, with one end
heated very hot and the other cold.
Here is constant succession OF iron
pans moving along on rollers. The
glassware is put into pan at the hot
end, and rolls along, cooling off grad
ually till it comes out cool at the other
end. The articles do not look SO well
as they did before, for the sulphur in
the coke used in the anneaHng fur
mace has given them a BLUSH tint, but
a washing in cold water makes them
clean and bright.
Still they do not look quite finished
for on some of the pieces Jumps have
been left, and the edges are quite
rough. So they are sent to the cut
ting shop, where on coarse stones
these imperfecti0ns are ground of. In
this room, too, are emery wheels,
which cut beautiful patterns on some
of the pieces, changing them from
plain ware to elegant cut glass.
After the melted glass has all been
worked up there are a great many
Jumps and threads that have been
dropped or ground off. These, with.
the imperfect pieces of work, are
called "cutlet," and are carefully
gathered up, mixed with another
sFbatch," and melted over.-LittLe Cor
pOraz. g1r - G - y
If lager is not intoxicating, it steals
away our five centses.
DoNoT choose your friend by his
looks; handsome boots often pinch
the feet.
/. WHAT is that from which if wont