The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-09-18
LOOKING-GLASSES.
some Reflections ON Their Rela-
tiOns to Cincinnati Industry.


Glancing through the different salons
Of our most elegantly-furnished resi-
dences, one is struck by the immense
size and costliness Of the mirrors dis,
played there. Reaching from carpet to
ceiling, and almost across the room,
: they present to the mind ideas of the
} labor 1t requires to construct such enor-
nous glasses, and lead one to inquire
into the process of their manufacture.
Learning that some extensive manu-
factories of the finer grades of mirrors
had recently been opened In Cincinnati,
STAR reporter visited several in order
to learn something OF the modus ope-
randi and the extent Of this new branch
of industry in the Queen City Of the
West.
| The manufactures are comparatively
few, but their productions of that su-
perior class which will make the trade
of that first-class order so desirable, and
will eventually give to our city the name
of having the best looking-glass manu-
factories west of New York, and in
some particulars, the best in the United
States.
The two methods practiced by the
manufacturers here are the old system OF
covering the back with an amalgam of
tinfoil and mercury, and the newly in
vented and secret process of chemically
coating the glass with pure silver in
ctn nf m al forv ;-
used in the most of the manufactures
visited by the STAR reporter.
A large table, the top OF which 10 a
heavy stone ground perfectly smooth,
raised on one side by means Of O screw,
which works beneath it. A groove is
cut around the edges OF the table, and
Is necessary to re tain the mercury which
may flow and is allowed to drop from
one corner into vessels beneath. The
table at first is perfectly horizontal, and
tin foil is carefully spread over it. The
the glass whlcn 10 to be coated. A strip
Of glass is placed along each of three
sides Of the tin foil in order to prevent
the mercury, which is to be poured on,
from flowing of.
The "liquid siiyer' Is then poured from
ladies upon The tin foil, until it is nearly
q quarter of an inch in depth. and its
tendency to iow 10 abated by its affinity
for the tin foil, and is checked by the
mechanical obstruction Of the strips of
glass. The plate OF glass must be cleaned
especially, aud must have no blemish.
1t is then deXterously slipped on from
the open side, and, as II is pushed in ad-
vance, is kept in the mercury, so that
neither air, floating oxide in the metal
nor other impurities can get between the
glass aud the surface Of the mercury.
| One edge Of the Table is elevated about
| ten or twelve degrees to allow the SUPER
| 1uous mercury to escape. Heavy
weights are placed upon the glass and
are LETT for several hours. The glass is
then inverted and placed upon frame,
the side of the glass covered with the
amalyam being uppermost. In this posi-
tion it is lett till the amalgam becomes
hard, after which the plate is set upon
its edge and is not touched for several
weeks, as the coating is very easily in
jured if tampered win while not COM
pletely dry.
This process is attended with many
difficulties. A man can work AZ 1t but u
| few years, as his health is rapidly under
mined by The yapors OF the mercury.
| The glass is liable to be broken and the
amalgam frequently spoiled, which leads
tn serious losses.
| LUIS mobuou, WulCH III pTesenJ IL prdC-
ticed in this city, is rapidly giving way
to another, by which Inc health of the
workman can not be- injured. This is
the process OF silver-eoatlng the glass.
One firm whose place OF business Is
situated III the southern part of the city,
is occupying one OF our largest buildings
for the preparing OF looking-glasses. Tnis
| new chemical process tor coating the
| plate with silver instead of amalgam, is
used by them and has been patented.
Glass, equal in every respect to the ar
l1icle OF French manufacture, and which
| has been made in this country, is used.
| The finest work is turned out by this
firm, aud some of its glasses rank among
the largest ever made.
This irm has one plate in preparation
which measures twenty-five leet in
length and twelve feet in height. When
| finished, whicn will be in week or two,
it is proposed to place 1t in the Exposi-
tion. Tne cost OF the glass will be $l0,-
900.
The firm is supplying most Of our
Western cities with mirrors, and Is do
ing business that brings in between
500, 900 and 500, 1000 per annum. Houses
That use the amalgam process are. also
overtilled with orders, and constitute
one of the principal sources of revenue.
The future shows brilliant prospect
for the manufacture of mirrors in our
city, as it offers every facility for this
branch of business, and the time is not
far distant when Cincinnati will be the
rival il not the superior OF New York In
this liue Of manuiaeture. The trade in
mirrors already amounts to fully Q quar-
ter Of million Of dollars annually, and
is only beginning of that which is to
be.