The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1885-04-02
ARTISTIC STAINED GLASS.
One . Last Art what the 31icrosoOpe
| KAvealed-Colors Csed-P1ash1nE.
- Nail

Ones . Last Art-Whst the Slicrosoope
R@veaIed-colors Csed-F1ashinS,
New York Nail and Exprex.I
In America the earliest attempts at
common glass making were made at
jamestown, Va, in l.4G: after that AT
various places, and finally at Boston in
1909. The revival of the window art,
both in Europe and America, was very
slow, partially ON account of the preya-
lent idea that the art Of producing the
glorious color seen in the ancient win
dows was lost. Finally these persever-
ing souls who were in love with their
work called in the aid Of chemistry, and
gradually the errors of modern works
were corrected and the true constitu-
cnts Of ancient glass determined. Not
withstancing the use of the same mate
rails, modern glass still lacked in rich
ness and beauty, and was unsatisfac-
tory to the initiated.
The microscope now revealed the fact
that tho brilliancy OF ancient glass IS
due to tiny pores, seemingly produced
by the action of rain in washing out
minute particles of alkaline substance
lin other words. the breaking up of the
fiat surface allowed more light to enter
and be refracted. Various methods
were tried to produce this effect. First,
the surface Of the sheet was stippled
with q darker opaque color, but now
q better method is cmployed-namely,
by sprinkling the surface of the first
gathering Of colorless glass thickly with
sand and then when flashed with color
the minute grains are seen scattered
thinly through the substance. These
are retroactive and the old richness Of
color is produced.
Colored glass is made by the pro-
cesses used in making white glass, oc
casionally the color being melted with
the glass; but as this produces too deep
! shade for ordinary purposes, pro-
cess called flashing is generally substi-
tuted. In preparing the flashing glass
the operator has two pots, one of color
less liquid, and ono in which color has
been melted lie uses first the trans
parent white fluid and then coats from
the color pot in consequence, when
finished, although it is almost imper-
ceptible, there Is only thin coating on
ono side, and the depth Of color is thus
reduced. There are many advantages
in this method, as the glass thus pre-.
pared admits of the cutting of beautiful
transparent patterns upon the colored
ground, rs well as Of delicate shading,
the latter sometimes produced by liuorie
acid.
The materials used to give the most
satisfactory coloring are metallic oxides,
such as gold, which in various forms
yields ruby, crimson, rose, and purple
silver, in combination with alumina, q
beautiful yellow, copper, ruby red and
emerald green; COBALT, the rich blue
iron, dull green, and confined with
alumina flesh color, and with silver An
orange yellow; uranium yields green
like the chrysoprase and q canary vel.
low, with an opalescent tinge; arsenic,
an opaque white, and manganese an
amethystinc color, and with cobalt i
fine garnet red. There are many Other
materials and combinations which in
the hands of skilled operator produce
m infinite variety of colors. These
same colors, with but few exceptions
were known and used in the manufact
ure of glass hundreds of years befors
Christ.
In place Of flashing, the process o.
staining is used very extensively, Is it
saves much labor, enabling the artist Il
complete an entire picture at once. lht
staining is produced by mixing finely
powdered metallic oxides with some vol
atile medium, such as oil, and layins
them on in patterns The sheets ar
then heated red-hot in a furnace ant
q deep stain of the color is left upon th,
glass. Formerly pictorial effects wcrt
gained by setting numbers Of tiny piece.
together in delicate lead framing
Usually both methods are employed il
pictorial windows, as the staining allows
art SITS to produce features more per
fectly.