Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-07-04
ARTISTIC STAINED eLAss.
once u List Art What the Niles oscops
Ravealed-COIors Used-F1ashiBg.
New York Mail and EYnrnSsl

DhCS A<ust Art hn8G tue microscope
RsveaIed-cOIors Used-F1ashIBs.
New York Mail and ExpreSs.l
In America the earliest attempts at
common glass making were made at
jamestown, "a, in 40; after that at
various places, and finally at Boston i'll
ioOy. Tie revival OF the window art,
both in europe and America, was very
SLOW, partially on account OF the preva-
lent idea that the art of producing the
glorious color seen in the ancient win
dows was lost. finally these perseYer-
ing souls who were in love with their
work called in the aid of chemistry, ami
gradually the errors OF mo Tern works
were corrected ami the true constitu-
ents OF ancient glass determined. Not
withstanGing the use of the same mate
rials, .soiern glass still lacked in rich
ness ana beatty, and was unsatisfac-
tory to the mi, lated.
The microscope now revealed the fact
that the brillIRncy OF ancient glass IS
due 10 tiny pores, seemingly produced
by the acton OF rain in washing out
minute particles of alkaline substance
in other words, the breaking up OF the
fiat surface allowed more hight to enter
and he refrlcted- various methods
were tried 20 produce this effect. First,
the surface of the sheet was stippled
with darker opaque color, but now
a better method is employed namely,
by sprinkling the surface CT the first
gathering of cOlorless glass thickly with
sand aud then when flashed With color
the minute grains ara seen scattered
thinly through the sui stance. These
are retroactive and the cid richness of
color is produced
Colored glass is made by the pro-
cesses used in Iuaking white glass, &C
caSionally the color being melted with
the glass; but as this produces too deep
a 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 one 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
one 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, as well as of delicate shading,
the latter sometimes produced by fiuoric
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, a
beautiful yellow; copper, ruby red and
emerald green; cobalt, the rich blue;
iron, a dull green, and combined with
anlAF NJ NTH cilx-a,-
orange yellow; uranium yields a green
like the chrysoprase and a canary yell
low, with an opalescent tinge; arsenic,
an opaque white, and manganese an
amethystine color, and with cobalt a
fine garnet red. There are many other
materials and combinations which in
the hands of 9 skilled operator produce
an infinite variety of colors. These
same colors, with but few exceptions,
were known and used in the manufact-
ure OF glass hundreds of years before
Christ.
In place of flashing. the process of
staining is used very extensively, as II
saves much labor, enabling the artist to
complete an entire picture at once. i he
staining Is produced by mixing hnely-
nowdered metallic oxides with some vol
stile medium, such as oil, and laying
them on in patterns The sheets are
then heated red-hot in a furnace and
a deep stain of the color is left upon the
glass. Formerly pictorial effects were
gained by setting hunters OF tiny pieces
together in delicate lead framing.
Usually both methods are employed IN
pictorial windows, as the staining allows
artists to produce features more per
fectly.