The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-27
HOW GLASS Is CUT.
A UNIQUE AND RATHER Diff
CULT PROCESS DESCRIBED.

Baltimore Not Overrun with Artisans
Who Gan Do Such Work-The "Un.
dsrhand" and overland" Methods
AID How Cheap Ware Is Made.
From the Baltimore Herald.
Who is there that does not use glass in
some shape or anotherl The infant obtains
its food by means of glass bottle, and per-
sons take the last fond, lingering look at
the beloved dead through a glass lid in the
casket It is frequently worn before the
ewes. in which case it becomes of advantage
to the wearer. while others do not allow
their glasses to get that high. At the feS-
tive board, on the side-stand in the dining
room. in the panels of house doors, aud in
a thousand different places not only
is it used either as necessity or
as an establishment TO the sur
roundings, but the adornment of its figures
presents pretty visions TO the sight. 1t was
upon glass window in one of Queen Eliza
beth's summer houses that Sir Walter
Raleigh scratched his sentiments toward
his royal mistress in the words:
Fain would 1 climb but that fear to fall,
A sentiment to which she replied in the
same manner by the answer:
If thy heart fail thee do not climb at all.
OF course, everybody knows how glass is
made. The purpose of this articl is to de-
scribe some of the methods employed in
order to make it an object of beauty Glass
is divided into two kinds-''pot metap and
flash" Pot metal is that which is blown
all of one color, W ereas flash has transpar-
ent glass on one side and colored on the
other. The figure seen in colored glass,
such as beautify the doors of SO many Of
Baltimore's residences, are cut on flash. If
the colored glass were made of pot metal no
figures or sha es could be cut or engraved
OIL it so as to he visible. Flash glass is not
made in the United States; it is imported
from Europe But the arts of cutting and
engraving have grown to be quite famous
industries in this country.
Baltimore cont ms but one shop wherein
glass is cut, and that, too, by native of
TINS city who has worked at the business as
apprentice, journeyma and master respect
lively since 1912. A reporter fou d him at
his place ON Clay street one day last week
and saw the process by which glass can be
turned into thing of beauty. When it is
desired to cut 1t with very attractive or
valuable figures or scenes design is first
made Gu the piece. In case of colored or
flash glass it is outlined with white pencil
on the side which has the transparent glass,
the operator cutting the figures by means
of q wheel. This is always done by placing
the colored side on the circular stone wheel,
the figures showing through the piece.
Where the shapes to be drawn are ordinary
ones however, the cutter does not make any
design. He is too good a workman to need
any such precaution, and, as the taste of
the operator enters largely into his work,
only person having natural talent can be-
come successful in the art. Designs are al
handsome globes, large Windows, etc.
When ground glass is to be used the glass is
first ground and the cutting is done on the
rough or opaque side. The reason for this.
as well as for cutting flash on the colored
side, is that were it to be done on the trans
parent, or clear side, the figures would APP
pear cloudy and obscure.
The cutter took up piece of flash glass
in this pa ticular instance red-and
standing in frontof a circular stone about
an inch in width, placed the colored side of
the glass to the stone, which revolyed on q
spindle a tached to wooden posts, by means
of pulley and betting. This stone was
what is known as a round stone, and WIS
fed by a sponge, which rested partly on the
further lower portion of the whesf and
partly in a bucket of water, placed slant
ingly in a large tank in front of the
operator. On tue side nearest to the cutter
was another sponge, in which the near
lower side of the stone partly rested, and
which smoouhes it, since a rough stone
would not cut the glass at all. Before
using the stone the cutter caused it to re-
volve several times, and as he did so ap-
piled q flint to the surface, thereby
giving it a face as smooth as hone. Some
fine grit still remains. Applying the glass
to the outer edge of the stone the cutter
gradually worked it up to the center. The
first stroke produced an oddly shaped line,
and curve after curve was gradua ly added
until vine with well-formed leaves soon
appeared and the operation was finished.
This was q simple one and quickly as well
as artistically done. OF course a more
elaborate design would have necessitated
longer time This manner of doing the
work is known as overland" as contra
distinguished from glass engraving, which
is called 'underhand."
There are various kinds of stones used in
cutting glass by the overland process, such
as round, mitre and huting stones. The
round stone, on which the work above de-
scribed was done, has fiat surface; the
mltre comes up to point in the middle, and
does the fine, sharp cutting. On one of TIE
larger pieces OF glass which was shown to
the writer were many figures, one Of them
bird, the bill of which was cut with an
edge stone the body with round stone and
the tail with mItre There were many
NASA cJCSNn Va Jl1S SlttSS, Duh LIllS OU6 only
is mentioned in order to show that several
different stones are sometimes necessary IN
cutting the figure. Those used in cutting
glass are of various materials, such as New
castlen, Craigies Tor Scotch stone, because it
comes from Scotland) blue stone, etc. There
Is nothing artificial about them: they are
natural minerals. Emery wheels could not
be employed, for the reason that the sponge
which smoothes the stone would wear it
away by dissOlving the emery The edges
can be made as fine as hair
me stones used are, of course, ell circular
ana Ct variousa yes, according to the work
9eSred to be done, ranging from twenty
tour inches down to three-quarters of an
hch IN circumference. To bevel glass re-
CURES 1t to be put through four processes.
In the first it is cut on mill las the stones
are terlned) with sand, which gives it the
desired depth. 1t is next smoothed with
NeWcastlen stone, which takes out the grit
or roughness, and then it is polished with
combination of rouge and putty and fin
ished
The fancy decanters which are seen on so
many ables and sideboards are cut with
three different stones, and are mitred, fluted
ana rounded. The cutting on the bottom
Is usually Huting. The elliptical curved
cutting is mitred; the other figures on the
SIDES are usually roundings. The colored
glass doors and windows, which show off so
many residences to advantage, are made of
Aasn glass. These are sometimes broken,