The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-02-22
MADE TO BE LOOKED AT.
Herein We are Told How Mirrors are
Manufactured
A Long and Tedious Process Requiring Great
Skill Experts Generally Furnished by
France Bevsiiny, Polishing and silvering
Plate OF 0lasa

~ III tue ptoptc WHO guy utNttcu
mirrors knew what an enormous
amount OF grinding toll II takes TO trim
Oft and polish those glossy edges they
would not wonder that the beveled
plates are so much more costly than
the plain. A plate OF glass. to be
bevelcd. has to pass through the hands
OF eight or ten experienced worsmen.
Ordinarily IL occupies the time OF each
OF them for half an hour or moro. The
fancy shaped plates require even a
longer time The silvering process by
which the glasses are prepared ms
mirrors adds four or five more workmen
to the list The old mercury process
OF making mirrors has almost entirely
gone out OF date. However. the silver
ing method Is hardly perfected rs yet
The big mirror factories employ. as
n rule. about 125 men and boys ia
each. The men are mostly French
men, who learned the business In the
big glass factories OF France Most OF
them educate their sons TO the same
trade. and make IL almost a French
monopoly. Most of the plate glass. II
indeed not all. that Is made into mir
rors in this country is imported from
France. The American glass is but
little used for hne work, for generally
IL will not take necessary polish.
The first operation in beveling n
plate OF glass is one that is known rs
''roughing." and is done by worlsmen
called "roughers." This Is done by
grinding the plate with the aid OF sand
and water on II rapidly revolving iron
plate. Great skill is necessary to
make the bevel the same width on the
four sides OF piece OF glass and TO
keep the line straight on each separ-
ate side. The small sized plates arc
silly handled but the large ones arc
placed on big table and moved over
the iron grinder rs saw log is shUv-
ed back and fourth when being sawed
Nearly the whole process OF beveling,
rQughing, smoothing. polishing. ETC.,
is carried on with revolving wheels.
The "emeriersn are the next after
the ''roughers" in the work. They do
the first OF the smoothing and even up
any little defects that may have been
unnoticed by the others. They do their
grinding on fiat iron wheel but they
use n very fine emery powder instead
of sand.
Polishing Is tho next thing in order
after the smoothing has been finished.
This In done on what Is called a
white wheel" though why IL should
have that name Is hard 10 explain, for
il Is as black and dirty as the rest.
Pumice stone Is used with this wheel TO
induce high polish. and IL is us ually
supplied by little French boy. whose
business seems to be To keep every
thing as wet and sloppy as possible.
The.next work In tho polishing process
Is done on felt wheel and with tho
aid OF n French powder-llke arrange
ment known as rouge" This rouge
Is soft foury sort OF substance, and
brings a very bright. shiny polish.
After the bevel has been cut, smooth
cd and polished, another set OF work.
men go to work at polishing the sur
face. The rear surface acquires very
high polish that IL may receive silver
solution. The slightest defect would
be noticeable In the reflection and
would make the glass practically
worthless AS a mirror. The glass on
passing from the beveling rooms goes
10 an examiner whose sharp eye de-
tects many little blomish that would
not be noticed by any one unframed in
the business. He marks each defect
with soap line and sets some OF his
assistants at work 20 wipe 10 out. The
surfaces are polished both on felt
wheels and with blocks OF the same
material. Sometimes the plate con-
tains deep scratch that lnnot be- re-
moved In the ordinary way. II Is then
necessary TO make what the polishcrs
call 'ducie." This requires piece
OF glass, some wet sand and rouge and
n great deal OF muscle. The polish
has TO be removed. the scratch ground
out and then the plato Is rubbed out
and then the scratch Is rubbed back 20
its original smoothness and polish.
II tho ''ducie" Is not we'll made Il
leaves a hollow on the plate which can
be easily noticed when tho silver Is
put on the back.
When the glass hns passed tho in
spcction OF the examiner IL Is sent into
the silvering rooms. Here IL is thor
oughly washed and scrubbed with "A
fine brush. and then laid out on ono OF
the big iron tables that make the place
look like billiard room. These tables
are warmed by steam. which also aids
In drying the glass. Then the silver
solution Is passed over them. II runs
over the surface evenly In every direc-
ton. and stops abruptly at the edges,
where IL Is rs thick AS In the center.
The solution Is poured out OF big
oarthern pitcher. and looks more like
water than like anything else The
plates are left on the iron tablas till
the silver FORMS" and thon all the