Connecticut western news., 1890-02-05
MADE TO BE LOOKED AT.
Herein We are Told How Mirrors arc
 Manufactured.

Manufactured. A Long and Tedious Process Requiring Great
 skill-Experts Generally Furnished by
 France-Beveling, Polishing and silvering
 Plate of Glass.
 If all the people who buy beveled mirrors knew what an enormous amount of grinding toll it takes to trim off 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 beveled, has to pass through the hands of eight or ten experienced workmen. Ordinarily it occupies the time of each of them for half an hour or more. The fancy shaped plates require even a longer time. The silvering process by which the glasses are prepar red as 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 The old mercury process of making mirrors has almost entirely gone out of date.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 sil-er- ing method is hardly perfected as yet.
 The big mirror factories employ, as rule, about 125 men and boys in 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 1t almost French monopoly. Most of the plate glass, if indeed not all, that is made into mir TOTS in this country is imported from France. The American glass is but little used for hne work, for generally it will not take necessary polish.
 The first operation in beveling a plate of glass is one that is known as ..roughing," and is done by workmen called "roughers." This is done by grinding the plate with the aid of sand and water on a rapidly revolving iron plate. Great skill is necessary to make the bevel the same width on the four sides of 8 piece of glass and to keep the line straight on each separ- ate side. The small sized plates are easilv handled but the large ones are placed on big table and moved over the iron grinder as saw log is show ed back and fourth when being sawed. Nearly the whole process of beveling, roughing, smoothing, polishing, etc. is carried on with revolving wheels.
 The "emeriers'' 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 very fine emery powder instead of sand.
 Polishing is the next thing in order after the smoothing has been finished. This in done on what is called a white wheel" though why it should have that name is hard to explain, for it. is as black and dirty as the rest Pumice stone is used with this wheel to induce high polish, and it is usually supplied by little French boy, whose business seems to be to keep every thing as wet and sloppy as possible The..next work in the polishing process is done on a felt wheel and with the aid of French powder-like arrange ment known as ''rouge." This rouge is soft, foury sort of substance, and brings very bright. shiny polish.
 After the bevel has been cut, smooth ed and polished, another set of work men go to work at polishing the sur- face. The rear surface equires very high polish that it may receive silver solution. The slightest defect would be noticeable in the reflection and would make the glass practically worthless as mirror. The glass on passing from the beveling TO oms goes to an examiner, whose sharp eve de- tects many little blemish that would not be noticed by any one untrained in the business. He marks each defect with a soap line and sets some of his assistants at work to wipe it out. The surfaces are polished both on felt wheels and with blocks of the same material. Sometimes the plate con- tains deep scratch that ,nnot be re- moved in the ordinary way. It is then necessary to make what the polishers call a "ducie." This requires a piece of glass; some wet sand and rouge and great deal of muscle. The polish has to be removed, the scratch ground out and then the plate is rubbed out and then the scratch is rubbed back to it's original smoothness and polish If the ''ducie" is not we'll made ii leaves hollow on the plate which can be easily noticed when the silver is put on the back. .s
 When the glass has passed the in. spection of the exapiner it is sent into the silvering rooms. Here it is thor oughly washed and scrubbed with 8 fine brush, and then laid out on one ol 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. It runs over the surface evenly in every direc tion, and stops abruptly at the edges where it is as thick as in the center The solution is poured out of big earthern pitcher, and looks more like water than like anything else. The plates are left on the iron tables till the silver .'forms," and then all tht 1 foreign matter is run off by tipping the plate up on edge. The silver be. comes of a dark color in the forming and when it is thoroughly dried it il painted to preserve it's smooth surface Before the silver hardens it is moved into a room so carefully ceiled ant battened as to exclude all particles O flying dust The room is kept close, constantly till the hardening take place, for during that time the silve surface is extremely sensitive. Tn least jar or speck of dust, or even tn breath of person talking above il would cause blemish that would in jure the glass. The plates are usuall
 left in this room over night and the
 painted, when they are ready for use
 Memory Doctor Wanted.
 Caller: '.Are you the memor | dootorp,1 Profoscor. tI am r,rofos