The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-09-22
W ATCH CRYSTALS.
HOW THEY ARE TURNED ouf
FROM GLASS GLOBES.
Women Cut the Crystal From the
Globes with a Diamond Cut
ter-BeveIiaG and
Finishing.

be crystal was marie in Eisass
J LothrinQen, and that when
YOU break it and have to
ret a new one, that too will come from
the same pace2 You couldn't buy a
watch glass thar was male IN TINS coun-
try if Won should Try. American watch
makers have tried to compete with the
FOREIGN wor.men. but 1t didn't pay.
They can sell watch crystals mere cheap
er than we can make them even alter
they've paid a duty of sixty per cent.
But they don't have to pay such heavy
du.v now; that was when the crystals
were imported as glass. Some ingen-
ions person has discovered that watch
crystal is a part Of a watch. AS such 1t
can be imported by paying twenty-five
per cent. duty.
This same Maiden lane dealer in watch
CRYSTALS vino gave this information not
long ago described to Mail and Elk.
pre.srnan the interesting process OF crys-
tai making. "Isuppose," said he, 'that
YOU had an idea that the glass was spread
out in long, thin sheets on Il table ard
then stamred into shape by rapidly
working presses or something of that
sort2 1t isn't as easy as that to make
watch glasses; if it were, we could do it
here.
There is a district in Elsass- 10th
1inqen where the watch crystals that are
used all over the world have been made
for hundreds of years. Boys and girls
begin this work when they are very
young that they may acquire the neces-
sarv skill and nicely OF touch, for tHe
process is delicate one. Even these
hereditary crystal makers nave improved
on their earlier process. They used to
make the glasses one 10y one by blowing
small, long glass bottles and cutting oil
the bottoms. These httie caps were the
CRYSTALS and had to curve enough to al
low the watch hands TO move fl>ely.
BY the present process all watch glasses
are cut from glass globes. These globes
are made OF tine flint glass and are blown
10 the proper diameter to allow the re-
ouired initial curve This is from few
inches to several teet.
sThe work of cutting the CRYSTALS
from the globe is done by women. Tley
break the globe into strips by a series OF
light taps. These strips are placed with
the convex side downward on a thin
India rubber plate. Ga this plate IS Il
little apparatus provided with handle
which works a diamond cutter. With
this the woman traces circles on the con-
cave size of the glass as close to each
other as possible, SO as TO leave little
waste. Tnen the disk is broken out by
a quick tap. This IS one Of the most
difficult parts of the WORK, and is done
best by women.
Tine next thing is to put bevel edge
on the crystal, aud this Is done by men
with a small lathe which holds the crys-
tails so that they are ground by rapidly
revolving stone. This fiaisnes an ordin-
airy crystal, except the polishing, testing
and packing"
"But what about the Fat crystals we
use in open faced watches-are not they
made in this country"
mo, it is more difficult to make them
than the ordinary thin crystal. The
work on these begins where 1t stopped
on the others. By a special process
which consists of hammerIng aud mold
ing them under the influence oil heat the
edges are raised and the ur,ace iattened
so that waen the glass Is fixed IN the
bezel frame of the watch, the hands
eau move freely while the watch is quite
fiat. This work is done by men.
Zach wOrGman has retort, some
fire clay and coke, for the glass must be
sufficiently soitened to allow it to take
the shape Of the mold. With his fire
Cay the workman makes bed for the
oven, which IS surrounded with coke
and brought to dull red heat. He sits
at heavy table before the mouth of his
little oven, and with long lair of tongs
Ilaces Ihe molas to which ne intends to
lit the crystal IN the retort. When it is
hot enough lie takes paper pad on a
cork handle and pounds the glass to the
shape OF the mold.
"By the way, the paper in these pads
must be made entirely OF rags, and the
stock of this kind OF paper Is getting so
small in Alsace Lorraine that they are
beginning to use old ledgers. THIS pro.
cess Is so difficult that many glasses are
warped and furnished and have crooked
rims. the perfect ones are polished and
packed and sent to the market"
''Are these tue only kinds of crystals
that are made?"
There are about thirty different varic-
ties, and Tor each one different sized
globe must be blown. You know, the
old fashioned watch was so lat and It's
crystal had such a swollen appearance
that the watch was called 'turnip.'
These crystals are occasionally called tol
now and are made to order.
"In some countries, particularly in
Germany, it is considered TO add strength
to the glass il there is a depression in
the center of the surface. THIS is put
in by grinding. Some crystals are ground
IA ~