Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-10

the wooden disk revolves With each revo-
luton the edges of the stones wear of until
the squares become round, aid at length the
finished marble drops through the hole into
the box below. The stones are kept wet
during the grinding by flow of water into
the projecting edge of the iron disk. There
are different disks for different sized mar
bles
China marbles are nodded from clay in
factories where they are baked and glazed
Just as china is nodded, baked and glazed in
the New Jersey factories These factories,
however, are small affairs for the most part,
and the work is done by hand and foot
power The clay is nodded ih foot-power
press which looks very much like a grind
ing machine and has two wooden disks
which come together but do not revolve.
Each disk is filled with semi-round holes
like that in one-half of bullet mold. When
the disks come together the halves of the
holes fit tightly, forming perfectly round
mold. The clav is fitted into the holes of
the lower disk. Then the upper one is
drawn down, and when the pressure Is
removed the marbles are found lying in the
cups on the lower disk ready for the baking.
The pressure is so great that the clay which
does not find room in the molds is squeezed
out at the sides, where it may be scraped
together and used over again.
They Are Painted by Hand.
After the marbles are dried, baked and
glazed they are sent to the peasant painters
Painting, like marble grinding; is done at
the homes of the workmen. The painters
machine is foot-power contrivance which
looks like turner's lathe set on end. In
the end is small cup into which the marble
fits. When the treadle is pressed this cup
revolves. The painter dips his fine brush
in paint and holds it to the marble. One
revolution paints blue equator on the
little globe Another brush and a second
revolution paints red tropic of capricorn.
Other intermediate latitudinal lines are
traced both north and south of the equator.
Then the marble is turned half way around
and the process is repeated. When it Is
finished the lines run at right angles in the
are sent back to the factory to be glazed for
second time, after which they are ready
for the market
Imitation agates are painted by hand and
are dried in the open air. The paint is
daubed on without much method.
Glass alleys" are made entirely In fac
tories The transparent glass 10 drawn out
and pulled into strand many feet long by
two workmen, very much as molasses candy
is pulled. The longer the strand is pulled
the thinner it becomes. When it ID an inch
and half or two inches thick it is allowed
to cool and it is then broken into pieces
about two feet in length. On the sides Of
this strands Of red, blue, yellow and green
glass, as thick as wheat straw, are fastened
and the whole is then returned to the fur
naces to be heated over again. When 1t IL
sufficiently hot to be twisted, the strand is
taken out. The colored and the transparent
glass now adhere together.
The Colored Glass Marbles.
The workmen take the strand In tongs by
each end and begin twisting and stretching
it until it is OF the thickness of the marble.
One man twists to the right and the other
to the LETT. This is continued until the
small strands form vafi-colored rope in
the center of the big transparent strand,
like twisted piece OF wire run through the
center of twig of elder. The glass is then
heated for the third time, and when 1t
reaches the melting point 1t is dropped into
a series of molds, like those used for bullets,
just as bit of melting sealing wax might
be dropred into hole.
As the colored strands form the center of
the transparent strand, 50 in the finished
marble they make q cone-shaped axis rum
ming from side to side as pin Is run through
a pea.
Some glass marbles contain small china
figures In making these the rnolds are hair