The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-06-22
BLENDING coLoRs in GLASS.


Branch Of the Business.
Glassmaking began in the United
States about 100 years ago, and at
first was confined to the manufac-
ture of ordinary articles required in
this country in those early days.
Step by step advances have been
made until now the manufacture
covers practically all articles where
single color of glass is used. The
Westinghouse glass factory in Pitts
burg, which was started a few years
ago to make better quality of glass
than could be obtained commercial
ly for incandescent electric lamps,
also took up the manufacture Of fine
gas and electric shades and is now
introducing commercially into the
making of shades composed of two
or more glasses of different colors
laid one on top of the other while in
molten condition, process known
as flashing" The shades to which
especial attention is being given are
those which are green outside and
white inside and which are familiar
to every user of gas and electric
light 1t will be a surprise to many
to learn that all of these green and
white shades have heretofore been
imported, most of them coming from
Germany.
However, through the discoveries
of their chemists, the Westinghouse
people are making shades far supe-
rior to the imported ones, particu-
larly in the brilliancy of the white
glass used for the inside lining and
in the fine luster and even distribu-
ton of the green glass used for the
outside of the shades.
In making these shades the work
man first takes from the furnace on
an iron pipe about as long as a
broom handle a small ball of the
white glass, which he expands like
a soap bubble by blowing through
the pipe until it is little larger
than an orange. While this glass is
still white hot and soft it is dipped
into the furnace or pot containing
the green glass, thus giving the
white glass a coating of green. The
ball is then blown to the proper size
for the kind of shade to be made,
and with a tool somewhat like a
pair of shears hole is made in the
bottom of the ball, and by putting
proper tools inside of the ball
through this hole the shape of the
ball is changed to the shape of the
desired shade. During the entire
process the pipe is kept revolving by
the workman, so that the ball of hot
glass will not get out of shape.
From this description the process
of flashing will seem simple
enough, and wonder will be express
ed that these shades have not been
made in this country before. The
reason is equally simple. Glass ex-
pands and contracts, just as iron
does. When two kinds of glass are
flashed together as described above,
if their compositions are not prac-
tically the same, their expansions
and contractions will be different,
and the shades will crack as soon as
they cool. To make the green and
white so that they will have the
same degree of expansion has been
the difficulty, the composition of the
glass used in Germany having been
kept secret.
Flashing opens the way to infinite
variety in glassworking Combina-
tions of all shades of color are pos
sfble, and by cutting through the
outer colors marvellous "cameo eff
fects' are produced. America is
thus step by step going forward in
the art of glassmaking, as she has in
iron and steel and other industries,
and it may be safely predicted that
the art of glass flashing has obtained
commercial foothold that every
kind of artistic glass will be made
here within a few years, when ex-
portations will take the place of i'm
portations, and American glassware