The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-06-02
indiana Manufacturer Says He
Has Discovered the Secret.
Meats II AIm,st 10 Melting Point, Then
PIunyss II Inie Cold Wiisr--LaiM
Drives Nall With H.

Muncie. Ind, June al claim TO have
discovered the secret OF manufacturing
malleable glass. the long lost art OF the
ancients. and though i have not sue
ceeded In obtaining a glass that is abso-
lutely malleable--that is. hammerable and
unbreakable-I am now manufacturing
semi-malleable ware. and soon will be
able to put on the market kind of glass
that will be as malleable as any OF the
metals" was the statement made by
Louis Kauffeld, owner OF a glass factory
tn Matthews.
Kauffeld is the head OF lamp chimney
factory that now employs about one hun
dred and ten men, and is prospering In
the manufacture OF ordinary glass chin
neys. He is turning out a few chimneys
OF his semi-malleable glass. but says he is
not yet ready TO put them on the market
IN any considerable quantity.
In the presence of the correspondent
and a workman Mr.. Kauffeld took a glass
chimney OF ordinary appearance. put as
much water In IL as IL would hold when
It was placed horizontally. and placing 1t
over fire proceeded to boil the water
without cracking the chimney
Next this same chimney was heated
until II was almost at the melting point
and plunged into cold water. The Chin
ney went through the ordeal without in
Jury.
Kauffeld followed this experiment by
taking up the now cooled chimney and
using IL as a hammer. driving good
nNr raI t..sA "A
Again the chimney came forth unharmed.
COULD WELD BROKEN PIECES.
IF piece OF this chimney were broken
out l could take another piece OF this
o. kind OF glass and weld Il to the broken
chimney, making. so TO speak. a glass
patch" said Kauffeld confidently.
THE usefulness OF this glass is great.
Coffee pots and tea kettles might be made
OF II rs easily as OF tin or steel and
would no more crack under great heat
than articles manufactured from those
metals. The housewife in canning fruit
might heat the fruit directly IN the glass
Jars before they are sealed"
While kauffelds process is unknown to
anybody except himself he volunteered
the information that the lime and lead
that are used In the manufacture OF or
dinary glass do not enter into the compo-
he would not say.
THE secret lies" he said. I'm the
chemicals that are used in making this
glass and the proportions in which these
chemicals are put into IT"
A careful account OF the cost OF making
this glass as compared with the manu-
facture OF other glass as kept by Mr..
Kauffeld has led him TO conclude that
the new process is cheaper than the old.
The glass trade is slow to believe Kauf-
fields claims.
SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH sol
Louis Kauffeld is thirty-two years old.
the seventh son of seventh SON" When
he first went TO Matthews. two or three
years ago, he was the whole Kauffeld
glass factory. He put up a little glass
tank I'm his back yard and started the
plant" The ware that he turned out he
cold In local markets.
Finally the demand for his lamp chin
neys became so great that he had to pro-
cure help. Since then he has added build
ings TO his plant and men TO his working
force until he Is the head OF large con-
cern.
Mr. Kauffeld has worked In a glass fac
tory since he was ten years old. having
started i'm Pittsburg afterward working
in various cities in Pennsylvania and
Ohio.
There are many legends concerning
malleable glass. There Is a story that
glass worker In ancient Venice centuries
ago discovered the secret He made glass
bottles and Jars that he could hammer
into fattened strips without breaking
them, and rolled the glass into balls.
which he would throw against the stone
walls Of the town without injuring them.
The king OF the country heard OF the
remarkable glass worker and summoned
the artisan 10 the royal palace. Expecting
ne would be received with high favor by
the king, and elated at the royal sum
mons. the glass worker demonstrated
the maIleabilty OF his wares In the kings
presence But the king was greatly dis
pleased at the exhibition.
'If this man can make glass OF this
kind" said he. "he will render valutless
all the glass have In my household. Take
him 10 the block"
whereupon the unhappy glass worker
had his head chopped off and the secret
lied with him.