The Opelousas courier., 1904-01-23
FOR VAIN AND PLAIN.
THE INTERESTING PROCESS OF
MAKING AN AMERICAN MIRROR.

Foreign Competition Met-The servie-
es of Expert Workmen Largely Re-
quired Through All of the Many OPP
erations Selecting the GIass.--Mlr'
rors of the Ancients.
When n stops to think that there
is scarcely a family in this country so
poor but that there is within the home
1t mirror, the Importance Of the indus
try of producing mirrors in the Unit
ed States is at once apparent. In the
average household much of the furnl-
ture is fitted with mirrors. from the
dresser Of the bedroom to the hat
rack in the hall. To supply this de-
mand for mirrors an army Of skilled
workmen find employment, and the
way they produce these goods t like
all work in glass, interesting.
The quality of the glass which apes
to make mirrors is an essential con-
sideration. For the superior beveled
mirrors the fine plate glass is used,
and also more work is required to
produce the finished article. A good
quality Or Well-chosen piece of glass is
required to make a really good mirror
of any kind. However. there may be
defects in the glass as it comes to the
mirror-maker's hands, but these, II not
too serious, may be removed. A good
ly part OF the labor in mirror making
comes to perfecting the glass used.
Both scratches and stains must be re-
moved as far as possible.
At the time of che selection, a black
cloth is placed behind the glass which
it is desired to use. The inspectors
look through the glass at an angle
which enables them to quickly dis
cover all de1ects. When the prepare
ton of the glass is begun all scratches
are practically removed by holding 1t
upon an upright bufing wheel, which
is covered with felt, after which 1t Is
laid in a horizontal position while the
stains are removed with what is
known as a blocking machine" AS
in the work of smoothing blanks for
cut glass, these operations require
skilled labor, and it is in the labor that
the biggest item of mirror making
comes in. A novice could easily spoil
a fine piece of glass at numerous stag
es of the operations required. An or
binary mirror, not a beveled one. of
course, is. following the removal OF
scratches and stains, ready for its coat
of silver.
Plate glass to be made into beveled
goods is held against a horizontal iron
roughing wheel, which. in conjunction
with sand and water. gives to it the
desired bevel shape, though several
subsequent operations are required to
adequately polish it. The second op-
Grafton with beVeled glass is per
formed with an emery wheel. which
serves to remove the sand and further
clean and prepare the surface. Next
comes a horizontal grindstone, and
then the wooden polishing wheel with
pumice stone. The bufing wheel
with rouge upon it brightens the glass
after which it is altogether ready fol-
the silver solution which is to reflect
the light.
There are different methods and diff
ferent solutions employed upon the
backs of mirrors. The use in silver
has to quite an extent taken the place
of the former methods Of distributing
mercury. It is claimed that the fumes
of mercury are unwholesome for the
Workmen. In the second place, the
newer methods provide for q more
rapid production of mirrors. Also
where silver is used, as i. is today, In
place of mercury, a greater percent o
light is reflected.
One of the earliest methods for put
ting quicksilver upon glass consisted
in first placing sheets OF tin Coil upor
the surface while the glass lay in 6
horizontal position. When the tin fol
had been tightly pressed down to the
glass it was next covered by quicksil
yer, which imediately formed al
amalgam with the tin. The superfuoui
mercury was then run OFF and a wool
en- cloth spread over the surface, upol
which weights applied and al
lowed to remain for at least "a hours
The glass was then removed to
table with a movable top admitting o
gradually increasing, thus ALLOWING
the unamaIgamaIed mercury TO sioWf.
drain of, the remainder always ad
herring closely to the glass. When DIR.
a fine quality Of shellac is applied b.
means of fine brushes. This Is t.
keep out the moisture. After the bacl
has been fully protected the mirror i
considered ready TOR a general clean
ing and Frightening UP. and eventual
" a trip to the thousands Of marts
where mirrors are eagerly sought b.
vain and plain people alike.
Mirror making upon an expensive
scale dates back little more than 90
years, though the use of amalgam TO
the purpose was known long before
Rude glass mirrors were made first II
Italy, about 900 years ago. One o
these since has occupied a place ii
Holyrood Palace In the apartments o
Queen Mary: In the European Muse
am there are relics Of the very earlies
forms of mirrors. including those o
the Egyptians, which were of bronz
end which later came to be used b,
me Greeks and Romans.
It is not difficult to imagine hov
sasy it would be for any civilized maj
in any age to conceive the idea Q
ZONE kind of mirror. All about us il
stature reflections Of ourselves ar
Z common occurrence. Indeed, histor.