Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1908-02-20
GLASS FOR WINDOWS
THE METHOD AND THE MATERIALS
Ssrz OF IT'S MANUFACTURE 49,

so~nt OF hSn-Pr0oSss of the Tank
hOuse aHd the PSthOsso.
People who have glass windows In
their homes do not know that the glass
contains enough arsenic to make it a
deadly poison. Glassmakers say that
the windows 81 an ordinary home con-
tain enough OF this poison to kill reg
ineDt Of men, The popular suppoeition
thOt glass is made of sand is a correct
one but q quantity of other articles an
esrs into its composition.
window glass factories are divided
into two departments. a farmhouse and
pothouse. The process OF glassmak-
Ing in one OF these departments is prac.
ucaify the same as In the other. In the
tankhouse the glass is all melted In i'm
nense tanks which will hold thou
sands q tons. In the pothouss the
elAss II made iR pots.
After the tires are lighted and q tank
10 heated the glass mixture is shoveled
tp 10 Includes glass left over from ths
forner season, glass refuse. sand and
salt cake. Arsenic u not used In the
tanKhouss for the reason that the heat
Is 10 intense that the drug is volatilized
and escapes into the air without enter
ing toe mixture As one mixture meIts
ana lows 10 one end OF a tank fresh
supplies are shoveled In at the other
s1d.
The molten mass seethes and
'sworhs" in a manner similar to that OF
mash in a distirery. FROM the salt
cake comes a salt water that has to be
separated from the mass, and the easI-
est way to remove IL Is TO burn II out.
Fhis p a00s By throwing stove wood
INTO the tank ON top OF the molten
glass The water Is converted into
steam, which is destroyed by the in
tense heat from the glass The melted
glass n then skinned by an automatic
slEimmoE, and II is ready for the gath
sSer.
A GatheFer thrusts a long steel blow
Pipe into one OF the rings at the lower
end Of The tank. He twists and turns
II until small bah of glass gathers on
the end This ball Is partially cooled.
polished by being turned in q box of
sa~e30st and then passed on to the
StoveN who heats IL again until 1t be-
comes ike tRffy. The blower swings
thu bail over q pit that Is twelve feet
deep and rapidly blows It into an elon-
GATED pear shape. When blower is
through, the melted glass becomes a
peFfe6s cylindeF about feet long and
= feet ecross. 1t then passes TO snap
per-" who takes IL to a rack and breaks
the roller loose from the blowpips.
The snapp0r gathers a small lump
OF melted glass on the end Of a rod
and deEteFOusly runs Il narrow ribbon
Of the stuR around the ends OF the
roller, both at the blowpipe end and
the closed end The little ribbons Of
melted glass cool in a few seconds.
when they are removed, lea wing a mar
row zone of almost redhot glass
around the rollers at each end. Then,
taking tool that resembles a soldering
iron, the snapper rubs it for a moment
on his forehead, and when the point Of
II Is moistened with Precipitation he
runs the iron around the rollers at the
heated spot. The glass cracks and
separates as Clearly as il cut with q
diamond, the blowpipe is removed, and
the closed cylinder has become a roller
and Is then ready to 20 to the fat
tsner.
The nattener works In another part
or the building, where are located the
hattening ovens. These ovens are heat
ed to temperature sufficient TO soften
the glass 50 that 1t may be rolled cut
iato sheets- A series Of hreclay tables
placed In circle like the spokes Of a
wheel revolve In the ovens, and on
these tables the rollers are dattened
They are placed inside, allowed to be-
| come hot, and then u cold iron is run
along the inside from end TO end. The
| contact Of the Iron cuts the glass
which Is then Strengthened out upon
the table.
The Hatcher has q number of billets
or green wood attached 10 long iron
handles, and with these billets. which
are shaped in such q manner as to do
the work expected OF them, he "irons''
the softened sheet of glass until Il is
perfectly fat and smooth The tables
inside the oven revolve, the fiattened
sheet Is carried away, and another roll
er is brought into position before the
hattensr. As the flattened sheets cool
they are lifted to a place on a long
travelling rack, on which they are by
stages removed from the ovens, being
allowed to Q9ol as they 60. This is done
u order that the glass may not be
shattered By too quick an exposure to
the air
When the sheets are taken from the
hatteaiRg ovens. they are covered with
a greasy, dirty looking cost of chem
tcals-soda, potash. siiicatss Of the diff
feteat salts, ete.-whieh must be re-
Rote6 and for this purpose the rough
sheets Ass placed IN an acid bath COM
tesea q hydFochloric and sulphuric
aetes more or less diluted After their
t&MefsiOn 10 this bath the sheets are
rakeh 70 the cutting room, where work
men cot them into sizes and make
them ready for the packers. Hardly q
sor4p Of the glass except the rough
sases Ii wasted. In fact, none is vast
60, ms ell refuse goes back to be melt
ed After the cutters have finished
Asir work the glass is packed In boxes
80 = thsS ready for the market.-In-
62ah&poals News.