Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-04-13
GLASS AND CUT GLASS
Pressed Ware at Times De-
ceives Even Experts.
4 GUIDE FOR the UNWARy.

Ths eseker After Cut olass 10 Safe N
Purchasing "cIossd In" Articles, =.
They Cannot 30 Duplicated In Press.
Cd Glass-Art Of the Gutter.
Buyers Tor large houses are some
times deceived when buying cut glass
and flnd they have bought what is
commercially known rs pressed glass
instead of tie genuine article,
Yet there. are q few simple rules
that will safeguard the ordinary buyer
at retail. The chief one Is to pick nut
only what the manufacturer calls
closed In articles. By this he n#. us
vases. jugs. pitchers. bottles and toe
like.
These cannot be duplicated in press
ed glassware. which is first nodded il
patterns aud the edges ground. This
process gives it so close u resemblance
to real cut glass that even experts
may be deceived.
But in the 'closed In" articles some
way is yet to be devised by which the
pressed lines can be followed through
the opposite side when put on the
wheel to be cut, as the pressed part
interferes with the workman seeing
through the glass. which he has to do
in order to follow the lines Of the de.
sign on the cutter.
The kind of cut glass that Is coun.
terfeited is called open work. such as
plates, naples or any fat article
through which the workman can read.
lily see when finishing it.
Another help in selecting cut glass
is its weight. The genuine is made
from pure lead glass. made chiefly in
America. especially for cutting. This
lead glass is very heavy.
The first step toward cutting is to
mark on the 'blank"-that is, the dish
in the clear glass-in red or other paint
the design that has been selected for
it.
The most common designs are dia.
mond shapes. stars Of various points,
crosses and squares and other geomet-
rtcal patterns.
The design must be marked on the
glass exactly to stand the test of com.
pass and rule. When all lines are In
perfect accordance with the pattern
and also 1T the blank the ''roughing"
begins. This IS cutting the heavy work.
such as the necks Of vases and bottles |
and the heavy lines on the stars.
This is done on a machine called the |
"mill." a big wooden framed affair. on
top of which is hopper holding about |
half ton of Berkshire hills sand. |
This sand is the only kind in this |
country that has proved satisfactory |
for this work. -
The sand runs down through the
hopper, is moistened with water and |
comes out Of large steel disk, the
edge Of which is sharp. This disk Is
turned by power at very high speed.
The wet sand Of the disk gives It a
TOOTH" which when the glass is held
against the edge Of the disk cuts very
rapidly.
All the coarse and heavy cutting Is
lone on this mill"
The cutting In Of the f1uer work be-
gins on a mill with a stone disk re-
,embling an old fashioned grindstone.
but much narrower and with a beveled
EDGE. These stones come chiefly from
Italy or Scotland. They are very hard
and carry a keen edge q long time.
They are used for the 6ne cutting al
together.
There Is a stone found in Nova SEQ
ia much softer that cuts quicker and
Is used for futing on water bottles
aud compotes where heavy cuts are
desired. Very often as many as fifteen
DR. twenty different stones Of varying
degrees Of hardness are used for the
cutting Of one article.
After the design has been all cut
comes one Of the most difficult parts
Of the work, the polishing.
This is done on the outside Of the
work With very high speeded brush
wheel covered with moistened pumice
stone powdered. This stone is lava
thrown Off by volcano.
Large wooden disks made to ct the
cuts and fed with pumice and water
are used for polishing the fine work In
and around the delicate tracery Of the
cattern.
The hand of the glass cutting expert
must be steady, strong and accurate.
for the least mistake spoils a whole
pattern. In the case Of fourteen
inch punch bowl this means the loss Of |
S5O.
Another kind Of glass cutting Is
known as stone engraving. It is done
with little stone wheels and copper |
tools entirely by hand. The designs
IRE chiefly vines and flowers. They
are not cut deep and are often mis-
taken for pressed glass. In reality
they are the most expensive kind Of |
cut glass, the price for a single piece |
Of large size and ornate decoration |
reaching four figures.
Glass cutting Is not only trade, but I
an art, and any one after seeing the |
method employed will readily under |
stand why genuine cut glass CON-
mands high prices.-Boston Globe.