Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-01-18

Vas 1t guarded that the great council
| Of ten passed law Furnishing with
| death any workman who impaired the
secret to another country. 1t is even
| said that glassmakers in those days
| ranked with the nobility.
Have you ever thought what II Won
| dcrfui thing our window glass is? 1t
Keeps out the cold and the storm and
| lets in the glorious sunlight What
| should we do without it? In the olden
| time skins and oiled paper were
stretched over windows. Think Of going
| back to them now, and you will know
! how to appreciate the glass. But you
| arc waiting to learn how il is made.
| Each glasshouse contains a number
| of furnaces built of iireprouf brick
| and in them are fires. which are kept
| at from 1880 TO 200 degrees of heat
| about the hottest places YOU can imag-
| inc, The silica. the lime ard the soda,
III certain proportions. are put into pots
| made likewise of fireproof clay. and
! these pots. eight or ten i'll each fur
| mace. are placed on stands so that the
| flames can get all around them. A lit
| tie hole is made in the furnace oppo-
site each pot. by which the workmen
| the glass or pat in fresh materials
| when necessary. The fires are never
extinsuislied as long as the furnace
| laSts-say from one to two years: the
rGts last from one to two months An
ror tube. called the blowing iron, about
| six feet bong with a wooden covering
around that part OF it Which is held i'll
| the hands is the most important in
| s.t- = a 80,
| the manufacture Of nearly every OBJ
| ject Of glass. y workman and an as
| sistant stand in front o' each l.olc in
| the f9rnac~
| New 1T u $50 how ta"y maxi win
| dow glass. Tho assistant inserts his
pipe into the pot OF molten glass and
turns it around until It has gathered
as much as he needs. He then takes it
| out. and b.. . Slew. circular movement
Oh table of iron. rounds ii off, and
| finally heats it again at the furnace
opening, and passes the pipe. with the
| bail Of glass still on II. to the work
! man. The latter is to do the nice work,
| and he blows lightly at first until the
| mass assumes the shape of a pear:
| then. by a series of skllful movements.
| blowing 1T short intervals harder than
| at first, he at lengthens it out into the
| Shape Of cylinder and gives it the
| same thickness throughout. He then
| heats the lower end at the furnace and
makes an opening in ii with pointed
iron.
| Ger tain movements increase the open
| Ing, ana a wooden tool is used to make
| the adges round and smooth. He has
| now made perfectly shaped sylinder.
| with the exception of the end which is
still attached u the pipe. and When it
| becomes hard he lays it on a groved
| wooden rest and touches the end of the
pipe With a cold iron rod. when it inn
| madiatcly separates from the cylinder.
The only thing now wanting To make
! tho cylinder perfect is 10 cut off the
| uneven end where it was attached to
| tire I,ipc. and this the workman does by
| drawing around it a thread of hot
glass and touching the heated part
| with the cold iron rod. 1t separates in
stantly. and that part Of the work is
| done Tie cylinder thus made is pro
cisely the shape. though larger. Of the
straight. round chimney used with the
argand burned.
| 8ut these cylinders are to be con-
! vtrted into tat panes o. glass and
| few more operations are necessary. A
reihot iron is run in a straight line
down the inside of the cylinder. either
end of the heated line is wrtted with
| the finger and III" cylinder opens. y
diamond IN the eud of a long handle
| car be used instead of the hot iron
and straighter edge obtained. The
opened cylinders are put into the flat
tE,N LOT ~ oil
covered with sulphatc OF antimony to
| prevent sticking, where the heat. aided
by pressure from wooden planes in the
hands of workmcn. makes them flat
and smooth I'll, oven is then sealed
and they are kept several days to an
neal-that is To- say. /" cool by degrees
SO that they will not break easily when
| in use. TIL" large panes thus made
are cut with the diamond into differ
en- sizes and put in the stores for sale.
You must not think, from my detailed
description. that tie Werkmen makes
slow progression the contary. he gets
along very rapidly. and makes great
many sheets Of glass in day.
| have already told YOU that the blow
| ing iron is used in making nearly every
article OF glass. II the workman had to
depcnd altogether upon his own
atrength h could blow objects of only
a limited size MI. borrower. the cor
slant strain which this operation en-
tails upon his lungs severely affects his
health. About fifty Years ago an m
genious elassbloWer named kobinet.
attached to the famous Baccarat works
in France. to do away with these off
fi.ulties: isvented h machine now
known as the Robinct pump, by which
very large objects can be blown and
the health of the workman preserved.
10 the French, among whom the
manufacture Of glass has attained
great proficiency, we are also Indebted
for the discovery of n new and better
way of making mirrors. called found
ing. The glowing pots of melted glass
are raised from the furnaces by ma
chinery and pass along a beam to
where immense iron tables are waiting
tC receive their LIQUID contents As the
pot is tilted ard the beautiful, brilliant
fluid is poured upon a table q great
roller is Immediately passed over II.
a Watchful workman skillfully re-