The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1912-04-11
GLASS AND CUT GLASS
Pressed Ware at Times De-
ceives Even Experts.
A GUIDE FOR THE UNWARY.

The Seeker After Cut Glass Is Safe In
Purchasing "closed In" Articles, a.
They Cannot Be Duplicated In Press.
ed Giass-Art Of the Cutter.
Buyers for large houses are some
times deceived when buying cut glass
and find they have bought what is
commercially known as pressed glass
instead of the genuine article
Yet there are few simple rules
that will safeguard the ordinary buyer
at retail The chief one is to pick out
only what the manufacturer calls
closed In articles BY this he means
vases. jugs. pitchers. bottles and the
like
These cannot be duplicated in press
ed glassware. which is first nodded in
patterns and the edges ground. This
process gives it so close 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. nappies 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-
rica patterns.
The design must be marked on the
glass exactly to stand the test of CON-
pass and rule When all lines are In
perfect accordance with the pattern
and also ft the blank the ''roughing"
begins This is cutting the heavy work.
such as the netks Of vases and bottles
and the heavy lines on the stars.
This is done Oh Il mae chine called the
mill" big wooden framed affair. on
top of which is hopper holding about
half a ton of Berkshire hi!!S sand
This sand Is the only kir:i 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 Il very nigh speed.
The wet sand Of the disk gives j, q
tooth" which when the glass is held
against the edge of the disk cuts very
rapidly.
All the coarse and heavy cutting Is
done on this mill
The cutting in OF the finer work be-
| gins on mill with Il stone disk re-
sembling an old fashioned grindstone
| but much narrower aud with a b,. led
| edge. These stones come chiefly from
Italy or Scotland They are very hard
| and carry a keen edge a long time
| They are used for the tine cutting al
| together.
There is a stone found in Nova SEQ
tia much softer that cuts quicker and
is used for f1uting Oh water bottles
and compotes where heavy cuts are
desired. Very often as many as fifteen
| or 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 us ihe
work with very high speedpd brush
wheel covered with moisteued pnmire
stone powdered. This stone Is lava
thrown of by Volcano
Large wooden disks made to fit the
cuts and fed with pumice and water
are used for polishing the fine work in
and around the delicate traeery of the
pattern.
The hand of the glass cutting expert
must be steady. strong and accurate.
for the least mistake spoils Il whole
pattern. In the case OF fourteen
inch punch bowl this means the loss OF
$40.
Another kind of glass cutting is
known as stone engraving Ii is done
with little stone wheels and copper
tools entirely by hand Tie designs
are chiefly vines and flowers They
are not cut deep and are often MS
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
an art. and any one, after seeing the
method employed will readily under
stand why genuine cnt glass COM
mands high prices Boston Globe
The Job Department
Former EmplOyer-And so you are
newspaper man now. Thompson
Thompson Yes. sir: I'm the editor Of
the job department Former Employ-
er-Editor OF the job department
Thompson Yes. sir; l carries In eoal.
and scrubs the door. and cleans The
windows. and all such edith as that,
sir.-I.ondon Graphic.