Wine Glasses, and other Glass Vessels.
Year: 1885

page_text: Wine Glasses, and other Glass Vessels.
I HENRY WILLETTS of Netherton near Dudley in the County of Worcester
Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUMBLERS FINGER GLASSES WINE GLASSES AND OTHER
GLASS VESSELS" to be as follows:-
.
The said invention consists in manufacturing tumblers finger glasses wine glasses
and other glass vessels by the method or combination of processes hereinafter
described whereby the said articles are produced economically and with a perfection
or finish unattainable by the ordinary method of manufacture.
I will describe the said invention in connection with the manufacture of a
tumbler. A mould is made preferably of iron the said mould having internally the
figure of the exterior of the tumbler to be made. The mould is lined with carbon
or carbonaceous matter. This may conveniently be effected by attaching to the
interior of the mould fine sawdust or starch by means of gum water or other
adhesive material. The workman makes in the ordinary way a bottle like vessel
of somewhat smaller diameter than the mould and introducing it into the mould
blows it so as to make its body take the figure of the mould: The bottle thus
produced is annealed and cooled in the ordinary way and fixed in a lathe. A rapid
rotary motion having been given to the bottle like vessel a piece of iron or other
hard metallic wire is applied to the part which it is required to be cut off. That is
the said wire is applied a little below the shoulder of the bottle. The heat
generated by the friction of the wire against the rotating vessel cracks the glass
and the shoulder of the bottle is separated by a sharp clean cut leaving a tumbler
shaped vessel. The sharp edge of the tumbler may be removed by grinding the
mouth of the tumbler at a glass cutter's wheel and polishing it by means of a
mixture of fine emery rotton stone water or oil applied on a pad to the edge of the
tumbler or the sharp edge may be rounded and made smooth by passing it through
a blownine flame.

page_text: Each time the mould is used it is dipped in water to moisten the carbonaceous
lining prior to the blowing of the vessel in it. There is thereby produced a film
of steam between the glass and the lining which steam preserves the brilliancy of
the surface of the glass by preventing its actual contact with the lining.
The application of the said invention to the manufacture of glass vessels other
than tumblers does not differ essentially from its application to the manufacture
of tumblers herein before described such changes only being made as are rendered
necessary by the shape of the particular article to be made.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
10
.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Tumblers, Finger Glasses,
"
Wine Glasses, and other Glass Vessels.
I HENRY WILLETTS of Netherton near Dudley in the County of Worcester,
Agent do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF TUMBLERS, FINGER GLASSES, WINE GLASSES AND OTHER GLASS
VESSELS a communication from abroad by Jesse Willetts of Mount Washington,
Pittsburg P.A. United States of America, Manager in Glass Works, and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
The said invention consists in manufacturing tumblers, finger glasses, wine
glasses, bottles and other glass vessels by the method or combination of processes
hereinafter described, whereby the said articles are produced economically and
with a perfection or finish unattainable by the ordinary method of manufacture.
I will describe the said invention in connection with the manufacture of a
tumbler. A mould is made preferably of iron the said mould having internally
the figure of the exterior of the tumbler to be made. The mould I employ is of
the kind commonly employed in the manufacture of articles of glass and consists
of two parts hinged together and furnished with handles by which it can be held
in its closed position while an article is being blown in it as is well understood.
The mould is lined with carbon or carbonaceous matter. This may conveniently
be effected by attaching to the interior of the mould fine sawdust or starch bý
means of gum water or other adhesive material.
The adhesive matter which I have found to answer well in practice and which
I prefer to employ, is made by adding white wax to boiled linseed oil in the
proportion of half an ounce of wax to a pint of oil. The mixture of oil and wax
is heated until the oil is reduced to about half its original quantity. About forty
.
3

page_text: hours heating is required to effect this. Where heavy articles are to be made and
the mould is consequently larger and heavier I prefer to employ an adhesive
mixture similar to that above described but with the addition of two ounces, of
red lead and one, quarter of an ounce of plaster of Paris to each pint of oil. This
mixture is heated until reduced to one half of its original volume. The adhesive
mixture may be applied to the inside of the mould by a brush. The carbonaceous
matter I prefer to employ is fine sawdust preferably of beech, pear or apple tree.
The sawdust should be very fine and the required fineness is secured by passing it
through a fine sieve.
The sawdust is applied to the interior of the mould coated with the adhesive
material by pouring a quantity of the said saw dust into the mould and turning
the mould about so as to bring the sawdust into contact with every part of its
interior when the requisite quantity adheres and the excess is emptied from the
mould. The mould is then dried by heating in a fire or stove until the carbonization
of the sawdust is in part effected as indicated by the sawdust turning brown. The
carbonization of the sawdust is completed by blowing several tumblers (say six) in
the mould. These tumblers are thrown aside as wasters. After the treatment last
described the mould is ready to be used for manufacturing tumblers but before any
article is blown in the mould and each time it is used it is dipped in water to
moisten the carbonaceous lining prior to the blowing of the vessel in it. There is
thereby produced a film of steam between the glass and the lining which steam
preserves the brilliancy of the surface of the glass by preventing its actual contact
with the lining.
The lining of the mould requires renewal from time to time. When the mould
is used at the ordinary rate of manufacture the lining lasts from eighteen to
twentyfour hours, or for an amount of work called in the language of the glass
manufacture three or four "turns."
In using the mould, the workman makes in the ordinary way a bottle like vessel
of somewhat smaller diameter than the mould and introducing it into the mould
blows it so as to make its body take the figure of the mould. During the blowing
of the bottle like vessel in the mould the workman keeps the said vessel in a state
of rotation. The bottle thus produced is annealed and cooled in the ordinary way.
and fixed in a lathe. The lathe carries an iron chuck lined with cork in which the
bottom part of the bottle is pressed and by which the vessel becomes sufficiently
fixed in the chuck. A rapid rotary motion having been given to the bottle like
vessel, a piece of iron or other hard metallic wire is applied to the part which is
required to be cut off. That is, the said wire is applied a little below the shoulder
of the bottle. This wire may be fixed at one end at the back of the lathe and the
workman taking hold of the other or loose end presses the wire upon the rotating
vessel at the required place. The heat generated by the friction of the wire against
the rotating vessel cracks the glass and the shoulder of the bottle is separated by a
sharp clean cut, leaving a tumbler shaped vessel. Should the shoulder of the vessel
not separate after the lapse of two or three seconds the workman blows upon the
part to which the wire has been applied or spits upon it, when the shoulder
separates and falls. The sharp edge of the tumbler may be removed by grinding
the mouth of the tumbler at a glass cutter's wheel and polishing it by means of a
mixture of fine emery, rotton stone, water or oil applied on a pad to the edge of
the tumbler; or the sharp edge may be rounded and made smooth by passing it
through a blow pipe flame.
The application of the said invention to the manufacture of glass vessels other
than tumblers, such for example as finger glasses, wine glasses, bottles, decanters,
cruets and castors does not differ essentially from its application to the manufacture
of tumblers herein before described, such changes only being made as are rendered
necessary by the shape of the particular article to be made.
Where, as in the manufacture of decanters, cruets, castors and other vessels, the
neck has to be retained I employ moulds of the kind and conduct the moulding
process as, herein described but instead of cutting off the neck and shoulder
1

page_text: I fashion the neck, shoulder and mouth in the ordinary way; or do the requisite
finishing at a glass cutter's wheel.
;
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
I claim as the said Invention of ""Improvements in the manufacture of tumblers,
finger glasses, wine glasses and other glass vessels "
First. Manufacturing the said vessels by blowing them in moulds lined with
carbonaceous matter, the moulds being wetted and the article being blown in the
mould being kept in a state of rotation during the blowing process substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Secondly. Smoothing the sharp edge of the vessel made by cutting off the
upper part of the vessel formed by blowing in a mould as described, by grinding
and polishing the said edge, or by heating the said edge in a blowpipe flame
substantially as hereinbefore described.