Furnaces for the Making of GLASS. In this manufacture there are three sorts of furnaces; one called calcar is for the frit; the second is for working the glass; the third serves to anneal the glass, and is called the leer. See Plate CCXLVII.
The calcar resembles an oven ten feet long, seven feet broad, and two deep; the fuel, which in Britain is sea coal, is put into a trench on one side of the furnace, and the flame reverberating from the roof upon the frit calcines it. The glass furnace, or working furnace, is round, of three yards diameter, and two high: or thus proportioned. It is divided into three parts, each of which is vaulted. The lower part is properly called the crown, and is made in that form. Its use is to keep a brisk fire, which is never put out. The mouth is called the bocca. There are several holes in the arch of this crown, through which the flame passes into the second vault or partition, and reverberates into the pots filled with the ingredients above mentioned. Round the insides are eight or more pots placed, and piling pots on them. The number of pots is always double that of the boccas or mouths, or of the number of workmen, that each may have one pot refined to work out of, and another for metal to refine in while he works out of the other. Through the working holes the metal is taken out of the pots, and the pots are put into the furnace; and these holes are stopped with moveable covers made of lute and brick, to screen the workmen's eyes from the scorching flames. On each side of the bocca or mouth is a bocarella or little hole, out of which coloured glass or finer metal is taken from the piling pot. Above this oven there is the third oven or leer, above five or six yards long, where the vessels or glass are annealed or cooled: this part consists of a tower, besides the leer, into which the flame ascends from the furnace. The tower has two mouths, through which the glasses are put in with a fork, and set on the floor or bottom: but they are drawn out on iron pans called fraches, through the leer, to cool by degrees; so that they are quite cold by the time they reach the mouth of the leer, which enters the farosel or room where the glasses are to be stowed.
But the green-glass furnace is square; and at each angle it has an arch for annealing or cooling glasses. The metal is wrought on two opposite sides, and on the other two they have their colours, into which are made linnet holes for the fire to come from the furnace to bake the frit, and to discharge the smoke. Fires are made in the arches to anneal the work, so that the whole process is done in one furnace.
These furnaces must not be of brick, but of hard sandy stones. In France, they build the outside of brick; and the inner part, to bear the fire, is made of a
fort
sort of fullers earth, or tobacco-pipe clay, of which earth they also make their melting pots. In Britain the pots are made of Stourbridge clay.
Mr Blancourt observes that the worst and roughest work in this art is the changing the pots when they are worn out or cracked. In this case the great working hole must be uncovered; the faulty pot must be taken out with iron hooks and forks, and a new one must be speedily put in its place, through the flames, by the hands only. For this work, the man guards himself with a garment made of skins, in the shape of a pantaloone, that covers him all but his eyes, and is made as wet as possible; the eyes are defended with a proper sort of glass.
Instruments for Making of GLASS. The instruments made use of in this work may be reduced to these that follow. A blowing pipe, made of iron, about two feet and a half long, with a wooden handle. An iron rod to take up the glass after it is blown, and to cut off the former. Scissors to cut the glass when it comes off from the first hollow iron. Shears to cut and shape great glasses, &c. An iron ladle with the end of the handle cased with wood, to take the metal out of the refining pot, to put it into the workman's pots. A small iron ladle cased in the same manner, to skim the alkaline salt that swims at top. Shovels, one like a peel, to take up the great glasses; another like a fire-thovel, to feed the furnace with coals. A hooked iron fork, to stir the matter in the pots. An iron rake for the same purpose, and to stir the frit. An iron fork, to change or pull the pots out of the furnace, &c.
Compositions for White and Crystal GLASS. 1. To make crystal glass, take of the whitest tartr, pounded small, and scoured as fine as flour, 200 pounds; of the salt of pulverine 130 pounds; mix them together and put them into the furnace called the calcar, first heating it. For an hour keep a moderate fire, and keep stirring the materials with a proper rake, that they may incorporate and calcine together; then increase the fire for five hours; after which take out the matter; which being now sufficiently calcined, is called frit. From the calcar put the frit in a dry place, and cover it up from the dust for three or four months. Now to make the glass or crystal: take of this crystal frit, called also bollito; set it in pots in the furnace, adding to it a due quantity of magnesia or manganese: when the two are fused, cast the fluor into fair water, to clear it of the salt called sandiver; which would otherwise make the crystal obscure and cloudy. This lotion must be repeated again and again, as often as needful, till the crystal be fully purged; or this scum may be taken off by means of proper ladles. Then set it to boil four, five, or six days; which done, see whether it have manganese enough; and if it be yet greenish, add more manganese, at discretion, by little and little at a time, taking care not to overdose it, because the manganese inclines it to a blackish hue. Then let the metal clarify, till it becomes of a clear and shining colour; which done, it is fit to be blown or formed into vessels at pleasure.
2. Flint glass, as it is called by us, is of the same general kind with that which in other places is called crystal glass. It has this name from being originally made with calcined flints, before the use of the white
sand was understood; and retains the name, though no flints are now used in the composition of it. This flint glass differs from the other, in having lead for its flux, and white sand for its body; whereas the fluxes used for the crystal glass are salts or arsenic, and the body consists of calcined flints or white river pebbles, tartr, or such stones. To the white sand and lead a proper proportion of nitre is added, to burn away the phlogiston of the lead, and also a small quantity of magnesia; and in some works they use a proportional quantity of arsenic to aid the fluxing ingredients. The most perfect kind of glass may be made by fusing with a very strong fire 120 pounds of the white sand, 50 pounds of red lead, 40 pounds of the best pearl ashes, 20 pounds of nitre, and five ounces of magnesia. Another composition of flint glass, which is said to come nearer to the kind now made, is the following: 120 pounds of sand, 54 pounds of the best pearl ashes, 36 pounds of red lead, 12 pounds of nitre, and 6 ounces of magnesia. To either of these a pound or two of arsenic may be added, to increase the flux of the composition. A cheaper composition of flint glass may be made with 120 pounds of white sand, 35 pounds of the best pearl ashes, 40 pounds of red lead, 13 pounds of nitre, 6 pounds of arsenic, and four ounces of magnesia; or instead of the arsenic may be substituted 15 pounds of common salt; but this will be more brittle than the other. The cheapest composition for the worst kind of flint glass consists of 120 pounds of white sand, 30 pounds of red lead, 20 pounds of the best pearl ashes, 10 pounds of nitre, 15 pounds of common salt, and six pounds of arsenic. The best German crystal glass is made of 120 pounds of calcined flints or white sand, 70 pounds of the best pearl ashes, 10 pounds of saltpetre, half a pound of arsenic, and five ounces of magnesia. And a cheaper composition is formed of 120 pounds of calcined flints or white sand, 46 pounds of pearl ashes, 7 pounds of nitre, 6 pounds of arsenic, and 5 ounces of magnesia.
A glass much harder than any prepared in the common way, may be made by means of borax in the following method: Take four ounces of borax, and an ounce of fine sand; reduce both to a subtile powder, and melt them together in a large close crucible set in a wind furnace, keeping up a strong fire for half an hour; then take out the crucible, and when cold break it, and there will be found at the bottom a pure hard glass capable of cutting common glass like a diamond. This experiment, duly varied, says Dr Shaw, may lead to several useful improvements in the arts of glass, enamels, and facetious gems, and shows an expeditious method of making glass, without any fixed alkali, which has been generally thought an essential ingredient in glass, and it is not yet known whether calcined crystal or other substances being added to this salt instead of sand, it might not make a glass approaching to the nature of a diamond.
There are three principal kinds of glasses, distinguished by the form or manner of working them; viz. I. Round glass, as those of our vessels, phials, drinking glasses, &c. II. Table or window glass, of which there are divers kinds; viz. crown glass, jealous glass, &c. III. Plate glass, or mirror glass.
1. Working or Blowing Round GLASS. The working furnace, we have observed, is round and has six boccas
Glas. or apertures: at one of these, called the great bocca, the furnace is heated, and the pots of frit are at this set in the furnace; two other small holes, called bocarellas, serve to ladle or take out the melted metal, at the end of an iron, to work the glass. At the other holes they put in pots of fusible ingredients, to be prepared, and at last emptied into the lading pot.
There are six pots in each furnace, all made of tobacco-pipe clay, proper to sustain not only the heat of the fire, but also the effect of the pulverine, which penetrates every thing else. There are only two of these pots that work: the rest serve to prepare the matter for them. The fire of the furnace is made and kept up with dry hard wood, cast in without intermission at fix apertures.
When the matter contained in the two pots is sufficiently vitrified, they proceed to blow or fashion it. For this purpose the workman dips his blowing pipe into the melting pot; and by turning it about, the metal sticks to the iron more firmly than turpentine. This he repeats four times, at each time rolling the end of his instrument, with the hot metal thereon, on a piece of plate iron; over which is a vessel of water which helps to cool, and so to consolidate and to dispose that matter to bind more firmly with what is to be taken next out of the melting pot. But after he has dipped a fourth time, and the workman perceives there is metal enough on the pipe, he claps his mouth immediately to the other end of it, and blows gently through the iron tube, till the metal lengthens like a bladder about a foot. Then he rolls it on a marble stone a little while to polish it; and blows a second time, by which he brings it to the shape of a globe of about 18 or 20 inches diameter. Every time he blows into the pipe, he removes it quickly to his cheek; otherwise he would be in danger, by often blowing, of drawing the flame into his mouth: and this globe may be flattened by returning it to the fire; and brought into any form by stamp irons, which are always ready. When the glass is thus blown, it is cut off at the collet or neck; which is the narrow part that stuck to the iron. The method of performing this is as follows: the pipe is rested on an iron bar, close by the collet; then a drop of cold water being laid on the collet, it will crack about a quarter of an inch, which, with a slight blow or cut of the shears will immediately separate the collet.
After this is done, the operator dips the iron rod into the melting pot, by which he extracts as much metal as serves to attract the glass he has made, to which he now fixes this rod at the bottom of his work, opposite to the opening made by the breaking of the collet. In this position the glass is carried to the great bocca or mouth of the oven, to be heated and scalded; by which means it is again put into such a soft state, that, by the help of an iron instrument, it can be pierced, opened, and widened, without breaking. But the vessel is not finished till it is returned to the great bocca; where being again heated thoroughly, and turned quickly about with a circular motion, it will open to any size, by the means of the heat and motion.
If there remain any superfluities, they are cut off with the shears; for till the glass is cool, it remains in a soft flexible state. It is therefore taken from the bocca,
and carried to an earthen bench, covered with brands, Glas. which are coals extinguished, keeping it turning; because that motion prevents any settling, and preserves an evenness in the face of the glass, where, as it cools, it comes to its consistency; being first cleared from the iron rod by a slight stroke by the hand of the workman.
If the vessel conceived in the workman's mind, and whose body is already made, requires a foot, or a handle, or any other member or decoration, he makes them separately; and now essays to join them with the help of hot metal, which he takes out of the pots with his iron rod: but the glass is not brought to its true hardness till it has passed the leet or annealing oven, described before.