Glass Quiz

Use the images below to answer the questions

Image A



1. What is the substance shown in Image A  known as, and how is it useful in the glass making process?

 



Mossier Glass from Wendy Chapman on Vimeo.



2. In the video above is the glass making process shown classified as blown glass, pressed glass, or sheet glass?





Image B

            

 



3. In image B we see a man working with glass on a small scale making glass beads using a blow torch.  What is this

type of glass making called?




Image C





 

 4. What is the substance shown in Image C know as and how is it applied in the glass making process?








Image D

5. In Image D what is the name give to the type of worker being shown?

This worker will obtain the molten glass from the what piece of equipment that is shown in this image?

 

 



Comparing Glass Making in America and England

The following material is taken from an informational packet published by a glassmaking factory in England.  Read through the material below,  look at pictures of the equipment used  here, and compare it to the process in America that you may have observed or heard about via videos, written descriptions, blog notes, or class discussion of glass making in our local factories. 

The main raw materials for glass making are Silica, Sand, Soda, Limestone and Potash. Arsenic used to be added to this mixture however it is no longer used.   As the largest component is sand it is vital that the very best is used. The sand is dried, sieved and weighed and the other chemicals are then added to make-up what is known as the ‘BATCH’.

Up to five percent crushed glass called ‘Cullet’ can be added to the batch to prevent what is known as ‘Cording’ this is the name given to the striation or rope like imperfection in the finished product, this can also be caused if the temperature in the furnace fluctuates and is not regulated properly. The batch today unlike years ago is mixed by machines and not by hand, is then sent to us as in 25kg bags The batch is placed and melted at a temperature of 1300 degrees. This process is normally done during the night. When melting is completed the temperature is reduced in the day to that of 1100 degrees. The furnace is known as a pot furnace, which is heated by natural gas, inside is a stone crucible which holds approximately 150 kg of molten glass. The crucible in the furnace has a life expectancy of approximately 1 year. Lets take a moment to talk about glass blowing and ornament making. An iron is dipped into the molten glass and a quantity is gathered at the end of the pipe by rotating it just like gathering treacle onto a spoon. This piece of collected glass is known as the gather. The tools that are used in the glass making process are, blowing irons, which are hollow stainless tubs, gathering irons, shears, Secateurs, wooden block, tongs and Wet newspaper these tools have remained unchanged for several hundred years. Then the glass is allowed to cool to about 1000 degrees and is rolled onto an iron slab, this process is known as marvering. This forms a parison, which can then be blown or manipulated into animals, glasses, paperweights and many more objects. Colour used in glass making when used chipped gives a translucent colour and powdered gives a solid dense colour. There are many colours available, and chemicals are used to make up these colours, such as Cerium for Yellow, Selenium for Red, Copper Oxide for Green and Potassium Pemanganate for Purple. These colours can be added at many stages during the process, however, great care must be taken not to contaminate the batch when going back for more gathers and this is why cool air is blown onto the glass. The Glory hole is heated by natural gas at a temperature of 1150 degrees, this can be used once or several times during the production process to soften the glass and remove shear marks created on the object, if this process is used for to long it could also loose the form of the object. You will see the glassmaker rotating the gather constantly this is keep the shape of the object from distorting. When the object is complete it then needs to be annealed this is the process of controlled cooling, the item is placed into a kiln by knocking it from the iron onto a tray containing sand. The temperature of the kiln is 500 degrees and this allows the glass to cool at a slower rate, which reduces stress, brittleness and prevents cracking in the finished object. Once the kiln is switched off and the items are allowed to cool overnight the objects are then removed and sent on to the finishing process this tends to be the first job of the morning. The finishing process is made up of three stages. Firstly milling the bottom on a flat bed revolving steel wheel. Smoothing on a linished belt (linisher). Polished on a cork wheel, using pumice. This process is done entirely by hand. We commonly get asked about our glass processing and the environment, glass is an ideal material for recycling and is good news for the environment however we do not reuse the small amount of waste from our process these cutoffs could contaminate the whole batch. Answer the following questions. 1. Compare and contrast the the two processes in the different counties? 2. What are the ingredients of glass? 3. What is the furnace heated by in the article above? 4. How much molten glass does the furnace hold? 5. What is the temperature of the furnace during the day? How does this compare to numbers you have seen before? Explain. 6. Can you name three different tools used in glass making? 7. Where is the item put to soften the glass and reshape? 8. Where is the item put for annealing, the process to avoid cracking? 9. Explain what gather is. 10. Describe how color is put into the glass.

Christmas in July!!!!

Christmas came early for a tired bunch of Cabell County teachers today as they made one last attempt to find out as much as they could about the manufacturing of glass and bring it back to their classrooms. The teachers visited the Pittsburgh Glass Center and made blown glass Christmas ornaments. 

Christmas Ornaments from Wendy Chapman on Vimeo.

The Pittsburgh Glass Center was unlike many of the glass making facilities that we have visited in that it was in a busy section of town in a two story building.  The glass center was composed of 4 separate glass working studios.  The "hot shop" where glass is blown was located on the second floor of the building.  The "flame studio" where torches are used to create smaller glass pieces like beads and marbles is used by those interested in being "lamp workers".  The "warm shop" involved the making of stained glass objects while the "cold shop" was where glass engraving and/or the finishing of a piece by grinding and polishing was done.  Classes were offered in all of the studios at many different levels of difficulty.

The Glass Center was like the other facilities that we visited in that it was filled with talented artisans who were passionate about their craft and eager to share their creations, their skills, and their joy in doing their work.

The Pittsburgh Glass Center has been open for 13 years and has managed to turn tradition on its ear and not rely on glass production for its business profit but on creating opportunities for others to learn how to work glass.  This unique approach seems to be very successful for the company. 

One of the tools that the company is using to promote itself to the masses is t-shirts.  I bought one myself when I was there and absolutely love the design which shows sketches of glass tools and describes their uses in the glass making process.  Your assignment is to come up with a t-shirt design that would promote Blenko Glass. Some things to consider may be
1. Who will buy the shirt? How can you appeal to the most people?
2. How will it portray Blenko?
3. How will color play a role in your shirt design?
4. What have we learned in class that can be conveyed in the shirt?
You will be asked to present your t-shirt idea to the class. 

Glass in the Garden

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, a great steel and glass Victorian greenhouse, has been inviting visitors to explore the beauty and mysteries of plants since 1893. Set amidst one of Pittsburgh's largest greenspaces, Schenley Park, Phipps Conservatory stands as a cultural and architectural centerpiece of the city of Pittsburgh.

In recent decades, Phipps has evolved into one of the region's most vibrant, thriving cultural attractions, bringing fresh perspectives and artists into our historic glasshouse environment. Phipps has also become a strong advocate for advanced green-building practices, sustainable gardening and a new environmental awareness.

During a recent visit to the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the Glass and Ceramics class of Cabell County, WV were able to explore the works of several glass artists including Dale Chihuly in this setting of fantastic flora.  Watch the video below to see some of the images that stood out to one of the visiting teachers and answer the questions that follow.

Phipps Conservatory from Wendy Chapman on Vimeo.


1. Would the glass pieces be more pleasing to the eye in a traditional museum setting or do you feel that the combination of the glass and the plants worked well?  Why or why not?

2. Were you able to pick out all of the glass works easily?

3.  Do you have any sense of what inspired the glass artists to create the pieces shown?

4. Watching the video do you have any favorites or standouts amongst the pieces shown?

Proceed to a website of  possible Chihuly art projects.  Which of the projects looks the most interesting to you?  What materials would be needed for this project?  Have you seen any of Chihuly's work that may have inspired these crafts?

The Glass Menagerie

Over the period of a week, I have seen the glass making process of some of  the remaining glass factories in WV  and Ohio.  I have filmed segments of these processes at the glass blowing factory of  Blenko Glass in Milton, WV,  at the sheet glass factory Paul Wissbach in Paden City, WV, and at the pressed glass factory of Mosser Glass in Cambridge, Ohio.  The segments that I am showing you in the videos below would have been repeated multiples times through out the work day and show processes that were designed to produce the same product every time .  As you watch the videos, compare the processes of each factory and answer these questions.

1. How are these processes from the three different companies alike? How are they different?

2. Why do you think this process has developed in this manner over the many years that each company has been creating glass in their three unique ways.

3.  Do you think this process could be used or is used in the formation of any other products with which you may be familiar?  Explain your answer.

4. Who was Henry Ford and how might he be related to this line of questioning?



Blown Away By Blenko from Wendy Chapman on Vimeo.


Paul Wissbach Glass from Wendy Chapman on Vimeo.


Mossier Glass from Wendy Chapman on Vimeo.

After we discuss your answers the the questions above we will do an activity that will help us to better appreciate the processes that we are observing in the glass manufacturing videos. Please read over the instructions to familiarize yourself with the tasks you may be asked to perform.

Lesson Plan: Students will be split into 4 equally sized groups.  Two groups will be assembly lines, two groups will be individual workers. 

 

Each assembly line will do the following:

1.  Assign a specific task to each worker in each assembly line so that the final product can be made.  A suggestion of how the tasks can be broken down for an assembly line of 8 people is as follows: First two people count out 5 sheets of paper each (one counts out colored paper and the other counts out plain paper), the third arranges the stack of papers to be alternating in color (plain, colored, plain, colored… etc.), the fourth lines up papers into a nice stack, fifth measures out 1 meter long ribbon, sixth ties ribbon around stack of paper with knot, seventh ties nice bow using the extra ribbon, eighth person takes stack and arranges it on table and keeps count of how many stacks have been made.

2.   The tasks can be distributed among more or fewer individuals depending on how many people are in each assembly line.

3.   Each assembly line will line up with the proper materials at the correct positions on the assembly line.

4.   When the individual workers are ready also, the teacher will tell everyone to begin.

The Dish on Homer Laughlin's Fiesta

The Glass and Ceramics class was privileged to explore the Homer Laughlin China Company today and witnessed some of the practices that has made this WV company a household name.  Watch the video below and note the formidable history that allowed the formation of a product that captured the attention and devotion of generations of people as they set their tables with this famous dinnerware.

The foresight of its leaders have allowed this company to continue to grow as they expanded their china production into the commercial restaurant arena.  Many restaurants that we all frequent such as Steak and Shake, Applebees, PF Changs, and many others use Homer Laughlin dinnerware.  So when life is good and people are eating out chances are that they are eating off of plates made here in WV. However when the economy dictates that people can't afford to eat out as often and they must entertain themselves and others at home, then people look to home improvement to make their home time a more pleasurable experience.  Not able to afford a costly kitchen remodel some folks would opt to replace their dinnerware to create a new atmosphere.  Its a win-win for Homer Laughlin.

Your first assignment is to survey 20 people with the following questions? We will discuss results in class.
1. Have you ever heard of Homer Laughlin?
2. Have you ever heard of Fiesta dinnerware?
3. Do you own any Fiesta dinnerware?
4. Have you ever known anyone who owns or has owned any Fiesta dinnerware?
5. Where could you buy Fiesta dinnerware locally?

Your second assignment is long term. The next time that you are eating out with your family; check the bottom of your plate to see if the name Homer Laughlin is there indicating that you are eating off of WV made china. A chart will be posted and we will add restaurants as they are discovered.

Recycling Glass

Gabbert Industries is a factory that collects cullet which is scrap glass that will later be used in the manufacturing of new glass.  Below you see several pictures of the piles of cullet that accumulate at the factory.  The glass must be picked up and sorted based on size and or color and then it is resold to glass manufacturers to be used to make more glass. 

Gabbert Cullet

Gabbert Cullet

 

Gabbert collects cullet from many of the local manufacturers of glass including Fenton and Blenko glass.  In turn other companies like Marble King may buy the cullet from Gabbert for use in their own glass products. 

Blenko Cullet

 

Marble King Cullet

Marble King Marbles

This continuous recycling of glass is very important to the environment for a variety of reasons.  Please go the following website to watch two videos that will help develop your understanding of how recycling of glass is very important to our environment.

http://www.captaincullet.com/recycling_animations.html

After watching the animations design a poster on a clean sheet of white copy paper incorporating Captain Cullet and/or Little Gob that could be used to persuade the general public that recycling glass is an important consideration in our effort to protect the earth.  Your poster should clearly support some of the reasons that Captain Cullet and Little Gob present in the videos.