The history of Peate’s 62-inch mirror probably would have remained as obscure as that of his others except for the furor which arose over casting the disc. The Erie Conference made no attempt to publicize this project, and both Hodge Manufacturing and Standard Plate Glass accepted Dr. Peate’s contracts as somewhat unusual but hardly newsworthy jobs. But when the glass trade became aware of Standard’s intention to cast this disc, a mighty outcry arose. Instead of encouraging Standard to complete this novel task the _National Glass Budget_, one of the leading trade journals, reviled them as “bumpkins” for attempting something that even the great glassmakers of Europe would not do. It is hard to imagine why the trade journal so strenuously objected to Standard’s attempt. It has been suggested that it derived from the fact that Standard Plate Glass just previous to that time had refused to join in a combination of Pittsburgh companies which had set up a glass trust.[30] Or it is possible that the young industry was afraid that an overly ambitious project doomed to failure might open American glassmaking to European ridicule and so harm the entire American industry. Whatever the reason, the _Budget_ ridiculed Standard Plate Glass, and later Dr. Peate, for the attempt. They argued that it could not be done, but that if it were possible Pittsburgh would be the logical place to try it. Criticism and unfavorable comment came from other sources also, including “university professors from Meadville” (evidently Allegheny College).[31] Nonetheless, Standard Plate Glass started the project. George Howard was in charge of the casting operation. He planned to use the glass from a pot regularly used in the routine manufacture of plate glass. However, certain modifications were introduced in the procedure. The glass was to be poured on the traveling casting table, upon which was placed a circular mold made up of two semicircles of a special charcoal iron obtained from Philadelphia. This iron was not apt to generate bubbles of gas when in contact with the molten glass. The iron mold was hinged at one joint of the semicircles, and the other joint was bolted. After the cast was poured it would be allowed to cool somewhat. When it was judged cool enough, it would be pushed into a kiln to be annealed. After it had remained in the kiln a certain length of time—again based simply on judgement—a quantity of pre-heated sand was to be poured over the mold as insulation. A further innovation was the use of a zinc sheet placed on the underside of the mold to avoid the possibility of trouble from grease on the casting table. This was the initial plan of operation. Sometime early in 1895 the first attempt was made. It was an immediate failure. The zinc sheet, intended to protect the cast from grease, volatilized when the molten glass was poured on it, bubbled up through the glass, and, of course, ruined the cast.