Chemical apparatus; Electroplating; Glass blowing and working; Glass coatings; Glass grinding and polishing; Lampwork; Mirrors
The glass may be heated gradually by placing it on the water bath, or
actually in the water, and gradually bringing the water up to the
boiling-point. The glass, being taken out, is rapidly wiped, and
rubbed with a bit of waste moistened, not wet, with a little
turpentine: its surface is then rubbed with a stick of mastic
previously warmed so as to melt easily. The surface of the chuck
being also warm, and covered with a layer of melted cement, it is
applied to the glass. The lathe is turned slowly by hand, and the
glass pushed gradually into the most central position; it is then
pressed tight against the chuck by the back rest, a bit of wood being
interposed for obvious reasons.
When all is cold the turning may be proceeded with. The quickest way
is to use the method already described (i.e. actual turning by a file
tool); but if the student prefers (time being no object), he may
accomplish the reduction to a circular form very easily by grinding.
Fig. 45.
Fig. 46.
For this purpose he will require to make the following arrangements
(Fig. 45). If the lathe has a slide rest, a piece of stout iron may
be bent and cut so as to fit the tool rest, and project beneath the
glass. The iron must be fairly rigid, for if it springs appreciably
beneath the pressure of the glass, it will not grind the latter really
round. The lathe may run rather faster than for turning cast iron of
the same size. Coarse emery, passing through a sieve of 80 threads to
the inch (run), may be fed in between the glass and iron, and the
latter screwed up till the disc just grinds slightly as it goes round.
A beginner will generally (in this as in all cases of grinding
processes) tend to feed too fast--no grinding process can be hurried.
If a slide rest is not available, a hinged board, carrying a bit of
iron, may (see Fig. 45) be arranged so as to turn about its hinge at
the back of the lathe; and it may be screwed up readily enough by
passing a long set-screw through the front edge, so that the point of
the screw bears upon the lathe bed. I may add that emery behaves as
if it were greasy, and it is difficult to wet it with clean water.
This is easily got over by adding a little soap or alcohol to the
water, or exercising a little patience.
A good supply of emery and water should be kept between the disc and
the iron; a little putty may be arranged round the point of contact
on the iron to form a temporary trough. In any case the resulting
emery mud should on no account be thrown away, but should be carefully
kept for further use. The process is complete when the glass is
perfectly round and of the required diameter as tested by callipers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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