Chapter II: Preface

This book consists of a reprint of the third edition of my Methods of Glass-blowing, together with a new chapter in which I have described the comparatively new art of working vitreous silica.

The individual operations of glass-blowing are much less difficult than is usually supposed, and considerable success in the performance of most of them may be attained by any one who is endowed with average powers of manipulation and who is moderately persistent. Constructing finished apparatus is often more difficult, as it may involve the performance of several operations under disadvantageous conditions, and may demand a little ingenuity on the part of the operator. But I think the suggestions in Chapter IV. will make this comparatively easy also to those who have mastered the operations described in Chapter III.

The working of vitreous silica, though more tedious and expensive than glass-blowing, is not really more difficult, and as it seems certain that this new material will soon play a useful part in chemical and physical research, I believe the addition now made to the earlier book will add considerably to its value.

As glass is much less expensive to work with than silica, the beginner will find it best to spend a few days working with the common gas blow-pipe and glass before he attempts to manipulate the new and more refractory material. Therefore, in writing the new chapter, I have assumed that the reader is already more or less familiar with the rest of the book, and have given only such instructions and advice as will be required by one who is already able to carry out simple work at the blow-pipe.

W. A. SHENSTONE.

CLIFTON COLLEGE,
_Dec. 1901_.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

GLASS-BLOWER'S APPARATUS.
PAGE

Introductory--The Working-place--The Blow-pipe--The
Bellows--Automatic Blower--Blow-pipe Flames, 1-11

CHAPTER II.

VARIETIES OF GLASS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.

Characters of good Glass--Cleaning and Preparing a
Tube--Presenting Glass to the Flame--Methods of working with
Lead and Soft Soda Glass respectively--Management of Soda
Glass--Annealing--The Use of Combustion Tube, 12-25

CHAPTER III.

CUTTING AND BENDING GLASS--FORMING GLASS APPARATUS BEFORE
THE BLOW-PIPE--MAKING AND GRINDING STOPPERS TO APPARATUS,
ETC.

Cutting Glass Tubes--Bending Glass Tubes--Rounding and
Bordering the Ends of Tubes--Sealing--Choking, or
Contracting the Bore of a Glass Tube--Widening
Tubes--Piercing Tubes--Uniting Pieces of Glass to Each
Other, Known as Welding, or Soldering--Blowing a Bulb or
Globe of Glass--Making and Grinding Stoppers, 26-54

CHAPTER IV.

MAKING THISTLE FUNNELS, U-TUBES, ETC.--COMBINING THE PARTS
OF COMPLICATED APPARATUS--MERCURY, AND OTHER AIR-TIGHT
JOINTS--VACUUM TAPS--SAFETY TAPS--AIR-TRAPS.

Electrodes--U-Tubes--Spiral Tubes--Thistle Funnels--Closing
Tubes containing Chemicals--Construction of Apparatus
Consisting of Several Parts--Modes of Combining the Parts of
Heavy Apparatus--Mercury Joints--Vacuum Taps--Lubricating
Taps--Air-Traps, 55-69

CHAPTER V.

GRADUATING AND CALIBRATING GLASS APPARATUS.

To Graduate Tubes, etc.--To Divide a Given Line into Equal
Parts--To Calibrate Apparatus--To Calibrate Tubes for
Measuring Gases--To Calibrate the Tube of a Thermometer, 70-81

CHAPTER VI.

GLASS TUBING.

Diagrams of Glass Tubes, showing the chief sizes in which
they are made, 82-83

CHAPTER VII.

VITREOUS SILICA

Introductory--Properties of Vitreous Silica--Preparing
non-splintering Silica from Brazil Pebble--Apparatus--The
Method of Making Silica Tubes--Precautions--Making Larger
Tubes and other Apparatus of Silica--Quartz Fibres, 84-95

INDEX, 97