WV Glass Trip: Day Five

Tyrannosaurus skeleton 

Friday was a spectacular day, providing us with experiences at Carnegie Museum, Phipps Conservatory, and Hofbrauhaus.  The first stop was Carnegie, and it was real and spectacular.  It promised to be overwhelming, and it definitely delivered; I was unable to see even the entire Natural History Museum.  Of course there were the ubiquitous dinosaur and animal exhibits, and those were great, but the thing that really blew me away was the Roads of Arabia exhibit.  In this exhibit, visitors were able to see objects dating back to as far as 9000 years ago.  It was amazing
to see things that were so old, and yet were in such good shape; better than many things produced only 100 years ago.  The writing on carved stones was still as clear as if it had been written only a few years ago, rugs looked basically new, and even 3000 year old glass and pottery still in tact.  It was a must see.  Next on the docket was the Phipps Conservatory, a destination I enjoyed much more than I could have imagined.  It was very easy to spend hours wandering around the fantastic collection of plants from all over the world, and to top it off they have a great array of Chihuly glass sculptures intermingled
within the flora, which complimented the scenery very well.  Finally, we dined at the much talked about Hofbrauhaus, and it lived up to the hype.  This includes the charming birthday tribute I received, juxtaposed by the not annoying in any way "Chicken Dance."  With all this excitement, it was easy to forget about the underlying purpose of our visit; bringing experiences to students.  I thought it was interesting that we saw glass pieces that were thousands of years old, yet resembled works that we still see today.  The glass not only appeared pretty modern in and of itself in consistency, but also
looked similar in designs.  And to top it off, it was all still very much in tact, a testimony to the timeless nature of glass and ceramics.  My question is what other human produced objects offer that timelessness? Can you think of anything that has not only stood up as well, but are relatively unchanged in design?

WV Glass Trip: Day Four

Adding glass to the mold

This morning started off with a trip to Cambridge, Ohio to the Mosser Glass Company.  Unlike other glass companies we have seen, Mosser specializes exclusively in pressed glass manufacturing techniques.  Pressed glass is similar to blown glass in that both techniques often employ the use of molds, but pressing differs in that instead of being blown, it is pressed into the mold with a hand-operated machine.  After being removed from the press, it is passed to a worker who flame polishes the piece to give it clarity.  Then like any other hot glass, it is

Flame polishing a piece

placed into an annealing oven for three hours, where it is then removed, inspected for imperfections, and packages. Quite surprisingly,  all of the company's molds are either made in West Virginia by Weisen, or obtained from closed factories, including  Products of Mosser include all manner of traditional glassware such as glasses, plates, and bowls, as well as decorative figurines.  Interesting enough, Mosser also performs contract work for other companies in need of glass products pertaining to the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and automotive

West Virginia produced mold and plunger

industries.  Today they were making headlight lenses for classic Fords alongside dark red pitchers.  Much like other companies we have seen, Mosser has partnered with other factories in order to make products that they otherwise would be unable to.  Think of other examples where partnership is used, and thoroughly explain how this partnership is necessary for both parties' survival.

WV Glass Trip: Day Three

Early potter production

Pottery employees in the 1900's

Clay before being cut into blanks

Today started out with disappointing news, but actually turned out to be a very interesting and fulfilling day.  First we went to the Museum of Ceramics in East Liverpool, Ohio.  Here we learned about the history of pottery in the area surrounding East Liverpool, including early potteries, manufacturing techniques, and products.  It was very interesting learning about the teamwork that went into producing ceramics, much like what goes into producing glass.  It was surprising to learn that in many factories, not only was fine china produced, but also necessities such
as bathroom fixtures as well as sewer pipes.
The next stop was the Homer Laughlin China in Newell, West Virginia, which is the largest single producer of china in the world.  Initially we were unable to tour the factory due to the extreme heat, but Lady Luck bestowed us with her good graces, and we were able to take a fantastic tour.  The facility was impressive to say the least; its shear scale was absolutely shocking.  Though there is some degree of mechanization, the factory still relied on human skill heavily.  In fact, it is by far
the largest employer in the area, with over 1000 skilled employees. As we wound our way though the facility (becoming more and more disoriented), everything that goes into making the bowl sitting in front of you at the table became increasingly impressive.  From the massive kilns, jiggers, and robot-assisted automated presses, that piece of dinnerware taken for granted by so many suddenly seems not so simple.

Sorting dinnerware after being fired

Throughout the tour, in addition to explanations of the machines themselves, we also gained insight into the future of ceramic manufacturing.  Though

Worker starting the robotic production line

the most recognizable product of Homer Laughlin is of course the Fiesta line of dinnerware, the real bread and butter is the sale of restaurant and hotel grade ware.  In addition to this, there is much promise in branching out to other products such as spark plugs, electric insulators, ceramic bearings, etc: the sky is really the limit.  This harks back to what we learned at the museum.  Factories then commonly produced everything from fine china to sewer pipes.  Think about this diversity.  Why do you think it might be important for companies to produce things other than dinnerware, even though business is booming, and they are making billions of dollars.  What are other examples of the advantages of diversity in the natural world, and how is this important for survival?

Glass Trip: Day Two

Loading the ladle

Day two kicked of with a very cool, but extremely hot visit to Paul Wissmach in Paden City.  Though we were initially under the understanding that we would not be able to visit the production floor or take pictures, Carl was gracious enough to convince the owner, Mark, to give us an up close and personal experience. What an experience it was.

Pouring the glass onto the press

We were some of the very few people ever to get to be on the production floor, and at 125F and up, it isn't a very hospitable place to be.  Much like any other old glass factory, their was a bank of furnaces   for melting glass.  That is where most similarities ended.
Molten glass was transported in much larger quantities in iron ladles to the main machine.  This was a set of rollers that pressed the hot glass into large sheets, much like making rock candy.

Glass being pressed into a sheet       

From there it was slide horizontally into the annealing oven where it was allowed to cool slowly.  From there, a team removed the glass, cut it into uniform sheets, which were then ready to be packaged to be shipped to all parts of the world.  Overall, a very unique and special experience.

Cutting the final sheet

Much like other factories, Wissmach traces its roots to the turn of the century or even before.  These factories are using the same ingredients, recipes, methods, and even the original tools that were used over one hundred years ago.  How have these factories been able to remain viable for all these years?  In a world of ever changing technology, how have these factories to not only make an unmatched product, and more importantly, how have they been able to successfully turn a profit?  Be thorough in your answer, once again tying in ALL aspects of glass making.  Finally, what obstacles are these companies encountering, and what future problems might they have?  What do you think the future of handmade United States glass is?

Glass Trip: Day One

Day One of the much anticipated West Virginia Glass and Ceramics trip began with a trip to Gabbert Cullet, located in Williamstown, WV.

Sorting bays

Gabbert differs from most of the other stops on the trip in that they do not, nor have they ever produced glass.  Instead, Gabbert specializes in the acquisition, sorting, and resale of cullet.  Cullet is a waste product of glass production created from glass that was broken during production, scraps created from the manufacturing process, or that simply did not pass inspection.  Cullet is put into huge piles at glass factories, then Gabbert picks it up, trucks it to the facility, sorts it, and puts it in huge concrete bays.  Glass makers then purchase the cullet by the pound.  

Sorted Cullet in a bay

Even though it might seem like trash to some, cullet is one of the main ingredients in the production of glass because it can be remelted and formed into a new creation.  This is especially important for small glass makers such as glass artists who do not operate on a large scale.  Cullet is not limited to small glass makers; even large operation such as Blenko use some cullet to "get a batch started."  Other large users are companies that might not need a "pure" glass, such as the makers of the marble used as the agitator in a can of spray paint. Cullet is not just used to make glass, but can be used in its own right for decoration, or can be    ground up into sand for industrial purposes.

Using what you already know about the manufacturing of glass, explain some ways in which cullet can not only be beneficial simply because of its being recycled, but think of the bigger picture, ie all of the things that go into producing glass in the first place.  Do not limit yourself to only financial benefits, but also consider environmental impacts as well.  Be thorough.