Up: Glassmaking
Flat Glass: 30 of 66
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the production of sheet glass by this method. The cylinder
is laid on a light iron carriage and carefully introduced
into the heated interior of the flattening oven and when
sufficiently heated it is lifted from the carriage by long
iron tools and placed on the flattening stone, a large fire
clay slab with a well-polished surface. The split cylinder
gradually softens and by means of other tools is spread out
upon the stone and then ironed or flattened by rubbing with
a block of wood mounted on a long iron handle.
The "flattening table" containing
the stone is revolved and the stone then moved into a
cooler chamber, another stone being moved into the hot
flattening oven ready to receive another cylinder and the
process repeated. The flattened sheet is now picked up
by a long-handled fork and placed in the hot end of the
annealing oven or lehr, through which it gradually passes,
during the annealing process, towards the cool end. The
sheets are then
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