
Up: Glassmaking

Reminiscences 93 of 123
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The Venetians had a separate furnace to anneal their glass, supported
by independent fires, as used at the present day.
The place marked D, over the crown of the
furnace, is the door of the annealing oven; but the drawing is so
imperfect that the artist does not show by what flues the smoke escapes,
or in what way the glass was drawn from the annealing oven; for only
the external view of the furnace is given. But it is fair to presume
that the plan was the same as still exists in France, and as adopted by
a French company now working a flint-glass factory in
Williamsburg, near New York, viz.,-- the taker-in,
so called, mounts by steps to door D and places the articles
in iron pans, which are slowly drawn over the furnace, to allow the
glass vessels to cool gradually. The use of this plan is sustained by
writers who described the tools used to carry the glass articles into
the upper oven to cool. In connection with the drawings of the ancient
glass-furnaces, we deem it proper to give a drawing of glass-makers'
tools¹ in use at that period, so that the glass-makers of the
present day may observe with what instruments their noble predecessors
in the art performed their labor.
¹ See drawing No. 3, at end of book.
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