ORDER V.—MAKERS OF BRICKS, POTTERY AND GLASS

Sub-order 2.—Makers of Glass and Glassware

126.—Engravers and Cut Glass Workers

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acid bath worker

fills metal cage with glassware, immerses in acid bath to etch designs, etc., and removes after an immersion of stated time.

acid polisher

immerses glass in hot water to remove grease, and polishes by dipping in acid; washes scum and acid from glass for scrutiny purposes and after final immersion; drains glass and polishes on cloth.

badger, glass badger

as for etcher (electric lamps); cf. sand blaster, brilliant cutter, glass

brilliant cutter

marks pattern on piece of glass of faces to be cut; presses glass against revolving stone wheel and moves it about to cut faces, in making a brilliant.

cut glass worker

general term for all workers engraving, cutting, etching and bevelling glass ware.

cutter (flint glass), glass cutter

an engraver or an intaglio cutter (q.v.); sometimes also does work of marker-out (q.v.).

drop cutter, glass drop cutter, glass lustre cutter ; glass lustre hand (chandeliers)

specialises in cutting drops or lustres for chandeliers, etc.; as for cutter (q.v.); work less skilled.

embosser ; etcher

marks-out design, using brushes, rulers, etc.; cuts limits of design with knife and straight edge and fills-in remainder of surface with embossing black; exposes glass to acid fumes or pours on acid, to etch design; or, coats surface of glass with wax, traces design on wax, thus removing wax and exposing glass as above.

engraver

engraves designs on glass with small copper disc, mounted on special form of lathe; mixes abrasive with oil, etc., and applies, on a pad, to disc; works lathe by power or by foot treadle; holds glass against disc and builds up design by series of scratches, etc.; works usually by eye only, from sketch; sometimes first draws guiding lines on glass; often also does work of intaglio cutter (q.v.), and is also able to do work of engraver, glass measure; engraver, thermometer (q.v.).

engraver, glass measure

an engraver (q.v.) who holds measure containing fluid, handed-on by graduator (322) (q.v.), against revolving copper disc and sq marks fluid level, graduating flask throughout in conjunction with graduator; finally engraves figures and symbols, e.g. , drachms.

engraver, thermometer

places thermometer in ice bath and hot water bath respectively, and, with indian ink, marks freezing and boiling points on thermometer tube; divides space between these points into intervals, either using ink. and straight edge and then engraving graduation lines as for engraver, glass measure, or, etching divisions as for etcher (q.v.).

etcher ; stamper

(i) see embosser;

(ii) chemical ware—thermometers, etc.) coats article with wax; adjusts mechanism of a machine to mark spaces of required width and, if required, each fifth or tenth degree, or other distinguishing mark; places article in position and sets machine in motion, by treadle or switching on power drive, causing needle in machine to cut intervals in wax; then dips in acid as for embosser;

(iii) (electric lamps ) marks maker's name, voltage , and capacity on bulb of lamp, using a stamp and acid.

etching shop girl

places article, coated by waxer (139) (q.v.), in a machine; turns handle causing needle to move in path set by mould and to trace pattern in wax; stops machine and removes article after tracing.

froster

a sand blaster (q.v.) or a sand blast labourer who gives frosted appearance to glass by exposing it to sand-blast, or who completes frosting process by placing glass in an acid fume cupboard; often works alternately at sand blast and fume cupboard.

glass lustre hand (chandeliers)

see drop cutter.

intaglio cutter, intaglio worker

as for engraver, except that intaglio cutter uses stone instead of copper disc ; he works on tablets and large articles instead of small glassware; machine is always power-driven; cuts glass more deeply.

marker-out

prepares glass for engraver or for intaglio cutter (q.v.) by marking out divisions on glass, within which design is to be executed, with mixture of whitening and gum or red lead; works free-hand but with help of divided rings to get even spacing; gives more transparent effect to centre of frosted part of design by rubbing with moistened cork and emery; assists engraver or intaglio cutter by marking outline of design.

obscurer

a sand blaster (q.v.) who frosts glass to make it opaque.

sand blaster

places a stencil over hole in screen with one hand, while he holds glass article against stencil with other hand; by foot treadle, turns-on sand blast thus giving "frosted" appearance to surface not covered by stencil, decorating it, printing maker's name, etc.; or, frosts whole surface of article.

stamper

see etcher (electric lamps).

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From: A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921,
Ministry of Labour, 1927. Digitised by Peter Christian, August, 2016.   This text is in the Public Domain.