top, provided the
heat is sufficient, many impurities such as bubbles and scum. These
are, of course, skimmed off--a process called plaining. Afterward the
hot material has to be cooled before it can be worked, and reduced
from fluid to a thicker consistency. This we call _standing off_ or
_fining_."

"How long does it take to melt the batch and get it ready to use?"

"About three days. We run a relay of furnaces--three of them--and plan
so that a melt will be ready to be worked every other day; in that way
we keep plenty of usable material on hand."

"And then?"

"Then we are ready to go ahead and blow it. We make nothing but the
better grades of blown glass here; that is, no window glass or cheap
pressed ware. Of course there are some patterns, such as fluted designs
and their like, which cannot be entirely fashioned by the blower;
therefore these are first blown as nearly the required size as possible
and are then made into the desired form by shutting them inside iron
moulds and squeezing them into the proper shape. You shall see it done
later on."

He now led them up to where a gatherer stood at one of the
working-holes of the furnace.

"This man," explained Mr. Wyman, "is collecting on his blow-pipe enough
glass to make a pitcher. He uses his judgment as to the amount
necessary, but so often has he estimated it that he seldom gets either
too much or too little. He will next carry it to the blower, who will
blow it into a long, pear-shaped cylinder the size he wants the pitcher
to be."

They followed, and with much interest watched a great Swede fill his
lungs and blow into the smaller end of the iron pipe with all his
strength; immediately the ball of soft, red-hot glass began to take
form. With incredible speed the blower flattened its base upon a marver
or table topped with sheet iron. A short iron rod or pontil was next
fastened to the middle of the bottom of the pitcher in order that the
blower might hold it, and after this had been done the blow-pipe was
detached. The glass-maker sat in a sort of backless chair which had
long, flat, metal-covered arms at either side, and as he worked he
rolled the rod with its plastic material back and forth along one of
these iron arms to shape it. He then took his shears and, making an
incision at the middle of the back of the jug, he began to cut the top
into the shape he wanted it, depending entirely on his eye for the
outline. Then quick as a flash he seized a