How Glass Paper Weights Are Made

Lvery ono knowa these paper weightï of solid culorlesg glass ia a hcinispheri-" cal tt'uape, in the centro cf Wuich arff Loijucts, portraits, and even watches 3nd barometorg, etc, but few pel sous know why or by wliat nieans these tliings are' iucarcerated iu tbo oen (re of the glass. Tlio first tbing to be lcne is to sort and arrango a ccrtain quautity of smU glass tubes of different eolors in the earities of a thiok naolten diso, diposiag them scsortiiiig to the object to be rep' resented. Thia done, the tubes are iuolosed bctweeu two lajera of glass ; to do ihia thcy begin by placiog on one( sido of the diso Whioh contaiüs the tube a layer of crystnl, to whieh the tube soon become attached. When tbis irf donu Ihe disc is remoícd and a Becond layer ofcrysïal is placed on the opposits sida. Tho ülject being placed in th center, betwee'i these two layers of glastf tbus soldered together, it beeemes nee' casiiry to give the ball ts hemispherioal forin, which ia done, wlien tho crystal is agaiu heated by raeans of a concave spatula of Rioistcned woud. It then only remains to anneal it and to polish it on ihe wheol. ïhat a g'ass ornament, beiug covered wiih a layer of hot glass, shouid reccive no injury chanfo of color, may bü eafily understood fronv iis extremc'.y refractory nature ; but it is not the sama with objeets iu metal, siifih as watches, barometers, etc , whicb a far less deree of heat would oxidize or even entirely destroy. The mode of manufacture, therefore, of these latter objecta is quiic diffcreat from that of the firsf. It is easy to prove this. If we look at a paper weight, provided the interior be oí glass, the upper and under part of the recipiënt will be also of lasp. If we now examine a paper weight coutaiiiiDg a watch or barometer, under the lower part of the ball will bo found a piece of green cloth, tho use oí whiub is to keep in place tho objeets whieh, insload of ou!j' formicg on budy with the covering of glass whicb surrouuds thein, are only placed iu a cavity made beforehand in the centro of the halfspaurioal ball. Ia a word, t take out the glass ornamente it would ber necessary to break the paper weight, whilst to take out the others it wuuld suffice to tako off tho cloth. As for the' paper weigbts in wliich are placed portraits usually of a yellowish colcr, tbesa profiles are made of retmetory cartl, aDd may thue bear well u heat vrhieb only softun8 glus, LIanufactured süoeessively at Venice, uuder the name of milliilori, and tü en iu Bohemia, these paper weights bave Leen carried to per tection ouly by Freuch artists. The sote difficultT in their manufacturo is is avoidiug internal a;r bubbles, whiob wol) tho more deform the object, a any defect would be much inoro increasod hy tho thiekuees of the glass. - Th Wonder of Glau Making.