Topic: Pyrex???

[Adam]

Heidi - No, sorry I forgot to mention that Pyrosil was white opal colour, made by Corning  in USA but finished ""ceramed" in Holland.  However, Corning had many products and I vaguely remember an amber coloured range. 

Incidentally, Corning had a range (I don't know to what extent it was marketed in the States: it wasn't over here) whose name I have forgotten, of tableware.  It looked like fine china, although undecorated.  Its feature was that it was immensely strong.  It was guaranteed against breakage from any cause, including dropping, so it must have been sold somewhere.  We had a few samples and I showed it during a talk to a Rotary club.  To prove its strength I threw a saucer across the room and of course it shattered!

Adam D.

[sonjajoyce]

Hi
Thanks everyone - my Uncle (as far as I can remember), was working at the galss place in the 50's till about the mis 80's.  These 'Passion Sperals' were never made for selling just apprentice pieces as I mentioned - they were also known as 'Spiral Glass' and were conductive by heat.  Therefore, if you held the glass spiral the coloured liquid would rise up the spiral and bubble at the top - this being the reason it was called a passion spiral as if the liquid bubbled at the top it was said you were 'passionate'.  It was all a bit of fun but I have so many fond memories of these, that is why I am looking for one.  The glass looked like lots of descending size glass balls on top of each other with a coloured liquid in it.

[Heidimin]

Just discovered another book on British Pyrex: Pyrex: 60 Years of Design (ISBN: 0905974093), Tyne & Wear County Museums, 1983. As well as photos of pieces and adverts, includes texts on history, design and technical aspects of production. Several copies available from Abe Books UK (but one fewer than there were five minutes ago ).

Done a bit more research on the amber saucepan. Marked as Corning Pyrex Vision Ware. And now being produced in a rather attractive cranberry colour. But I still like my Flameware better...

[Frank]

Heidi, read Joblings Mixed Batch 1958, in the Glass-Study.

[Lustrousstone]

Sounds like your uncle was an apprentice on laboratory glass to me. I also think that I recall 'passion swirl' type items being marketed in the 1960s or 1970s, but obviously not the one made where your uncle worked

[Anne]

Yes Pyrex Vision is the amber pan range. I have quite a few of these ranging from very small milkpan to frying pan and casserole size. Jolly good they are too!

Pyrex also made a nice blue glass range of ovenware, which I seem to recall being reported as having had some problems with shattering on use - again I've several of these and they work fine in oven and microwave but I'd not dare use them on a hob ring.

[KevinH]

Earlier in this message, Frank said:

There is a recipe for Borosilcate in L'Arte Vetraria by Antonio Neri. If anyone has a copy of that, preferably one of the English translations (or both) by Christopher Merrit "The Art of Glass..." (long title) I would like to copy it for the Glass-Study

Well, I now have a copy of Neri's work as published by The Society of Glass Technology, 2006 (I bought it through Amazon.uk at a cost of £25, post free). The book is useful as it contains the Merrett translation with Merrett's own additional text, and is therefore referred to as "Neri/Merrett". It also has some good commentary by the editor, Michael Cable.

Anyway, back to the point about a Borosilicate formula in the book ... I can't see one, and the index (which is very full) does not mention Borosilicate as such. However, most of the text is in original "olde English" as written by Merrett, and it's not always easy to match some things with modern terminology.

So, Frank, what's your source reference? And clues as to what the Borosilicate formula may have been connected with?

[krsilber]

Those passion spirals sound intriguing!

Congratulations on your new book, Kev!  That would be so interesting to refer to, and to browse.

I don't know if this interests anyone, but this page shows several Corning labware glass formulas along with their COEs and many other properties.
http://www.corning.com/Lifesciences/technical_information/techDocs/descglasslabware.asp?region=na&language=en#0215

Corning had a range (I don't know to what extent it was marketed in the States: it wasn't over here) whose name I have forgotten, of tableware.

I believe this is Corningware.  And it is strong!

From Glass The Miracle Maker, Phillips, 1941:  "A little over a century ago Michael Faraday introduced boric oxide into the batch."  FWIW.  Doesn't mean they didn't use boron earlier necessarily, it's not a book that's heavy on ancient history.

[chopin-liszt]

 

I can remember these "Passion meters" being sold in shops such as Studio 1 in Edinburgh, back in the '70s.

I'm decidedly unsure of them being either heat-resistant or unbreakable. :spls:

Vague memories of them breaking and practically destroying some G-Plan furniture, when the solvent caught fire.......