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Author Topic: Apsley Pellatt, the Falcon Glass Works, London  (Read 12427 times)

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Offline David E

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Re: Apsley Pellatt, the Falcon Glass Works, London
« Reply #30 on: February 07, 2010, 10:25:02 PM »
With regard to frit and the terminology (mentioned earlier in this topic), I had a reply from Ray Drury:

Quote
Yes I mean that 80% was cullet and 20% frit. [I queried the ratio - DE] There was not a lot of frit in evidence in the chutes down to the batch feeder which continuously fed the Rolled Plate furnaces but when it came to other glasses, possibly pot melted the proportion of frit could be almost anything. When we were making coloured rolled plate much more frit was used to get the colour.

So it would seem that both Chance and Pilkington used the term 'frit' to mean the sand mix.
David
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Offline David W

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Re: Apsley Pellatt, the Falcon Glass Works, London
« Reply #31 on: February 19, 2010, 06:39:23 PM »
Adam,
Many thanks for your explanation. I am sure it is not the first time that practice has not behaved according to theory. I was moved to look up another glassmaker , Harry J. Powell,  Glassmaking in England. He, page 13, quotes another ancient , Theophilus (c. 1140), as follows:-
“A mixture of the extracted alkali with sand and a small proportion of lime was heated in the calcar (a type of reverberatory furnace) until partly fused. When cool the fused mass, called “frit”, was broken into fragments and shovelled into crucibles standing in the melting furnace. In the crucibles the frit melted, became fluid and threw to the surface a scum of impurities. After the scum had been removed by skimming the remaining glass was ladled into pans of water. The water was drained off and the glass, when dry, was replaced in the crucible for final melting.”

Unfortunately,  according to this translation, Theophilus does not explain the workings of the fritting process although it becomes clear that the batch ingredients leave much to be desired.  I don’t suppose that you were troubled with scum, ladling into water etc.

It is always dangerous to try looking up the original text and when I turn to the translation of Theophilus by Hawthorne & Smith (Dover Books, 1979) I read :-
Chapter 4. The Mixture of Ashes and Sand.
“When you have arranged all this (i.e. built the furnace), take beechwood logs completely dried out in smoke, and light large fires in both sides of the bigger furnace. Then take two parts of the ashes of which we have spoken before, and a third part of sand collected out of water, and carefully cleaned of earth and stones. Mix them in a clean place, and when they have been long and well mixed together lift them up with the long handled iron ladle and put them on the upper hearth in the smaller section of the furnace so that they may be fritted. When they begin to get hot, stir at once with the same ladle to prevent them from melting from the heat of the fire and agglomerating. Continue doing this for a night and a day.”

That’s it. There is no account of what to do next as the Powell version suggests. And there is no mention of frothing.
How one equates these two quite different accounts is a problem. It has been suggested that Theophilus got his account from an even earlier one by Binguccio. Perhaps Powell was quoting the wrong author!
What is annoying though, is that although Powell explains all this historical stuff he does not say what they actually did at the Whitefriars works.

There is no need to reply that you did none of the above.

Offline David W

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Re: Apsley Pellatt, the Falcon Glass Works, London
« Reply #32 on: February 26, 2010, 05:55:31 PM »
Adam, Re the term "frit"

I have just by chance come across a published Royal Institution lecture of December 8, 1933 by a Major R.M. Weeks, a director of Pilkington Bros.
In this lecture entitled "The Making of a Sheet of Glass" he first describes the batch components in some detail; he then says " Having mixed the raw materials, or frit as it is called, the next step is to melt it...."
So this fully supports the accuracy of your definition. Incidentally, there is no mention of any frothing, either when filling a pot by hand or mechanically for a tank furnace.

I also tried the GMB search facility for the word "frit" and was rewarded with a long list, some with a somewhat muddled understanding of the meaning of the word, such as picking up fragments of broken glass on the marver with a hot paraison. So it does seem that this is a word that needs to be defined for the context in which it is used.

One contribution that I had not previously noticed is that Pellatt records that he fritted (baked) his batch before use. Another suggested that the composition of fritted batch was not changed by the subsequent melting. I think this might on occasions be true but on most occasions some further change must have occurred as part of the founding process if the fritting, which should fall short of actual melting, was properly carried out.

Offline flying free

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Re: Apsley Pellatt, the Falcon Glass Works, London
« Reply #33 on: January 26, 2017, 09:38:21 PM »
Picture here of the Falcon Glassworks in 1827
http://alondoninheritance.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Founders-10.jpg

and link to the article
http://alondoninheritance.com/tag/falcon-glass-works/

and quote from the article

'The Falcon name has other associations with the area.

Between the end of Holland / Hopton Streets and the Hopton Almshouses was the Falcon Glass Works. Built in the late 18th century by the firm of Pellatt & Green, partly on the site of a Millpond (the millpond can be seen on John Rocque’s map above. Look slightly below the red dot and to the left and a small shaded area adjacent to the road is the original millpond. The curve of the current road still maintains the outline of the millpond)

Writing of the Glass Works in 1843 in his History of Surrey, Brayley states that “Their present importance and excellence are mainly due to the taste and exertions of the present proprietor and the employment of skilful hands on materials that science and experience approve. By these means the most elegant productions of the Continent are advantageously rivalled, and in some respects surpassed”.

Falcon Glass Works as they appeared in 1827: see picture linked above

As can be seen, they were located at the point where Hopton / Holland Streets loop round, back to Southwark Street and Sumner Street. The same location now with the curve of the road (due to the original millpond) still very obvious:'


and an engraving of the interior in 1842 here
http://glassian.org/Making/falcon_glass_houset.jpg

http://glassian.org/Making/falcon_glass_house.html

m

Offline David E

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Re: Apsley Pellatt, the Falcon Glass Works, London
« Reply #34 on: January 26, 2017, 10:42:20 PM »
Thanks for that, M, but sadly I have to report that David C Watts, author of The History of Glassmaking in London, died December 2015. I have placed the notice here.

LINK: http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,64260.0.html
LINK: http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,64261.0.html

MODS: Remove whichever is inappropriate.

It is ironic that I only learned about this today, and you posted this topic soon after.

David
► Chance Additions ◄
The 2nd volume of the domestic glassware of Chance Brothers
Contact ► Cortex Design ◄ to order any book

Offline flying free

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Re: Apsley Pellatt, the Falcon Glass Works, London
« Reply #35 on: January 26, 2017, 10:53:45 PM »
oh my ... I've been looking at the site all evening - a great site, which I've used often and read extensively.
I'm very sorry to hear that.

m

Offline Anne

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Re: Apsley Pellatt, the Falcon Glass Works, London
« Reply #36 on: January 27, 2017, 12:38:25 AM »
David, thank you. I've removed the Cafe one and left the other in News, along with our other obits/notices.
Cheers! Anne, da tekniqual wizzerd
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Offline flying free

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Re: Apsley Pellatt, the Falcon Glass Works, London
« Reply #37 on: October 29, 2017, 11:54:57 AM »
an 1850 engraving of the inside of the Falcon Glass House, Holland Street, Blackfriars.

https://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co66217/falcon-glass-house-holland-street-blackfriars-print

Offline flying free

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Re: Apsley Pellatt, the Falcon Glass Works, London
« Reply #38 on: October 10, 2020, 11:18:29 PM »
Pottery and Glass Trades Journal April 1878:

Report as author was writing, of a fire burning Pellatt Glassworks, St Brides Street, to the ground.  Page 151.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hyUGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA150&dq=james+powell+topaz+glass&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhgvbxkavsAhUpVBUIHTL_BL84ChDoATADegQIAxAC#v=snippet&q=Pellatt%20and%20Co&f=false

 

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