Topic: Red Thumb bowl with optic windows

[Retro Mojo UK]

Hi Sue,

This is why it interested me, it's a good weight and feel and a bit of work has gone into it. It's most definitely not for a tea light though. It's quite thick walled and well cut lenses and a clean, smooth rim. The fact it's got a pontil polished out must mean that someone hand worked it?

Cheers

[Paul S.]

despite my limited knowledge of processes, I am aware that ground/polished pontil depressions can appear on both pressed and blown glass - although at a guess I suppose this feature appears more commonly on blown glass.          I had assumed from Sue's comments that it was being implied this item had been blown (marvered whilst on the end of the the blow-pipe etc.) - I really don't know - but just thought it didn't look like a piece of blown glass - too thick maybe.         I'm sure I know less than Sue about glass production.
The end use of some pieces of glass can be surprising - see the attached pic..........I now know what this small clear piece (it's about 2.5" - 65mm tall) was intended for, but see how many of you can also guess it's purpose, although again I don't know whether it was pressed or blown.   It does have a ground/polished potil depression  -  think I'd have needed a lot of guesses before getting to the correct answer - maybe not though if I were a mason

[chopin-liszt]

Polishing the lenses would have been hand done, I'm sure, but the pontil mark (also hand worked) has only been roughly ground. A good quality thing is far more likely to have had the pontil mark properly polished all shiney bright. (I'm glad I only had to type that. I'd have trouble saying it!)
(Getting away from my areas of comfort again - I like studio glass - hot worked stuff. I'm not nearly so much into any sort of cold working on glass.)

Paul, your thing looks like a tiny tumbler.
I would not even wish to hazard a guess about what masons might do with anything.   
My geography teacher told us all about the picture of a huge triangular eye she was scared of in a toilet.
It had the words; "God thou see-est always." written underneath. Why "God" would wish to watch somebody in the loo is beyond me. I'm sure that was something masonic!

[Paul S.]

I'm not playing this game any more  -  no one ever seems to have trouble in id ing my pieces.       I'm told by a mason (those with rolled up trouser legs - not users of cold chisels) that it's a firing glass from the first third of the C20 - from a Worcestershire lodge.    I had thought you might have stood pencils in it.

[chopin-liszt]

That would seem logical Paul, given the illustration on it - dividers and a set square. Pencil case stuff.
I told you you can't trust those peculiar men in pinnies.