Topic: Duroglass Duroven bowls for Kenwood

[Kenwoodenchef]

As you may guess from my username, I’m into Kenwood! I’m currently researching the glassware for their earliest machines. I know for certain that the 50s and early 60s glass bowls supplied with their mixing machines were made by Duroglass in Walthamstow (part of Webb’s Crystal Co), and that it was part of their Duroven range. This was chemically toughened glass, designed to withstand heat and all kinds of abuse! I even managed to track down one of the glass factory workers who informed me the main gatherer for the Kenwood bowls and liquidisers was called… Ken! (Kenwood was set up by a Ken). What I would like to know is if the same factory made the very earliest glass bowls for Kenwood in 1947-1950. These bowls are very rare (more so than the machines they came with), and are slightly different from their later counterparts. I’ve attached an image of a 1949 bowl (L) next to a 1961 bowl (R - confirmed Webb’s Duroven). As you can see, the older one is almost opalescent. It shines blue and orange with the light. The later one doesn’t, but is of similar thickness.

I found a listing for a lovely set of Duroven dishes on Etsy (search Duroven and they’ll pop up) which show similar iridescent properties in the photos, so it’s possible the same manufacturer was used in the early days and they just changed their mix over time. But I wonder if there are any other possibilities. I know Jobling did their version of Pyrex, but who else is likely? Any input appreciated.

It would have been an English manufacturer, by the way (bowl is marked Made in England).

[Kenwoodenchef]

Just to add, I have asked Kenwood and also the Museum of Science and Tech (who hold some of the Kenwood archive), but neither seems to know.

[chopin-liszt]

Hello and welcome! 
I'm not sure if I can help much, but I can remember using the opalescent bowls with the mixer I used in the early '60s. But my bowl was very large with a flat bottom and upright sides.
The glass in your other bowl looks, in the photograph, more like the Corning heat resistant glass - which is a little bit ceramic and completely opaque. It has a different, more brittle sound when tapped to the opalescent sort, and is a lot thinner - although still heavy.

Another English manufacturer of this sort of glass was Phoenix. They obtained the sand they used from Aline Bay, which is particularly high quality and they were a real threat to Pyrex at one point. Phoenix wares are often horizontally ribbed.
I've found an article about Phoenix.
http://www.blackcountrymemories.uk/phoenix01.htm

[Kenwoodenchef]

There’s no ribbing, but Phoenix could be a possibility. Is Corning not Jobling? I thought they took them over later on?

Kenwood did share Duroglass with Sunbeam for a while for the bowls they produced in the UK. Could your 60s mixer have been a Sunbeam?

[chopin-liszt]

Corning is American.
You've got it - mine was a Sunbeam. I couldn't remember. 
The writing on it was all a bit scuffed off and I was paying more attention to what was happening in the bowl at the time. Aged 5, I was more interested in food than in glass.
However, as I got older, I came to realise what wonderful stuff the glass is and I still use loads of ancient Pyrex.
Not all Phoenix was ribbed - their opaline wares had patterns on, similar to Pyrex. There are photographs of bits in that link I provided.

[Kenwoodenchef]

Corning may well be American, but... https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/12/archives/corning-glass-takes-control-of-two-companies-in-britain-river.html

Anyway, that post-dates the bowl. Phoenix did also make bowls for Sunbeam here. So yes, definitely a possibility. Ta. Apparently they were actually called the British Heat Resisting Glass Co. and the white stuff was called "Opalware".

[chopin-liszt]

Massive global corporations started taking over everything and eliminating quality.

Pyrex stopped making jugs with full handles because the moulds were too expensive and time consuming to use. Cheaper moulds could be made and used with less trouble if the handle was only attached at the top. 

I'm thrilled to hear my Sunbeam probably had a Phoenix bowl.