Topic: Meriden Flint Glass Company

[Anonymous]

I am researching the Meriden Flint Glass Company, which operated in Meriden, CT, from 1876-1889. I am looking for any marked pieces (they used an orange, diamond-shaped paper label, sometimes placed inside the cylinder base of kerosene lamps), Hero shades (glass lamp shades, white on top, clear on the bottom, most often found on Bradley & Hubbard lamps), oil lamp shades with applied photographs, or any glass items with the Meriden B Company logo. Also, any catalogues!

Also, I am reading the diaries of the Meriden Flint Glass Company supervisor and have come across a number of terms that I do not know. Does anyone know what the following 1880's glass-making terms refer to?
1. monkey
2. moils
3. alumets

Thank you,
Diane Tobin
Meriden, CT

[ian.macky]

Does anyone know what the following 1880's glass-making terms refer to?
1. monkey
2. moils
3. alumets

How about some context?  How were these words used?  Alas, my OED (CE) is packed.  Did you try Google?  [Ian helps those who help themselves]  "glass moils" turns up lots of info; they are described as "the knock-offs from blowing irons".  

--ian

[Anonymous]

Thanks Ian! I did discover the meaning of "moils", I found an online glass dictionary that defined them. I've done all kinds of searches for "monkeys" and "alumets", alas to no avail. The term "monkey" seems to refer to some kind of pot or crucible that was set in the furnace, or the batch contained in a pot. An "alumet" was some kind of item produced at the Meriden Flint Glass Company, but I cannot find out what it was. This would have been during the 1870s-1880s.
Diane

[Anne]

I'm wondering if alumet could be connected to allumette?

Dictionary.com defines this as:

Allumette
\Al`lu`mette\, n. [F., from allumer to light.] A match for lighting candles, lamps, etc.

Perhaps in glassmaking this was a container for holding such matches?

Monkey... is a melting pot for glass apparently... see here for more info... http://www.phxart.org/pastexhibitions/creating_glass.asp