Millville Glass Paperweights 3
| In paperweights of the mushroom or lily type, and in ink bottles, the crimp was pressed into the molten glass in a somewhat similar manner to the rose. The varied colored pieces of glass were placed on the flat end of the weight before the crimp was inserted and reheated. It was often necessary to repeat this process several times in order to collect more of the colored glass before finishing. A fine tool was inserted into the molten metal and quickly withdrawn in order to form the stem and bubble which are always found in these weights. In order to shape the pattern in the weight as desired, a small hook was run into the indentation. John Rhulander was accustomed to draw down the points of his weights with a hook, and this serves to make his work easily recognizable.
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| For the ink well, the glass was worked into shape in much the same manner, although it was not finished at the top or bottom. When the die and pontil rod were removed it was blown to the shape desired. The stopper was made in a similar manner, except that the neck was always shaped by hand.
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Michael Kane, who came from Germany, made weights containing such
subjects as the Faithful Dog (Below left) and Sail Boat (Below right).
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A mold of close grained fruit wood was used for forming the glass for such subjects. This was preferable because the heat was retained too long by the old iron molds. The wooden molds took the form of round wooden discs which might have a depression for the sail boat on one side, and for the eagle on the other. If it was necessary to use colored glass, a steel plate was cut in the machine shop. Having engraved the lines of the pattern in this steel plate, it was placed face up and the colored glass inserted into the pattern. Over this was placed a very thin piece of glass. It was important that the design be kept straight and that no air bubbles be allowed to mar the pattern. The plate was then carefully withdrawn, and the form was covered with more clear glass, and this was worked into proper shape with a wooden spatula. A foot was usually added to give the weight a better appearance. If examined carefully, the pieces of powdered glass can be seen in the patterns of weights made by this method.
