outside of the first cup. The lump on the other pipe will go
on the inside of the second cup. Now look sharp."
He blew the first lump into a bowl-like
shape. "This," said he, "is the shell." It was broken off, and
placed in a secure position on the ground, with the opening
uppermost. Then a lump of soft flint-glass was brought, of which
the gaffer blew a bubble into the ruby shell until it filled it.
The mouth of the shell was then closed in upon the flint, and the
two completely welded into one hollow globe. This was now made
thoroughly soft at the fire, blown, reversed, opened at the end,
trimmed with scissors about the edges, and finally shaped into a
cup. But it had no handle. The melted piece of ruby was accordingly
brought again, touched to the top of what was to be the back of the
cup, stretched out, and a stick three or four inches long, resembling
a stick of soft, stretching, bright red candy, clipped off. This,
adhering to the top of the cup, was stretched upward an inch or
two farther, then bent backward, curved inward, and pressed to the
back of the cup near the bottom. One or two little touches to give
it a graceful form, and the handle was finished.
He kept the second cup along in nearly the
same stages of shaping as the first, working on one while his
assistants were reheating the other. The process of shaping was the
same with each. But the process of plating the second on the inside
was much simpler and easier. The lump of ruby was immersed in melted
flint, coated with it, and then blown.
|
