Doors Made of Glass

1895

But They Have Every Appearance of Highly Polished Wood.

Two Boston inventors have secured a patent for a process of making glass veneers which have many peculiar properties. This invention relates primarily to the production of ornamental glass, which may be either semitransparent or opaque and is made to represent highly polished wood of any description. It is intended to be applicable for veneering wherever required and is particularly adapted for vestibule and other doors, the exterior of the glass having the appearance of highly polished wood, while in the interior of the house it will appear semitransparent.

In carrying the invention into practice a sheet of ground or plain glass is taken of any desired size and clouded the same on one side with a liquid dye of the proper color to represent any desired wood, which dye is applied by means of a sponge for delineating the grain of the wood so as to appear upon the surface of the glass. The shading is softened by means of a badger brush. Photographers' varnish is then caused to flow on the glass and leaves the grain clear and fast without the necessity of using any gelatinous substance, which would render it liable to crack and spoil the effect.

To complete the operation the glass is then slightly heated, and the varied shades of dyes required for the particular wood to be represented are caused to flow over it by means of a syringe. The glass is heated in order to prevent the shadings from merging into each other. The whole is then made semitransparent by applying another coat of photographers' varnish, so as to prevent the dyes from being effaced, while the exterior surface presents the appearance of a highly polished solid wood finish. — Exchange.