A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE GLASSMAKING PROCESS
ACTIVITY	AT WHAT TEMPERATURE	REQUIRES HOW MUCH TIME?
Ingredients weighed and mixed	at room temperature	approx. 30 minutes
Loaded into melting furnace	approx.  2000 deg. F.	approx. 5 minutes
Melting and refining takes place	approx.  2500 deg. F.	10-35 hours, depending on type of glass and type of furnace
A group of men make glassware.  They draw the glass from the furnace in gobs ranging in size from 3 oz. to 90 oz. In some factories the glass flows from the furnace into forming machines on a lower level.	approx.  2000 deg. F.	Men work 8 hour shifts
Each gob is formed into a basic shape by a man using air or mechanical force. In factories making less complicated shapes or higher quantities, this forming is performed by machines.	approx.  2000 deg. F.	5 to 50 seconds
The basic shape is reheated and changed to the final shape.	1800 deg. F.	20 to 60 seconds
The piece is put in an annealing lehr to strengthen the glass and to cool it off.	1000 deg. F. to room temperature	1 hour to 6 hours or longer
The piece is then inspected, packaged and shipped.	room temperature	1 day to weeks
The main ingredients used and their approximate percentage of the total batch are: Sand (SiO-2) 75% Soda Ash (Na-2-CO-3) 15% Lime (CaCO-3) 9% Some manufacturers substitute potash for soda ash, and barium or borax for lime. In some opaque glasses, fluorspar and feldspar are substituted for lime.

The color controlling ingredients are mixed in with the main ingredients before melting. Some of the material used to create certain colors are:
MATERIALS	COLOR PRODUCED
Uranium	Yellow
Cobalt	Blue
Sugar and Iron	Amber
Neodymium	Pink
Iron	Green
Gold	Red
Selenium and Cadmium	Orange
Selenium and Manganese	Crystal
Alumina and Fluorine	White
COLOR	COLORANT
Burmese	Pure gold and Uranium Oxide
Custard	Uranium Oxide
Amethyst	Manganese Dioxide
Ruby Overlay	Gold and Crystal Glass
Blue Satin	Copper Oxide
Cranberry Opalescent	Gold and Calcium Phosphates
Colonial Blue	Copper
Colonial Amber	Sugar