2014 Symposium-Presentations

Our speakers for the Symposium this year were terrific – a little something for everyone in terms of subject matter and great presentations all around.

The Club made several of its own presentations. Marie McKee, current President of CMoG, welcomed the group as she has done so many times and gave a short presentation about the construction progress on the new North Wing of the Museum. Grand Opening weekend for the new wing will occur in March 2015. The Club surprised her with a Verre de Soie vase engraved with her initials to thank her for her longstanding support of the Club and to wish her well in her upcoming retirement at the end of the year.

The Club presented the Rakow Research Library with a cash gift of $2,000 to say thank you for all the help the library staff has given to the Club by participating in our Symposiums and to help them continue their mission of being the premier glass library in the world. Jim Galbraith, the Chief Librarian of the Rakow, accepted the gift on behalf of the library.

Finally, the Club made a $300 contribution to the Bob Rockwell Memorial Fund. Dick Pope accepted the gift on behalf of the fund. Bob Rockwell started a fund late in his life as a way to help Corning residents experiencing emergency cash needs. A group of Corning residents decided to honor Bob by continuing the fund following his death and, to date, have distributed over $50,000 to Corning residents needing assistance.

Scott Hansen, President, Carder Steuben Club

Black Carbon

‘Straw Marks’ Let us travel back to 1968 when I was only 15 years of age and just getting interested in glass in general, Mom (member June Riccio) had amassed a very large collection of Heisey glass and she had the opportunity to meet and befriend Mr. Gerald (we called him Mr G) who was a Master Engraver for the A.H. Heisey Co. until retired with their close in 1957. I had the time of my 15 year old life when I got to spend a weekend on his corner ‘acre’ lot in Paramount CA, it was a kids paradise as he was a collector of a lot of stuff, (you know, stuff you could climb on!!) he even had a ride-on gas powered train and tracks all around his acre (more like 3 acres). Well, I was there to learn from Mr G (in his prime @ the age of 82!) the fine art of wheel engraving, how to hold and move the glass (different types from flat to vases) over the wheel. What an experience! Also he taught me how to repair glass (mostly chipped glass repairs). During the evening when talking with Mr G, I ask a lot of glass related questions and asked “How do you engrave a piece of glass that had a ‘flaw’ or cast-in mark? He told me how to work it into the pattern and that that imperfection was usually only found in ‘molded’ glass and was referred to ‘straw marks’ as the Co. had mold cleaner boys that used straw type hand brooms to clean out the molds. As the broom wore small pieces would ‘break off’ and be left in the mold, the straw would vaporize but leave a void in the mold when the molten glass was poured in, sometimes there would be evidence of the straw in the form of black carbon left in the mark, wow, a lot of info for a 15 year old to take in for a weekend, but what a weekend!, I’ve enclosed a picture of a 1906 Heisey #339 Water Bottle and just under the flash reflection there appears a horizontal “line” about 1/2″ long (in the middle on the picture), this line is on the ‘inside’ of the bottle and with a 10 power magnifier you can see the carbon specks. Well, let’s all have fun with this,

Sincerely, Guy J. Hoskins , Tehachapi, CA.

Thanks

Hello everyone,

I would just like to send a sincere “Thank You” to all of you folks who placed items into the Carder Steuben 2014 Auction. Without your continued generous support of the Club and the Auction, we would probably not continue to have such success. Many of you also purchased items at the auction, and again I say, “Many Thanks.” I hope that you will continue to support the Carder Steuben Club in any way you see fit in the future. It is certainly appreciated by all associated with the Club.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Chamovitz