POKER WORK ON GLASS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXI, Issue V, 30 July 1898, Page 158

POKER WORK ON GLASS.

THE BEAUTIFUL EFFECTS OBTAINED WITH WOOD SURPASSED BY THE NEW METHOD.

A few Sundays ago instructions were given by the ‘Herald’ as to how to obtain good poker work effects on wood and the best way to follow this fashionable art in the home. Those who followed the directions no doubt succeeded in producing work that has abundantly satisfied them for the small outlay in procuring the necessary apparatus. There is another branch of the subject which those who are possessed of sufficient ambition can take up which almost excels in artistic beauty, and certainly does so in novelty, the older form of the art. Quite lately glass pyrography has been invented, and thus quite a new field has been opened in this fascinating style of decorative work.

1 n the newer form of pyrography the burning process is exactly the same as in the old, only the platinum point is made many deg Tees hotter for the. glass; indeed, it can scarcely be too hot to accomplish the desired result, and, therefore, it needs to be of special hardness. This being the case, dealers have placed on the market points of a special quality for glass pyrography 7 . DELICATE AND BEAUTIFUL EFFECTS. The glass used is the ordinary plate, and through it the design can readily be traced with the hot point by those who have not the skill to draw offhand, which saves all the trouble of transferring- the pattern. Another advantage which some claim glass has over wood is that it has no grain, and therefore the lines of the novice are not marked by the unevenness which characterises the work of the tyro in the art of wood burning. Glass pyrography is especially adapted to the decoration of mirrors, screens, panels, etc., and if carefully done it will be found an excellent imitation of engraved work of the finest kind, and will even deceive experts. If a good design be ehosen the effect will be most delicate and beautiful. Just a white frosted design on the clear glass looks very well, but the worker will soon be ambitious of better things. A pretty piece of the work shows a loose bunch of ox eye daisies and field grasses burned into ordinary clear plate glass. The design when first executed had a frosted appearance, but this was removed by carefully scraping off all roughness with a sharp knife, thus leaving the daisies and grasses in clear outline. The work in that state was beautiful, but it was more so in the following manner: — A layer of gold paint was carried entirely over part of the design, all the etched lines being filled with it. To effect this a pad of soft cloth was used, damped with turpentine to remove all the gold on the flat surface between the lines, and an ordinary paper stump with cloth over it was used to clean off the rest. This left merely a fine gold tracery on the glass, and on turning the plate, it seemed to stand in relief on its surface, though it actually only showed through from the othei - side. A thick coat of ivory enamei was then laid on,

great care being taken not to drag up the. gold from the lines; this gave the effect of ivory and gold from the other side, and rendered the glass opaque. FOR VARIETY IN COLOUR. Any other lustra or metallic paint may be used instead of gold and the colour of the enamel may be chosen to suit the fancy. Those who are possessed of a little artistic taste can easily make up designs and patterns for themselves which they may find even mo-re suitable for their purpose than the one here given, but it should always be remembered that the work requires high colours in order to be effective. The softer tones do not succeed in giving the stand-out appearance which is being aimed at by the ambitious. In working the principal things to be remembered are that the point must be constantly kept at almost white heat, that it must be perfectly clean, and that- it is not desirable to use the same point for wood scorching. Should the point be insufficiently heated no amount of force will affect the glass, but it will injure the point itself. The pressure on the point must be firm and steady, but not hard. It is not well to work too long for one spot, for glass is a poor conductor of heat, which should be distributed as much as possible in order to prevent cracking. With care this accident should never occur. The special point for glass pyrography is furnished with an inner mechanism for generating and retaining heat, and though the work may be done with an ordinary point heated to almost white heat, still the process is tedious, and the tool will soon be too much damaged for further use. A pane of glass with the design shown in the illustration and executed in the manner already described would make a handsome mount for a picture. The pattern can be enlarged, stuck upon the plate of glass, and the point, gently heated, passed lightly over it. This will save all the bother of transferring the design bodily upon the material to be worked upon.