Carnegie Museums and Phipps Conservatory

Today's  journey took us first to Carnegie Museum. If you haven't been to the museums check out this website. What an amazing learning opportunity for any age. I could have spent several days in the Natural History Museum alone.

Though I didn't focus on glass in the museum, they did have some really cool pieces that I was impressed with.This is one of the largest pieces of blown glass I've seen. 

Our next stop was the Phipps Conservatory. 

The conservatory opened in 1893 as a "source of pleasure and instruction".  Today it is known as the world's greenest public gardens, serving as a model of sustainability.  

Something that is important to know when visiting museums and places like the conservatory is that there are social expectations and etiquette. Just like in schools there are behaviors that you should expect. Phipps even posted theirs in the entryway. 

 In their botanical gardens they feature local glass blower's artistic glass along with famous pieces of Chihuly by the glass artist Dale Chihuly.  (Click here for more information about his work.) As soon as you walk in, a piece of his glass work is on display.

   

                            

In the gift store they feature some pieces you can purchase. 

What do you notice about these blown pieces?

His art is also featured at the Huntington Museum of Art In the conservatory. Have any of you been there? ( post pictures on your blog if you have!)

Other local artists were featured throughout the garden. What type of glass do you think they are? What techniques would be used? 

My favorite display room was called "Wonderland".

Assignment- see if you can find all of the things that are glass.

I was really pleased to see they were educating visitors on the glass blowing process. 

                               

They had other cards informing visitors about tools and techniques. 

Discussion. 

1. What are your thoughts about the botanical displays of glass?

2. How do you think these pieces differ in production then a smaller piece of blown glass?

3. Do you think displays like this help inform the public of the glass industry? What could they do differently or do more of to educate people of glass and the process of making glass?

Mosser Glass

 Day 4 of our summer teacher trip we checked out of our hotel to head towards Pittsburgh, PA. We first stopped at a pressed glass factory in Cambridge, OH. Mosser Glass started in 1972. Mr. Mosser first started working in the medical and pharmaceutical fields and eventually opened a separate company known as Variety. Later he opened the Mosser company and specialized in art glass and specialized contract work. 

Mosser makes cake stands for Panera bread, signature horse figurines for Longaberger, and different style cups and goblets for high end hotels. 

Facts:

The glass ingredients are shipped from Michigan and the product is sold all over the world. 

They employ 26 employees. They run 6 furnaces for a shift from 2-4. They can make over 200 types of pieces in 15 different colors.

They usually run 2 teams of men in assembly line fashion and create two products daily. While we were there they were making a red pitcher and crystal head light cover. 

Assignment:

View the pictures below and identify steps in the glass process and tools. 

What do you think the main differences are  between the pressing process and the mold or hand blown process? (Think about the differences that affect the workers, the production, and the future.)















OHHHHHH...... AND......... we came to Pittsburgh PA!!!!

Tonight we just got to enjoy the view and take in some local dining and shopping!

And when we got back to our hotel the saw the Oscar Meyer truck. So as the big kids we are, we had to take pictures! 

Homer Laughlin- Ceramics

Day Three and our tour of the state had us exploring the ceramics industry. We spent the day at Homer Laughlin. This factory has been in operation since 1871.

Similar to Blenko, Fenton, and Marble King, the ceramic company of Homer Laughlin is a community centered, family owned company. They began across the Ohio River in East Liverpool but when the demand for their product increased they moved the company to undeveloped land and crated the new factory and surrounding community of Newell, WV. They still own the bridge across the river and run the towns water and sewage system. 

The company started with the above type of ceramics which were used in hospitals and other institutions. They eventually expanded to dinnerware and fine china. The famous Fiesta line was started in 1936. The lavender line below is the most valuable and rarest color today. 

How much to you think the butter dish costs? 

This fish is actually one of the most expensive items and is going for about  $8000. 

Other then Fiesta dinnerware, this company has made specialty pattern dishes that have appeared in places like The Greenbrier, The Govenors mansion, the Biltmore, and the New York Marriott. Their dishes can be found in chains like Bob Evans, Applebees, PF Changs, Texas Steakhouse, Steak and Shake and many more.  Many people have requested specialty patterns as well. 

Homer Laughlin's success came from how he revolutionized the china industry and at one time was considered the largest pottery producer in the world.


Like glass, ceramics require some important ingredients that come from all around the world. The two types of clay are white clay from Europe and ivory clay from the Kentucky-Tennessee border.  Most of the clay in the local area was yellow and undesirable.

Can you identify any periodic table elements in some of the following ingredients?

The process for creating the dishes range from a process known as Jiggering (round objects), Ram pressing (oval objects), drain casting (hollow objects) and pressure casting.  They use both manual stations and robotic equipment in the production line. Some production lines run 24hrs a day. The kiln temperature is 2300 degrees and the heating only occurs once.


INSERT SLIDE SHOW OF FACTORY PHOTOS.

This strong (vitrified) china is so unique that it's company is doing better today then in many years past.

Discussion questions for class:
 1. What are some similarities between glass production and ceramic production?
2.  What does the word vitrified mean and why do you think that is important for dinnerware?
3. Why do you think Homer Laughlin chose this location for his business?

Assignment:

1.. What do you think important skills would be in order to work in this factory?
2. What are some independent and dependent variables in the process of making ceramics?



(NOTE: Assignment questions will be used as an opener to my in class assignment for understanding the science and math involved with the industry. I hope to email Mike for a copy of the training math test used for his employees and I hope the students realize the lab aspect of the creative side behind ceramic engineering.)

Marble King- From the Eyes of the Teacher!

Our second stop on Day 2  the trip was to Marble King also in Paden City.

We spent nearly an hour in the gift shop alone playing with marbles, marble toys and picking out the specific marbles we wanted to take home! 

We got to meet Beri Fox in person. From the previous posts you know she is the oldest daughter of Roger Howdyshell who worked in the factory himself until he bought the company in the 1950s. She is now the very proud owner of the Company. 

While at the gift store we couldn't help but act YOUR age and play with all of the trinkets! Marbles are VERY entertaining.

Look on some other teacher's blogs to see video of this thing in action!

We will learn that a combination of simple machines like this inclined plane can get a tough job done like transporting a marble! Have any of you played Mouse Trap?

Marbles are amazing. I say this not only because they are a really cool and challenging game and not only because they are beautiful as seen below. I say this because of the cool things I've learned.

Marble King is the ONLY marble factory left in America. So if a marble is made in the USA then it came from America. 

Next. Marble King makes around  1 MILLION marbles a day. Even I can't imagine that many marbles.

Marbles are used around the world for things I had no clue! (Check out some of the teachers blogs for all of the ways they use them!)

Marble King is an award winning factory winning environmental awards, innovation awards, world-wide awards and more!

Marble King Marbles went to Space!

After my personal experience, new purchased marble games, and getting to talk to the owner and see her pride and love for the company, I couldn't agree more with the display below!

Zoom in and it's an entire wall made of marbles!! 

Thought Marbles:

1. As a West Virginian student, how does it make you feel to know a common game played around the world is created here in WV?

2. Can you think of a new way to use a marble?

3. 1 million marbles a day.... even if sold for 1 penny each.... think of that possible income!

Paul Wissmach Glass Company- My experience

Our first stop on Day 2 of our Summer experience was at the The Paul Wissmach Glass Company is located in Paden City, WV.

Wissmach specializes in sheet glass. The assembly line process is used to produce 700 sq ft of glass an hour.
                           

We got to see a new ladle used to get the molten glass out. This one was on wheels!

                             
Then the glass along with a color batch is poured onto a station where a worker kneads the material together and evens it out almost like taffy.

The glass is then rolled through a roller system that thins, presses and creates the type of sheet glass desired. (Some have imprinted designs or patterns)

These are the rollers up close!

As it rolls through the rolling system it then immediately begins to cool.

The glass is then pushed into the cooling oven.

Other parts of the Factory

Different designed rollers.

Each batch for the different colored sheet glass is created ahead of time in the bins pictured below. The sand is shipped in from the Greenbrier Valley in southern WV, the soda ash is shipped in from the western part of the United States and the color chemical is added .

This is the mixing station for all of the raw materials. The cart is wheeled underneath.

        Based on the sign, what chemical is used in the above batch?   What color do you think it will be?

                                     Does this area of Paul Wissmach resemble another location?

The sheet glass below is used in churches, windows, buildings and displays all around the world. 

A shipping container for the glass.

                                               Why do you think I included this picture?

These shipping containers are packed and ready to go to places like Germany, Australia and Russia! 

How do you think they transport glass overseas?

My reflection:  WOW. I met a man named Vic who has worked for Paul Wissmach for 36 years. I'm so impressed that he can travel the world and view glass that he made here in WV. His passion and talent were something that travel with each beautiful piece of glass wherever it goes!
The other big impression of this experience was how fluid the assembly line worked. The cooperation and teamwork is something that is essential for production. I can really relate that to how I'd like to see our class work!