Glass Treasures

While walking along the canal to photograph Galton Bridge, just across from the Chance Brothers site, I came across a scattering of stones, of a sort I’ve seen before in a number of places, mostly archaeological iron-working areas.  I’ve always previously thought they were reject glass, a kind of glass-slag.

After cleaning a few and doing some basic-level research I find they are what is known as either slag-glass or agate-glass.   Look it up on ebay, and you’ll see the range of products made from it.  Check out Tiffany lampshades which used it a lot.  In a way the organic flow shapes are equally attractive; they remind me of lava flows, and tectites, the vitrified tear-shaped bombs produced by meteorite impacts.

So, what to do with this wonderful stuff?   I propose to lead an expedition next Friday and Saturday (3rd an 4th June) to collect some more, and experiments will show what happens.

Also, following a tip-off from someone who recorded some archive material which will be later heard through The Sandwell Foghorn, I went to Black Lake to investigate a glass dump.  Some of the pieces were remarkably beautiful, heavy and showing lines of flow, with sharp edges, but as one of our glass-holders here said, ‘they are so beautiful to hold, so tactile’.  Heavy too.

There was a really touching moment at this weekend’s workshop, when two ladies found the names of their ancestors in the Chance Brothers wage lists from 1st December 1842.  Listen out for them reading the information over the foghorn.