We arrived for our meeting on a night when the winds were howling outside but this was an evening well worth leaving the house for. After the business part and coffee break, we were treated to an explanation and a demonstration of the miracle we know as glass. We are all so used to having it in our homes that we just take it for granted. Our speaker, Mr Tony Osman, showed us three jars containing the constituents of glass - the ordinary substances of sand, washing soda and limestone. Some five thousand years ago, an enterprising human being hit upon the fact that heating them together transformed them into glass.
Amazing! Mr Osman proved himself to be a practical craftsman, clearly loving his job. He had brought along the materials to show us stages in the making of glass, demonstrating the art of making carbon fibre, bending and shaping glass rods in a flame, and also
blowing glass. The results could be as mundane as a test tube or something beautiful to be treasured.
A great bonus was that Mr Osman was a very entertaining speaker, making everything intelligible, answering all our questions, and telling us how glass is coloured, how it is made heat proof and strengthened and why they put the lead into crystal. Also, you may be pleased to
know, when you put your bottles into the recycling units, you are helping to conserve energy, as broken glass is introduced into the mixture before heating, which melts easily and speeds the process.
Next month we look forward to a talk by Mr John Winter on the subject of his grandmother's connection with Florence Nightingale. If you would like to join us for this talk, come along to the Westwood's centre on October 10th. at 8.45 p.m.Visitors are welcome.
Angela Orton
