[Illustration]
FOR THE EASY AND INEXPENSIVE DECORATION OF WINDOWS, CHURCHES, PUBLIC
BUILDINGS, AND PRIVATE HOUSES.
Vitremanie is the process by which glass of all kinds may be easily,
durably, inexpensively, and elegantly decorated by any person.
Diaphanie, which this art supersedes, was a great success, (no less than
250,000 sheets of designs having been sold in England alone). It had,
however, its defects; the sheets being applied with transfer varnish,
bubbles of air sometimes remained between the design and the glass,
which in the subsequent process of rubbing off the paper, resulted in
holes; this rubbing off, moreover, required much time, patience, and
care, and was rarely perfectly performed. These defects are obviated by
Vitremanie. By this method the designs, after being covered with
Glucine, may be applied to the glass with water only, and the paper
removed entire, a few minutes sufficing for the operation, and nothing
being left upon the glass but the design in colors of unclouded
brilliancy and transparency.
=The Materials Required= are as follows: The printed designs, three
brushes, (two of camel’s hair and one of hog’s hair), a bottle of each,
Glucine and enamel varnish, a roller, a sponge, a little blotting paper,
and a pair of scissors.
The instructions are very simple. With the camel-hair brush pass a
coating of Glucine over the colored face of the designs that are
proposed to be used, care being taken that the Glucine does not touch
the plain side of the paper; the sheets of the designs should be laid
flat to dry, they should be left two or three days before being used,
and they will remain good for three months, or even longer.
To apply the design to the glass it should be wetted with water on both
sides, the glass should also be wetted; lay the design on the glass, and
roll well down—all air bubbles will be easily removed by this means—keep
the plain side of the paper wet for a few minutes, then, with the point
of a knife, carefully raise a corner of the paper and pull it gently
off; the work is now to be washed with a camel-hair brush and water, and
afterwards dried by placing a piece of blotting paper over the work, and
rolling it; leave it now for a few hours, then coat it with enamel
varnish, and the work is finished. In removing the paper it is sometimes
better, particularly when the design is large, to carefully scratch a
hole in the paper, and tear it off in pieces from the center. The work
is more easily performed on free glass, cut to the proper sizes, and
afterwards fixed over the glass already in the window, by means of a
bead; it may, however, be done upon the window as it stands.
The designs may be arranged to fit any window, strips of lead foil
applied with gum being used for the purpose of covering the edges of the
borders, groundings, etc., where they join. For circles and other shapes
the strips of lead may be stretched with the thumb and fingers to any
pattern desired, the creases being smoothed by the handle of a knife or
paper-cutter, slightly wetted.