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replacing a broken furnace pot

TWENTY-TWO MINUTE "MIRACLE"

Excerpts taken from:

"...FROM AMERICAN SANDS AND ARTISTS' HANDS"

A STORY WITH PICTURES ABOUT THE
CREATION OF AMERICA'S HAND MADE GLASS

VIKING GLASS COMPANY,

New Marrtinsville, West Virginia, 1950

Replacing a broken furnace pot

A glass pot is made of fire clay, and is supposed to stand tremendous heat and be pretty tough. Most of the time the glass pot is. Sometimes, though, a defective pot will break merely through handling. Sometimes a pot will develop cracks and flaws and be useless after a few hours or days of use.

A defective pot must be replaced. The trick is to replace it quickly. While the pot is being replaced, that part of the glass furnace cannot be used—one pot is out of commission. It's an expensive loss of production. One of the major miracles performed as a matter of routine in the glass plant is the tearing down of the furnace and the replacement of a pot, remarkably it can be done in only twenty-two minutes!

The operation starts with the selection of a new pot from the seasoning room, where several pots have been squatting like big and bulging pigs. The room is a warm room, to dry the pots thoroughly.

New pots in the seasoning room After a new pot has been examined for any foreseeable defects, and chosen as a replacement for the defective pot, it is taken to the pot arch. Here it suffers its fires ordeal by fire. For a week or more, with the temperature raised every day until it reaches as much as 2,400 degrees—the pot is heated. It is "ripe" and ready when flames shoot out all sides of the pot arch.
The pot arch The pot arch is not opened until workmen have "torn down" the part of the furnace containing the empty or broken pot. It's a team operation under the supervision of the superintendent himself. Everybody knows his job. This is work done by united hands.
The new pot pulled from arch It's not simple to tear down the brick wall of the furnace. The heat is almost unbearable—it's so hot that the men have to dash in, give a quick "heave-ho," dash out of the heat, then dash back in, time and time again. All of this takes place at top speed. When you watch the replacing of a pot in a glass factory, you're seeing organized skill at work.
Tearing down the furnace wall After the front of the furnace wall has been torn away, the broken pot is hauled out. It's a fierce, angry, glowing red—white-hot and dangerous. You can't know for certain that it will not break in many pieces, as it's hauled out, scattering hot fragments over everything and everybody.
Scraping the furnace floor clean Even while the old pot was being taken out, men were shoveling and scraping the furnace floor of the masses of molten glass, which often will run out on the floor from the break in the old pot.
Setting the new pot Meanwhile, another group from the team have wheeled the new pot into position. All hands grab the long handle of the strange-looking "dolly" and almost gently set the new pot in the furnace. It must "set" true and evenly.
The new pot is in place Then the unbroken front walls of the furnace are returned to place. In the intense heat, it is necessary to lower a metal shield frequently, to protect the men as they work.
Replacing the furnace front At last, the walls have been replaced; everything is back in position. It's time to "clay" up the new pot in the furnace. The men stand some distance away and throw clay to cover all the crevices. The clay will harden into almost a solid mass.

Claying the pot in the furnace At last, the walls have been replaced; everything is back in position. It's time to "clay" up the new pot in the furnace. The men stand some distance away and throw clay to cover all the crevices. The clay will harden into almost a solid mass. It was only twenty-two minutes ago, when all the tearing-down started. A new pot is ready to go into business. Tomorrow, and for many tomorrows—everybody hopes.

Replacing a broken furnace pot

New pots in the seasoning room

The pot arch

The pot arch is not opened until workmen have "torn down" the part of the furnace containing the empty or broken pot. It's a team operation under the supervision of the superintendent himself. Everybody knows his job. This is work done by united hands.

The new pot pulled from arch

Tearing down the furnace wall

After the front of the furnace wall has been torn away, the broken pot is hauled out. It's a fierce, angry, glowing red—white-hot and dangerous. You can't know for certain that it will not break in many pieces, as it's hauled out, scattering hot fragments over everything and everybody.

Scraping the furnace floor clean

Even while the old pot was being taken out, men were shoveling and scraping the furnace floor of the masses of molten glass, which often will run out on the floor from the break in the old pot.

Setting the new pot

Meanwhile, another group from the team have wheeled the new pot into position. All hands grab the long handle of the strange-looking "dolly" and almost gently set the new pot in the furnace. It must "set" true and evenly.

The new pot is in place

Then the unbroken front walls of the furnace are returned to place. In the intense heat, it is necessary to lower a metal shield frequently, to protect the men as they work.

Replacing the furnace front

At last, the walls have been replaced; everything is back in position. It's time to "clay" up the new pot in the furnace. The men stand some distance away and throw clay to cover all the crevices. The clay will harden into almost a solid mass.

Claying the pot in the furnace

At last, the walls have been replaced; everything is back in position. It's time to "clay" up the new pot in the furnace. The men stand some distance away and throw clay to cover all the crevices. The clay will harden into almost a solid mass.

It was only twenty-two minutes ago, when all the tearing-down started. A new pot is ready to go into business. Tomorrow, and for many tomorrows—everybody hopes.