Page 11: Lawrence Saint at Bryn Athyn

PHOTO: Glencairn Archives

Lawrence Saint also researched how to make striated copper ruby. He worked at Bryn Athyn Cathedral from 1917 to 1928. He was not trained as a glass blower but as a glass painter and designer. He attended art school at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and won the prestigious Kresson Fellowship which afforded him the opportunity to travel and see medieval cathedral windows in their original settings in Europe. He worked for a stained glass studio in Pittsburgh. He apprenticed with Connick Studio in Boston, which was one of the leading producers of Gothic revival style windows. It is easy to see how his work has been influenced by the middle ages. In Bryn Athyn Cathedral, Lawrence Saint made a grisaille window based on a motif from Salisbury Cathedral. He created figurative windows for the clerestory and two medieval style rose windows which alone are stone set using a medieval mounting technique. 

Page 10: The Bryn Athyn Formula Books

I had the opportunity to study the red glass that the Bryn Athyn craftsmen achieved. 

In cross section it is clear that they were able to match this pattern of striations found in the medieval glass.

There are scant records of their working methods. A few handwritten formula journals or day books exist which date from 1916 to 1919. As this was before the Bryn Athyn glassworks was in operation, presumably these were Larson’s formulas. 

There are other record books, transcribed in a different hand, beginning in 1919 and continuing onwards. 

One entry from 1922 reads, “Best copper ruby as yet obtained”. Obviously, copper ruby was being produced at the Bryn Athyn factory right from the onset in 1922. 

PHOTO: Glencairn Archive

Ariel Gunther wrote an autobiography. In it he talks about how he and Smith continued to perfect the recipes of Larson. Unfortunately, he does not explain the secret of the striated ruby - which is why the topic of this paper is Lawrence Saint!

PHOTO: Glencairn Archive

Page 9: Cross Sections of Medieval Glass

"Flight to Egypt"

Looking at cross sections of medieval glass produced from the 12^th through the 14^th century, the striated red layer takes up about half of the body of the glass. Flashed red glass from later periods exhibits the red as only a very thin top layer similar to the flashed red being produced today. Modern flashed red lacks the striations found in the medieval period.

Fragments of Medieval Red - Glencairn Museum

Bryn Athyn Red Gallery

Examining red glass

This note in grease pencil indicates that the sheet was reheated to 1200 F in a reducing atmosphere order to get the color to "strike". This was a typical processing step in making the red glass at Bryn Athyn.

The Bryn Athyn Glass Formulas

Glass Formulas relating to Copper Ruby and Gold Ruby from day books of the Bryn Athyn Glass Works  in the archive of the Glencairn Museum.

Transcribed by J. Kenneth Leap April 3, 2009

NOTE ON DATES: The Bryn Athyn Glass Works operated from 1922 - 1942. Presumably the formulas from 1916 - 1919 are the work of John Larson, who was hired to make glass for Bryn Athyn in his factory in Glendale, NY

Dirty Green for plating Copper Ruby / 1916
Sand	5 lbs
Potash	1
Red Oxide of Lead	1 ¾
Nitrate of Soda	¾
Slate	1 ½ oz
Antimonium Sulphide	¾
Salt	1 ½
Plumbago	5

Tank Ruby / 1916
Dissolve 10 Dwt. Of ribbon gold in 5 oz. of muriatic and Nitric acid. Then pour this over 100 lbs. of sand and mix well. Then add:
Red Oxide of Lead	50 lbs
Pearl ash	20
Saltpeter	15
Brown Slate	6
Black Oxide of Antimony	1 ¾
Common Salt	2

Gold Ruby / October 13, 1916
Sand	10 lbs
Ribbon Gold – dissolved in (1 oz muriatic acid + 1 oz nitric acid)	2 Dwt.
Red Oxide of Lead	5 lbs.
Potash	2
Saltpeter	1 ½
Slate	9 ½ oz.
Black Oxide of Antimony	2 ¾
Salt	3 1/8

Amber for Ruby  Plating / May 16, 1919
Sand	15 lbs
Soda Ash	8
Borax	5
Lime	3
Nitrate of Soda	1
Arsenic	¼
Oats	5
Notes: Plenty of Amber Cullet. Turned darker & muddy.

Pale Amber for Ruby Plating / May 22, 1919
Sand	15 lbs
Soda ash	8
Borax	5
Lime	3
Nitrate of Soda	1
Arsenic	¼
6 shovels of Amber Cullet
6 shovels of clear cullet

Copper Ruby in Crucibles / August 16, 1922
Sand	2000 grammes
Granulated Borax	1800
Soad ash	80
Red Oxide of Lead	50
Red Oxide of Copper	20
White Oxide of Tin	20
Red Argols (Red Tartar)	10
Notes: Mix Copper, Tin and tartar together with little sand before putting them into the batch. Formula can be worked as pot metal, also as thick flashing. Color develops in lear. Good clean color, not muddy. Will stand a great deal of fire. N. B. Best copper ruby as yet obtained.

Copper Ruby in Crucibles / August 18, 1922
Sand	2000 grammes
Granulated Borax	1500
Soad ash	300
Red Oxide of Lead	50
Red Oxide of Copper	10
White Oxide of Tin	10
Red Argols (Red Tartar)	5

Copper Ruby in Crucibles / August 17, 1922
Sand	2000 grammes
Japanese Potash	900
Granulated Borax	900
Red Oxide of Lead	50
Red Oxide of Copper	20
White Oxide of Tin	20
Red Argols (Red Tartar)	10
Notes: Came out very soft and easy cutting. Very rich in color

Copper Ruby in Crucibles / August 23, 1922
Sand	2000 grammes
Granulated Borax	1800
Soad ash	80
Red Oxide of Lead	50
Red Oxide of Copper	20
White Oxide of Tin	20
Red Argols (Red Tartar)
In combination with the following flint for striation:
Sand	2000
Granulated Borax	1000
Japanese potash	800
Red Oxide of Lead	50
Notes: Striation and color not so excellent, but stood very well in plates, not so well in rondells. Came out in a sort of plated fashion, and cut quite well from the body side

Copper Ruby in Crucibles / August 24, 1922
Sand	2000 grammes
Granulated Borax	1600
Japanese Potash	70
Soad ash	10
Red Oxide of Lead	50
Red Oxide of Copper	20
White Oxide of Tin	18
Red Argols (Red Tartar)	10
To go with the above:
Sand	2000
Granulated Borax	900
Japanese Potash	600
Soda Ash	10
Red Oxide of Lead	50

Tank Flint for Copper Ruby / September 6, 1922
Sand	38 lbs
Granulated Borax	32
Soad ash	1 1/2
Red Oxide of Lead	14 oz
Topped with the following for color
Sand	38 lbs
Granulated Borax	32
Soda Ash	1 1/2
Red Oxide of Lead	14 oz
Red Oxide of Copper	160 grammes
White Oxide of Tin	160 grammes
Red Argols (Red Tartar)	80 grammes

Copper Ruby in Tank / September 14, 1922
Sand	38 lbs
Granulated Borax	32
Soad ash	1 1/2
Red Oxide of Lead	14 oz
Topped with
Sand	38 lbs
Granulated Borax	32
Soda Ash	1 1/2
Red Oxide of Lead	14 oz
Red Oxide of Copper	120 grammes
White Oxide of Tin	120 grammes
Red Argols (Red Tartar)	60 grammes

Copper Ruby #1 / September 11, 1924
Reg. 10,000 gramme batch of flint glass
Black Iron	3 ½ g.
Red Iron	3 ½
Bichromate	½
Black Nickel	2 ½  D.W.T.
Cobalt	1 1/2
Together with 4,000 grammes batch Reg. copper ruby

Copper Ruby #2 / September 12, 1924
Reg. 10,000 gramme batch of flint glass plus:
Black Iron	1 ¾ g. 55 grms
Red Iron	1 ¾ g. 55 grms
Bichromate	¼ g 5 D.W.T.
Black Nickel	1 D.W.T. full
Cobalt	1 D.W.T. light

Copper Ruby Flint #3 / September 18, 1924
Reg. 10,000 gramme batch of flint glass plus:
Black Iron	26 grammes
Red Iron	26
Bichromate	3 D.W.T.
Black Nickel	1 D.W.T. light
Cobalt	½  D.W.T. light