Talk:Chance Brothers

Ultraviolet

Chance Brothers were responsible for perfecting the earliest optical lenses to block the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun.

This looks like a garbling of this. The innovation wasn't to block UV, but a formula to make UV-transparent glass stay that way. Gordonofcartoon 03:19, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

No, it could also refer to the development of Crookes lenses (see Sir William Crookes), that were used to block UV light (arc welding, sunglasses, etc.) Chance were still using 'Crookes' as a tradename into the 1960s. I am writing a history of Chance Brothers: see http://www.chanceglass.net GlassyEye 21:11, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Thx. Anyway, it needs a check, as you've commented below. Another one is "the innovative welding of a cathode ray tube used for radar detection". It's not clear, even from the online source [1] , what was innovative. The tube itself? Making it by welding? Welding something to it? Gordonofcartoon 13:42, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

Only 18 months late in replying... I believe this must refer to the process used to weld the neck to the blown envelope of the tube. This was a multi-point welding apparatus - a device I do have a photo of somewhere showing the process in action.--GlassyEye (talk) 13:53, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

Take over by Pilkington in 1951

A contentious issue - Pilkington acquired 50% of Chance stock in 1945, but didn't fully take over Chance Brothers until late 1952. Depends on the definition of 'take over', but personally I prefer to use the latter date. GlassyEye 21:15, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Big ben

...they also were the only firm at the time able to make the white glass for the four faces of Big Ben. It isn't called "Big Ben" - that refers to the large bell. The proper name is the Clock Tower, Palace of Westminster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock_Tower,_Palace_of_Westminster). Chance were the only UK firm able to replace the glass - Chance actually replaced the German glass after the war that had, ironically, been damaged by the Luftwaffe! Due to the differences in colour, it was decided to replace all the glass. This glass is referred to as opal-flashed - a thin layer of opal glass that is 'flashed' onto the outer faces of clear glass. GlassyEye 21:23, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Correcting myself: The clock faces were replaced with opal glass, not opal-flashed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by GlassyEye (talk • contribs) 19:51, 11 March 2017 (UTC)

Updating - June 2009

Following recent research, this article has been subject to considerable updating, inclusion of new content and references, and copy editing (please see article history). Some references still need to be added, and a couple of ISBNs. The links provided above by Gordonofcartoon are dead and cannot be verified. May we respectfully ask editors and readers to guard against over sensitive editing, but to leave advice, comments, criticisms and suggestions for improvement here.--Kudpung (talk) 20:05, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

I've added a new reference (from a Chance patent I recently read), and removed the 'In Progress' tag.--Kudpung (talk) 11:10, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Several minor changes and edits made to correct inaccuracies. GlassyEye (talk) 22:01, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

I am currently having problems with the following:

"Large glass: Chance was one of the first companies to produce very long pieces of window glass, following technology developed as a result of finding a solution for an order for a very large greenhouse." What method is this referring to? This should date it to c.1848 when developing the greenhouse in the Chatsworth estate (Dukes of Devonshire) for Joseph Paxton, who was later the pioneer for Crystal Palace. However, "long pieces" is not strictly accurate for blown sheet glass at this time (but all relative I suppose). GlassyEye (talk) 22:01, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

I think we're almost there. The article is looking very good now and has a C rating (from the point of view of its place in the Worcs project) - all it needs is a reference for the long glass (I read about it somewhere but I can't remember where it was) to prove it - a description of the actual method is not necessary here, and more royalty free images. I shall take a photo of the Pickersleigh Rd works when I go to Europe in August.--Kudpung (talk) 00:49, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

Another point regarding UK manufacturers of optical glass (quoted below): I'm not sure if Cooksons was still in business by 1848, the date which is referenced. This company was, in any case, unsuccessful in producing suitable glass for this purpose. Additionally, I'm pretty sure that Pilkingtons and Hartleys never got involved with optical glass - it was a very specialised process. It was not until 1939 that Pilkingtons produced optical glass, and only then when Chance Bros. had helped set up a shadow plant, called Umbroc. "Just three other companies in Britain made glass in the same way, Pilkington of St. Helens, Hartleys of Sunderland and Cooksons of Newcastle." GlassyEye (Using a different browser, so not currently logged in) 88.106.209.53 (talk) 19:45, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

January 2016

I have tidied up the piece about optical glass. Sheet glass was primarily used for window glass, not optical glass, which uses a very specialised form of glassmaking to homogenise the glass (i.e. remove bubbles and imperfections by constantly stirring over a period of days). George Bontemps collaborated with Chance Bros at the start of the second French Revolution when he left for Britain and then worked for Chance for six years. However, he was known to Lucas Chance from 1832, when he helped provide (illegally in France) sheet glass workers, making Chance the first in Britain to do so. I am currently writing a third book on Chance Brothers, on the entire history of the company from 1824 to 1981 so will add more detail as is necessary.GlassyEye (talk) 09:36, 15 January 2016 (UTC)

External links modified

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Updates, July 2019

A few inaccuracies and inconsistencies have been revised. Frank Chance was a shareholder, but not a director of the Company and he certainly did not manage the works between the wars. Malvern was part of Chance Brothers, then Pilkingtons, but was then bought out by management in c.1992 and then the name changed to Chance Glass Ltd. I'm not sure about the mention of "German glass" to glaze the Westminster Tower clock faces. This could either be, a) glass from Germany, b) glass made by the German workers at Chance, c) a glass simply referred to as German glass because of a particular colour. — Preceding unsigned comment added by GlassyEye (talk • contribs) 13:30, 8 July 2019 (UTC)

@GlassyEye: Please can you add citations to your changes? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:29, 31 December 2019 (UTC)

Currie Lighthouse

I've removed a lengthy section on Currie Lighthouse from the lede of this article. It can be added to the article about the lighthouse, if sources can be provided. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:23, 31 December 2019 (UTC) Thanks for this. With so many lighthouses around the globe that use Chance optics (thousands in fact), it makes sense to place data on individual lighthouses on their own page and link back to this article accordingly.