Show synthetic glass fibers rival actual products organic plastics and resins gradually are replacing glass for a number of purposes particularly in the manufacture of certain articles of a decorative nature recent developments indicate the possibility of a counter invasion by glass of a field hitherto occupied exclusively by organic materials that of artificial fibers glass fibers are not new molten glass can be drawn into fine strands most of us have seen the so called glass wool which is made by drawing a filament out ol of the molten en end of a glass rod and attaching it to I 1 a revolving cylinder which draws out more and more of the glass until aunill the whole rod has been converted into a skein of glass fiber however the uses of glass wool have been fairly limited in the past recent improvements in the method of manufacture however have made available a glass wool that is free from some previous defects this new material is made up of fibers less than inch in diameter A pound of it could extend completely around the earth it is soft and fluffy in appearance and it can be handled easily as the fibers are too flexible to work into the skin this new glass wool has been spun and knitted into fabrics which in appearance pe arance do not give the slightest hint of their mineral origin obviously ou ly such textiles cannot bedded be dyed but must be made from bo colored glass it if color is desired at the present time the manufacture of glass fabric is in a highly experimental state there Js Is room tor for doubt 10 D as to whether it will ever bw be used in clothing however glass cloth will have a number numb er of special uses things like curtains and rugs made from it certainly will cut down fire hazards the well known dielectric properties of glass suggest t that a tape woven tram from glass wool would be an excellent electric insulator ins lator filter cloths claths woven of glass should find considerable use in the chemical industry for the filtration of strongly acid solutions the unwoven material which looks like cotton more than any anything thing else ea e also can be used as a heat insulator su lator it is fireproof and a hollow blow will wall packed iickey with mth it will con conduce ducA far less heat than tha n stielf Iti elf |