Wacky World of Rubber: Waterford Crystal workshop stresses craftsmanship

If you ever read the tagline at the bottom of my Wacky World of Rubber posts, you'll know that I claim to find rubber-related stories everywhere I go. Well, on a recent trip to Ireland I will admit it was challenging. The closest I could come was at the most unlikely of venues: The House of Waterford Crystal.

My wife, Megan, and I took the trip to Ireland as an early celebration for our 25th anniversary. We took a guided tour because I really didn't want to figure out driving on the wrong side of the road and planning out every last stop and where to stay. It proved the correct choice for us because there were many places we never would have thought of going to, and the tour director really was informative and entertaining.

But speaking for the husbands on the journey, I will say I was a bit apprehensive about the tour of the Waterford Crystal workshop and showroom. It was during the last few days of the adventure, and I was nervous that Megan might find a few too many items she wanted to buy.

What I wasn't counting on was how interesting the tour was. While this blog obviously doesn't touch on rubber manufacturing per se, it does give a contrast into different aspects of manufacturing.

For example, it's safe to say that where appropriate in rubber product making, the use of technology such as automation and Industry 4.0 is implemented wherever possible. But there still are some niche areas of our industry where workmanship plays a key role.

And that is what I found at the Waterford workshop. The operation employed 65, and the guide said most had been on the job for years. According to some of the information on the visit, Waterford Crystal at one time found itself so successful that in the 1970s it commissioned no new patterns or advertising. Finding that resting on its laurels wasn't a good business plan, even for such an iconic brand, that changed in the 1980s. New patterns became the norm, and the firm even worked with famous outside designers.

But the operation in the workshop itself likely hasn't changed much over the years. The mold department had both wooden molds made of beech and pear woods—designed for items where only a few would be produced, such as golf trophies—along with cast iron molds that could be used for years to produce more popular lines.

The crystal glass in made from special ingredients, including silica sand mined in Belgium. This sand melts at extremely high temperatures, making the crystal strong and transparent.

The molten crystal is still blown, Waterford said, because it needs a hollow in the crystal in which to hold water, wine or ice. It said blowing the shape through the use of a pipe—definitely not a job I'd sign up for–is still found to give the best results.

The marking and cutting departments also are where Waterford's most skilled craftsman work The training is rigorous and those seeking out these positions must first pass a test in which they make a sample item that uses each of the cuts they will ever have to make.

The guide said the workshop in Ireland produces only 250 items each workday. Most of its more high-volume work is done outside Ireland, in nations such as the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovenia and Hungary.

One thing I wondered about were the health and safety regulations. Where the crystal is blown, there definitely were odors of fumes that weren't anything I'd want to be breathing everyday at work. And in the cutting departments, some of the craftsmen wore safety glasses, while others did not.

When asked, the guide said simply, "We give them all the safety equipment they may need. But they are adults and can make the decision whether to use them or not."

Somehow, I doubt such logic would fly with OSHA here in the U.S.

On display were some unique items they had produced, including the trophy for the Irish Open and a moving piece made in memory of a rescue worker who died during the 9-11 attacks.

All in all, it really made me appreciate the work of a craftsman, some of whom still find spots in the rubber industry.

As for the damage at the gift shop, Megan bought herself a perfume bottle and bowls for both of our daughters. And the total was less than I'd feared. I definitely couldn't ask for any more than that.

Meyer is editor of Rubber & Plastics News. He usually sees rubber stories wherever he goes. Follow him on Twitter @bmeyerRPN.