European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 10, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 20 the stars and stripes modern living tuesday May 10, 1977 dental Drill Glass engraver Felix White. You can t Correct in Glass so you can t afford to make by Leah Larkin Suff writer ust about everyone dreams of what hell do in retirement. Some Long for a life of Leisure. There Are those who say they la write a Book. And others who plan to take up hobbies or projects. Felix White might fall into the last category. Six years ago he gave up his Job teaching High school English. Once out of the classroom. White had plenty of time for his favorite pastime Glass engraving. The activity soon became More of a business than a Hobby although the 65-year-old engraver did t plan it that Way. Friends saw the glasses bowls and plates that he had intricately and delicately engraved with elaborate scenes Flowers and animals. They offered to buy. White started Selling. Soon White was spending eight hours a Day in his work room using dental tools with Diamond Points to carve de signs in Glass. He does t have a shop. Customers come to the re stored 100-year-old Granery in great Barton a Small Community in Central England where White and us wife live. It s a perfect retirement Home in a pastoral setting. Ducks wander to and from a Pond adjacent to the House. Flowers Are everywhere. When restoring the Structure whose exterior Walls Are made of Flint White had a loft built above the living area for his make a pastime of enjoying said mrs. White who takes care of the bookkeeping and secretarial aspects of the engraving business. She also does the shop Lite detests trips to the big City. Mrs. White loves its photos by cd Schuettler London. So she makes the trips to buy the glassware her husband will engrave. Glass engraving is a consuming interest says White Between puffs of his pipe. I get a tremendous pleasure out of it it demands tremendous concentration. I can t think of anything else like it. You can t Correct in Glass so you can t afford to make he has always been interested in Art. He explains. Painting and drawing were hobbies. But they got tire some and he decided to apply his drawings to Glass. It worked. In the beginning he spent most of his time on Small objects such As wine glasses. Then on to bigger and better spent 16 weeks engraving two windows 7 feet by 6 feet each for a Bank in Bury St. Edmunds. He has done murals and Tablet Ops. Most everything the bearded engraver has done has been commissioned such As a wedding present for Prin Cess Anne and a Tabletop to be part of a gift Given to the Queen for her Silver Jubilee. Some of the More unusual request be has had a Pilot ordered a Glass with an engraving of crop dusting air plane a doctor wanted to give us part Ner an unusual retirement gift so he had while engrave a specimen bottle with toe Coats of arms from the schools be had attended an opera Buff asked for a set of glasses with illustrations depicting his six favorite Arias. The artist explained that Glass engraving is ancient form of Art that was revived in England in the 1930s. Dif Ferent techniques can be used. Wheel engraving done with Copper wheels cuts fast and deep. White said. The hand engraving he does with Diamond Points is slower but can be More precise and intricate. For some designs he uses a tiny Drill with a Diamond Point. It s Dusty work he said and sometimes he wean a surgical mask. Frequently he must Stop to Wash his hands As Finger Marks quickly smudge the Glass. White s engraved Glass does t belong to the guts for under Sio category. The Glass alone is expensive. For engraving it most be top Quality. A Small vase that be planned to engrave Cost in before be Deco rated it he finished products Start at about the Cost of a Glass Mug with a simple engraving. The business in t enormous says White As he looks around at All the engraved and. Yet to be engraved Glass Ware in his living room. Yet we exist quite happily. Our tastes Are my kids said they never vide it big in athletics because Thev wore hand me Downs and were never dressed properly for sport Thev always wore three pairs of socks with the toes folded under when Thev ice skated and played basketball in their stocking feet there was always a Scurry ing for gloves on the first Dav of a Snow and one Dav As 1 adjusted a pair of crushed kid gloves up to the Elbow my son whined. I m going sledding. Mom. Not to 3 wedding. Sledding " another Lime another kid stomped off the ski slopes and said he was t going Back. He was the Only one skiing in a Long Black overcoat and looked like a rabbi in fiddler on the roof i assured him rabbis also skied and he by Ermo Bombick at wits end t until his Lack hat flew off it never occurred to me How intimidating it can be not to be dressed properly until i competed this week on the Tennis court with three sweat bands three Matching panties three wrist storekeepers and three pairs of footless with a Chenille Ball at the Heel. Somehow. I knew before i began pedal pushers finish last so do dark Blue gym shoes. So Dot shirts with Paul new Tinann s face on the front so do red sweat socks that make your Ankles look like fire hydrants. My partner started to serve you want me to store your other Ball indy pants pocket i offered her Racket dropped no. I can hold both of them in the same hand " your Racket seems to be a lot lighter than i observed that s because mine is out of the she said coldly. She served. The Ball was returned and she was All Over the court running slam Ming and lobbing you certainly Are i said. Ill bet it s those shoes. I be seen them advertised. Do you really Lump higher in them p these probably Don t Cost any More than the ones you re she said but then you probably got a pen knife a i smiled. By this time there was a group waiting for the court Thev All looked like ads for gatorade. It was my turn to serve. I looked around for a place to put my second Ball. If you can t bold two of them while you said my partner just tuck on under you Pant leg " i can i said. There s a leg in it Al i tossed the Ball Down my to shirt giving Paul Newman a Lump Over his Lightblue Eye. I found out something else about Tennis varicose veins also finish last. To in Maem 0,111. Me
