Good stuff. I didnt know any of that.
I thought the steel rods were far older than that. Guess I was wrong.
Shakespeare wound up making a lot of clear solid glass blanks which became a forerunner of the ugly stik. It’s is still in use today. Only it goes under a dozen other names. But, they are all solid glass tip sections with a hollow glass butt. Today they come in all lenghts,all tapers and strengths almost an endless array.
There’s always more to learn, isn’t there!
:-)