A review will be given of the equipment and evaporative processes used to manufacture optical coatings prior to the formation of the Committee on Vacuum Techniques in 1953. Processes to be covered : sealed beam headlights; antireflection films (using hot substrates and electron beamed substrates); German SiO coated mirrors; coating of Schmidt mirrors using a record changer in system; the Mt. Palomar astronomical mirror; hot and cold filters. Present day sputtering of large architectural windows will be described.