migbar

So far, the earliest mention of peerless marbles I can find is 1930. The first good samples of the comics, or picture marbles as Peltier referred to them, were sent to The Picture Marble Company and Fleischer Art Service on October 4, 1933. Some imperfect samples were sent out a few days prior. mike b.

I think the machine that the root beer floats were made on is actually a 7/8" marble machine, and adjustable to make marbles most comfortably from 3/4" to 1". While it may be possible to make a smaller one on the machine, the 11/16" marble that Steph shows above does not look like a root beer float to me. All the root beer floats I've seen are between 15/16" and maybe 1 and 3/1000". mike b.

Acid free since 1969 !!! thank you very much, David.

Nortel minor burner torch, Lou, as always. Most of my marbles are just over an inch, and take 45 minutes to one hour to make, because I'm old. mike

Here are some more new ones, please #2230 #2234 #2236 #2240 #2242 #2244 thanks all, mike

It's good to be back, Lou. I was afraid we all got banned. thanks, mike

Thank you Gary and Windy and Carole, too. I couldn't get a good pic of Gary's because no sun, but kinda like this.... A rainbow ribbon auger type with blue aventurine. #2227 mike b.

Thank you Lou and RJ. John, you make me blush. I've certainly forgotten more than I ever knew, but I'm just a stoner doofus for reals. I'll get back to you later, after I bring the kids to school, and do the post office and help my son Evan with one of his fused glass projects. thank you, mikey b.

We better not get into the pansy dish here, this is a marble board after all, and that could be a long story. "In Evan's Garden" might be a longer story. I'll try to figure how to get ahold of you. Want a free marble ? thanks John, msb

You are most kind, John. Bullseye has a deep dark blue aventurine now, but it's a little tricky and bubbles easily. I love pate-de-verre, but it sure is a bitch to do, and very frustrating. Tommy was actually supposed to be a portrait of Boyce's son, Patrick; but his nose came out way wrong, so I built a window for him to peek through that covered his nose, and called him Tommy, instead. thanks a bunch John, mike

Thank you John, yes, all Bullseye, some rod, some sheet, some frit. mike

Thank you most very, Mike, Lisa, Windy, and semdot, whose name I don't know today. thank you, mike b.

Thank you Anthony and Gary, and thanks anyway, Marie. I'll see what I can do this weekend about one for you, Gary. thanks, mike b.

and I made these Sunday. thanks again, mike b.

I made these Saturday. thanks for looking, mike b.

Them's some nice marbles, yessir ! mike b.

Some blue Peltiers....sorry about the dirt.... thanks, mike b.

Mica is a transparent flat flake that reflects a silvery color. It has to be encased in a clear or transparent colored glass. The Mansion run was the first to use the mica in transparent green that comes in a sheet glass form. We also used goldstone, straight and encased in clear; and a blue-green aventurine, green aventurine, yellow-green aventurine, and very pale aventurine, sometimes mixed with other transparent colors. The example Stephanie shows is my least fave of all our marbles. mike b.

I know Galen in person, he's a funny guy and a good friend, and nothing he has ever said has bothered me none, even when he's a big stupenagle. mike

The Mansion Run was somewhat different in that Dave was not in charge, Boyce was, and our marbles may have suffered for it, because we were not familiar with their furnace and machinery and methods, which are WAY different than Peltier's. mike b.

I'd like to add that I love the special run Jabos, even some of the ones that I was involved with, and I am in no way discounting the accomplishments and contributions that Dave has made to the marble world. However, I'm going to wait a few years until Dave has a chance to make the marbles that he REALLY wants to make, before I say he is the best machine-made marble maker ever. mike s. b.

Thank you for your confidence Edna, but honestly I am nowhere near being an expert. I do believe that Sellers Peltier contributed more than any other person to the art of machine made marbles, with much more experimention than people realize, over a very long period; creating new furnaces and glass formulas, and he also designed dozens of glass feeder systems which he used in different configurations. I may be a little biased here, but I'm voting for Sellers. mike b.

I have the utmost respect for Dave, but I have to heartily disagree with that last statement. mike b.

Thank you Windy. The truth is that we made every effort to not look like the Jokers, and only a few of ours have similarites, due to being made with the same process, on the same machine. Several varieties from the other runs look somewhat similar too, but most are different. There are varieties from each of the runs that are not like the Jokers, but equal in their beauty, such as the canary bluebloods, I think. mike b.

Thank you Edna. Yes, I went to Reno for our run, but I was in charge of preparing our glass and filling all three crucibles for 18 hours each day, so I didn't get time to watch them being made much. I have my two grandsons every day, so I win ! mike b.