richsantaclaus

I've been repairing marbles since my Marble Show in So Cal in March of this year. I probably have remelted or repaired over 1000 marbles since then - I love being retired!!!!! Also, I am just in from making a dozen glass cullet marbles... I got the cullet in Quartzite, Az about 5 weeks ago.

I decided to play with Italian glass last night - here's the result. It's hard to photograph black with cubic zirconia so I outlined the spiral pattern that is really there but you can't see it. Best to view it in person. Rich

Depending on the edge damage, it is ease to align them. The problem would be if the edge had a deep chip in it. Then the melting would shape the glass to where it wanted to go.

Hey Galen - I can "fix" those 1/2's for ya...lol

My "expret" seemed very knowledgeable about machine nozzles and jets and stuff way over my head in understanding when the glass was in the melting part of the machine when marbles were veneered. He even tried to explain how multi-veined cateye marbles are made by the machine.

Galen - those seem to have the colors near the surface of the marble. They are neat!

V E R Y nice mib!

I'm likin' these pix - thanks!!!

"handblown glass marbles" <---- my *ss

Welcome Steven - what area are you living in? I have about 3 1/2 1 gallon bags of marbles I give away at Christmas time that the kids can play with. Being a Santa helps!

I am referring to torch made marbles BUT I talked to an "expert" that told me the veneer was applied to the machine made, white based marbles as they were dropping onto the rollers. I can't envision how that would be done - really risky considering the amount of heat needed to melt the veneer so it covered the white base.

These type of marbles are VERY easy to make too - both of them only took 15 minutes to make! Come on over Steph and I'll show you OR I'll put YOU behind the torch to make one!!!!!

It IS like spreading frosting over a cake. It's that you have to make sure you don't heat the base glass too hot before applying the colored glass on top of it.

Here are 2 I made last night - modern wirepulls using soft glass from Italy.

In making my marbles, I use clear as a base whenever possible because the cost of clear rods is VERY cheap!!!!! Then I cover the clear base with more costly colored rods. If I didn't, I'd have to charge a lot more for my work. I use a black base when working with dichro because it looks best that way. I use a white base occasionally when I make a twistie marble like this one.

What a G R E A T topic. I didn't know anything like these existed!!!!

sulphide #2 after

sulphide #2 before

sulphide #1 after

I don't have any access to get Aley or MK cullet unless people send it to me. I have done several sulphide repairs with great success. I'll post a few before and after pix Rich Before sulphide #1

Here are the finished repairs, sorry I didn't take before pix of these two. The flame slag was really beat-up with chips and dents all around it. The other picture is a remelt and twist of a oouple of slags.

Here's a set of pix for ya..... before, then after

No problem - taking a day off was fun but making others happy is fun too!!!!!

last pix of the second set

pix of the second set I made