torch head

I started 15 years ago or so. A friend of mine is an antique dealer, and had told me a story of how he sold a single marble for $400, not even knowing much about them.(it was a lutz) remembering how much I enjoyed playing with marbles as a kid, it sparked my interest. I bought a book, and started learning the history behind them. The first garage sale I hit after reading my first book, I bought a small box containing 30- 40 marbles, one of which was a small handmade swirl. I was HOOKED! I remember feeling like I had just struck gold or something! I began "the hunt". for the next 4 years or so, I went to every auction, garage sale, antique shop I could find, looking for marbles. back then they were fairly easy to find, however as time progressed they were few and far between. early on, I would be primarily looking for handmades. I would buy marbles by the bag, box or jar, and pick out any handmades I'd find. as I learned more about the differences in all the machine mades, they began to take over my interest. as I learned about a company, I'd go through my bags & boxes looking for marbles I could identify. but after all this rambling on about this & that, I guess the reason that I collect marbles, is all the people I've met along the way! It is so cool! especially when I would walk into an old out-of-the-way antique shop and ask if there were any marbles around. some of the older shop owners would recall stories about their past, and the games that they would play. the people I've met, and hope to meet along the way, that share a common admiration for marbles, the artistic beauty and craftsmanship of an old handmade, or the complex patterns produced with the use of a machine, is why I collect them! tom.

here's one of my torch marble attempts. been torchin' mibs since late june. finally starting to figure it out!!!! thanks for lookin'. tom

sorry for the lengthy delay in responding, i'm just getting back online. thanks for the offer, however i live in NY, and don't anticipate a trip anytime soon. as soon as i figure out how to post photos, i'll share them with all who care to browse. i've made over 100 marbles with my torch so far, with no end in sight!! check back in a week or so, i should have it figured out by then. thanks again

brand new to this site! I am learning to make contemporary torch marbles. any advice? sites? books? videos? ect. been torchin for a few months, but it is a slow learning process. as I get better at this, I will share photos.