Steph

LOL ... I thought about that! But then I got sidetracked by this .... (click to enlarge) Seriously, wouldn't it be cool if we discovered that site and it isn't under some skyscraper or parking lot, maybe just in a city park if you're lucky! tho' I guess the first question would be whether J.H.L. actually followed through with his plans.

No, I mean it!! LOLOL

*hehe*

1897 Stone: An Illustrated Magazine Published 1897 Item notes: v. 14 Original from the New York Public Library Not a lot of material but there are two J. H. Leighton factories mentioned on the same page. And one of the references is weird. See p. 630. So ... did Leighton make marbles in Tennessee? Marbles are also mentioned here. One of the 19th century documents claiming that figure marbles were made in molds.

Now that the other thread has gone to the dogs .... and rodents ....... Just kidding .... and just having fun ! (kermit the kitten, found somewhere on the web) Don't go here:

That's fierce. Watch out brother!

:icon_lmao: <------- if that's okay with you, Sue.

Thanks. lol. I keep telling people machinery is over my head. I actually have a gigantic wheel a lot like this one. Coz' it's 'pretty' (lol). (it's painted red inside.) But I never had the slightest idea what made it "go". A leather belt, hmmm. Good to learn. Carskadden's book on Colonial Period marbles has been recommended to me in connection with this. Onyx being softer than marble marble, from what I'm hearing it sounds like a process similar to that used to grind limestone might have been employed. . . okay, I'm getting lightheaded. machines!!!!!! *whoow* I need to go look at something fluffy now.

Here's the best I can do trying to reconcile the Block set and David's original 8. There do seem to be a lot of repeats in Bob's. maybe?

Here's a bigger copy of the pic Al posted. I noticed that about no Pink Champagne in Block's photo. Had fun trying to count how many distinct family members this would add up to when taken together with this pic you showed of the original 8 in your article. The one on the middle right of the Block photo doesn't look particularly green to me. But Carole has one which came across as very green in her pix (below). Carole knows hers is not from the original 8. However, it is a Pelt and was said to be part of the later runs of the larger Nova family, in the broad sense of the term. If I understand correctly.

not too shabby

Post Classics! Well, there have been a whole lot more threads on this. Time to start gathering them up! In the meantime, check out Jaboland! http://anythinggoes43567.yuku.com/ Okay, starting to gather now. Any recommendations? This is going to be be slow if it's just me doing the searching. October 2008: Jabo Tributes January 2009: Joe Hogue Box June 2010: What A Tribute 1" Run Pictures!

Gary, that's neat about the drain. I'm afraid I'd bust the massager. (don't ask) DC, I remember that article. That would be Issue #17, Dec. 2006. I think we've managed to squeak some new uses in. Not bragging -- just saying I've been surprised once or twice. I don't remember us mentioning hydroponics though. And it looks like there are a couple of other variations we sorta have here but not quite the same application he gives. cool. p.s., did we have throwing marbles on the ground to make pursuers slip? I have articles where that was done but not sure if it made it here. That's another one Mike mentions.

Pretty pretty pretty! (so sad about the screech.) Here's the most grown-up pic I could find of my bestest boys. They're fatter than this now. (another gratuitous web pic ;-)

I'm a little stressed out by talk of machines. even tho' I started it ! I found these fluffy things in the folder where I was looking for images of people working at their grinding machines. I felt instantly better. *happy sigh*

Here's a passage from later in that article: An earlier article, from July 27, 1924, was printed while the new factory was being built. It said they expected to employ about 15 people. That article said they manufactured "marbles, beads and various agate and onyx novelties." While I'm thinking of it, a Dec. 27, 1925 article says they added more machines and had to double their number of employees but it didn't say how many they had. In 1925, their line was given as marbles, radiator caps and gear shift balls. So matching the 1924 figures up for an estimate -- 6000 marbles with 15 employees -- that would be an average of 400 marbles per day per employee, plus the other novelties. I guess the process was more mechanized that I had originally pictured.

Here's some info about the author! http://www.akronmarbles.com/marble_industry_history.htm

Fantastic. I love the referenced to "sulphide figures". It's like a missing link for how "figure" marbles came to be known as "sulphides".

LOL some more. I didn't see that you had quoted Mike R. and were asking about the small marbles he is showing. I didn't even see Mike R. had posted. Sorry Mike R, I gotta go with Mike B on these. He knows whereof he speaks.

LOL. Sorry. I realize I didn't answer your question. I just got snagged on the technicality of you saying 1" and Mike B. saying 7/8". I'll let someone else address how the plus or minus would have been accomplished.

Well Mike said it was a 7/8" machine. The 1" would be at the top of its range. P.s. Mike B. has very good sources! Main thing is that just the one size of machine was involved. So the 7/8" give or take was the size of the run. And 11/16" would have been too much "take".

for example: http://books.google.com/books?id=VPUQAAAAI...enturine+copper Hmmm ... I should read this article. Haven't yet. Just pulled it up with a quick search on copper and aventurine, because that was faster than finding the other chemistry book where I read about it. In my quick skim of this article it sounds as if the glass was named aventurine well before the 1800's and the copper in it was discovered/rediscovered in the early 1800's. Skimming to the end, I see a "blue green" color associated with copper-based glass, contrasted to a yellow green shade of iron-based glass. Here's another one. http://books.google.com/books?id=tckoAAAAY...urine#PPA265,M1 This one mentions mica in the stone version and the copper in the glass version. It appears to be talking about a brownish version of the glass. Green aventurine glaze is mentioned after that though that seems to be talking about different minerals -- chromium? Fun stuff -- please note, I am a mathematician reading chemistry texts and am not pretending to understand it all. Just enough to know that copper is associated with what has been called aventurine glass of various shades. When the stone was discovered it was named AFTER the glass. At least that is the story I learned some time ago.

I do respect your knowledge. However, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that in the 1800's aventurine was used to denote a sparkley copper-based glass. Chemists wrote about it.

The eagle and tribute (last dance) runs were the first where I ever heard green mica glass called aventurine. Clarification had to be made about how the term was being used because in fact usually aventurine refers to copper-based glass. At least this is usual in the contexts I have studied. Sounds like in your discipline -- would that be contemporary glass artistry? -- the definitions might be different. I can accept that. However, in some disciplines aventurine and goldstone are very very closely related, even synonymous. Perhaps it is mica which makes my green aventurine stone look different from green aventurine glass. I need to look into that. I think I know where I have stored my aventurine mineral sample.

Thank you Ray. And it's just too GREAT. The "club" of children and grandchildren of the company founders is very exclusive. It's awesome that they're so willing to talk to us. Sue ... I don't know! Doug has all those mibs so maybe he could tell, but I'm still just learning how to recognize facets myself so if he doesn't already know how to find them I don't know if I could explain it well. But I think, yes, they would have to be faceted ... wouldn't they? Look at that belt in the picture of "R. W. Walker". Can you imagine it? Standing there, holding the stone up to the belt for a bit, maybe rocking it back a forth a little, and then rotating your grip, and holding the marble against the belt some more. When were the machines invented which could grind them without facets? I don't know. Joe ... basically the fella who donated the pix of R. W. Walker and the California Agate boxes ... he made me WANT to do it. That's about it. I went in circles on Google. I went in circles at Newspaperarchive.com. I went in circles at Google Books. And then I thought I'd go in the same circles in the Google News archive, but what the heck, I gave it a try and got a break -- found the LA Times story. :-) Thanks everyone. It's been so fun. And I know Doug and Mia will appreciate your remarks. (They have the link!)