Shamrock Marbles

Fire, Yes you can. See my post above when I blasted my rollers. They really need to be machined.

Easier said than done. The best way is to resurface the augers in a CNC Lathe. $$$$ Most people have a dream, but their wallet falls short.

Beautiful!!

Here are photos of “weathered” rollers with “patina”. Imagine the marble surface after rolling across these!

Size of the glass gob: Since the basic shape of a marble is a sphere, let’s use the radius (r) as a basic unit of measure. Thus the larger the gob the larger the radius. A molten gob of glass is a fluid and has surface tension. It is surface tension that is basically trying to pull the gob into a sphere. Years ago, this law of physics was implemented in creating lead shot. Look up shot tower. Additionally, this is how dippin dots are made. Yum! The formula that concerns us is: As the radius increases the impact of surface tension is reduced. In other words, the surface tension is 2x stronger with a 3/8” diameter gob than a 3/4” diameter gob. The surface tension is 4x stronger with a 3/8” diameter gob than a 1-1/2” diameter gob. What this means, is that a larger gob of glass will collapse or flatten under gravity than a smaller gob. You can replicate this water droplets. So, imagine a large glass gob landing on a pitted roller. Initially, it will overcome surface tension and collapse and conform to the “volume” of the groove. If the groove surfaces are smooth, then you have a chance at a nice marble surface. If the forming surfaces are pitted, then the glass will be impressed with that profile. Once set, it stays.

Thank you, Brian. Couldn’t imagine the amount of elbow grease you used. We need to get together for a marble weekend!

Fire, Please humor me with my response. Orange Peel is impacted by these major factors: 1) Surface condition of the forming rollers. 2) Size of the glass gob. 3) Temperature of the glass. 4) Machine settings. — Roller Surface Condition: 5/8” and 3/4” marble machines were run the most, so they never degraded from rust surface pitting as much as others sizes. Extra marble machines and those of oddball sizes (pee wee and large) were sitting idle most of the time. High humidity environments like Ohio and West Virginia would develop nighttime condensation on the cool steel surfaces. As the next day would warm up, the moisture would burn off. Over time, this cycle would create rust pitting and eventually damage the ideal surface. Exhibit 1: The Vitro machine donated to Wheaton Village. Scott Meyer spent quite a bit of energy to “recondition” the machine to make marbles. However, the roller surfaces succumbed to the laws of nature. These marbles are about 3/4” and exhibit very noticeable orange peel. Exhibit 2: The Peltier machine owned by Brian Graham. This machine was victim to neglect and Mother Nature. I would love to have Brian articulate what effort he went through to rework the roller surfaces. Orange peel was most evident in his early marbles, but improved over time. Exhibit 3: Shamrock Mark II machine. The first time testing the Mark II machine at Marble Crazy, I could not get the gob to change axis. I took the tooling to work early on Saturday morning and bead blasted the grooves to improve friction. The glass beads “pitted” the surface, but did not improve the “rounding”. (Later, I discovered I had the roller speed differential way off. All good now.) More to follow…

Fire, Deja Vu. 😉 https://marbleconnection.com/topic/37195-orange-peel/#comment-318846 Shamrock

Linda, Do a search on “Fenton Olde Virginia Fairy”. You have a custard fairy lamp. Enjoy!!

Wood? Well, it would not have been my choice. I think it comes down to your circle of comfort and knowledge. If you are a glass worker, you know that water soaked wood blocks and tools have been successfully used for centuries when shaping hot glass. So, the choice of wood is understandable. ** Watching the video brings back memories of March 2003. It took me 5-months to make my first spherical marble in August. Wishing them the best in their journey!

Hope this works: IG Wooden Hand-Cranked Marble Machine

Sorry, it is a screen shot.

Fun stuff!

Love these stories. What I really enjoy is reading how your journey intersected with others collectors and mentors. The reality is that some of those special people have passed and yet you continue to carry forward and impact future collectors. I applaud all your efforts. I am humbled by your passion and patience. Thank you.

Good point, Mike! 😉 I will try to do better moving forward.