Shamrock Marbles

Hungarian or Bulgarian or somewhere else? Don’t know. Lovely marble regardless of origin. Not picking sides here, but I believe the marble was single gathered and finished off with jacks prior to separation from the punty. Not a torch marble, but a torch was used. The black spots around the pontil mark are from burned dirt/beeswax from the jacks. The gray tone is from the rich gas/oxygen ratio from a finish torch to melt the pontil smooth. At the end of this video, you can see the marble separated and the pontil torch finished… Mark Matthews at Corning As always, YMMV.

Assuming that all marbles are equal in “attributes” (quantity, pattern, color, size and shape), the distribution of these would follow entropic distribution. Over time marbles would find their way to all “four corners” of the world. Think about an enclosed cube. Spray perfume in a corner and the perfume molecules would ultimately distribute equally in the volume over time. Marbles produced in Ohio would naturally find their way around the world over time. A Christensen Agate Guinea from the 20’s has the same probability to migrate from Ohio to Montreal as it does to Rolla, MO. Now, what changes the distribution is the “value” given to any one or multiple “attributes” involved. Equate money or beauty to gravity or magnetism. “Value” will usually find its way to the deepest purse. Over time, a Guinea found in Canada would probably find its way back into the USA due to the attractiveness of the currency exchange. Well financed collectors disrupt the natural distribution (entropy) of marbles. Their money acts like a black hole and soak up high valued marbles while leaving “lesser” marbles to circulate. (This is not a complaint. Just a reality. They take marbles off the free market and those remaining in circulation become scarce and increase in value. In time, those collectors have their acquisitions released back into public circulation due to disinterest, divestment or death). Stay patient and enjoy the search! YMMV. 😀

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.

Footballs + (2 x Trunnion) = Lemons

Jack Hahn lost his loving wife and wonderful partner, Sue Hahn on April 16, 2025. Sue Hahn obituary. Jack & Sue traveled extensively to marble and craft shows proselytizing the joy of playing marbles. You could always find Jack & Sue at the National Marbles Tournament in Wildwood, NJ. May our memories never fade.

Photos from listing: Just wish they had a photo of the signature.

Here is an auction for a Herman Leonhardt marble: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/herman-leonhardt-handcrafted-glass-1810182990 HERMAN LEONHARDT HANDMADE GLASS MARBLE SIGNED HCL Herman Leonhard lived on the banks of the Edisto River in South Carolina where he established Swamp Art, his glass studio, where he crafts a variety of ornamental and functional glass objects. He called his marbles Herman Planets and they have "Wormholes from a Cosmic Worm". His philosophy to crafting in molten glass is "to enjoy what you're doing and be aware that the only limits are your imagination and time". Herman Leonhardt passed away in 2011 so no more of these gems will be made. 2-3/4" DIAMETER FLAWLESS CONDITION”

CAC is my opinion. YMMV.

I’m sure Herman made marbles/spheres and that is how Jack got to know him. Most glass workers are very open to working with enthusiastic people. Herman probably opened his shop and experience to Jack. Personally, I have offered people a chance to make marbles on my machines. It is super fun for both parties. I get to relive the early moments of my discoveries. They get to experience mayhem. The techniques that I see in your marble are classic hot shop techniques. The rough pontil finishing is an early example in the progression of refinement. You state that he made “bowls and such”. Well, marbles, spheres and paperweights fall into the “such” category. If you believe it was made by someone else, then I hope you find the maker. Sincerely, John

Yes, the artist I believed that signed the marble “HCL” was Herman. A shame he is gone, but his work lives on!

I found a link for Jack Hahn’s website. Jack sold marbles he made at Herman’s shop. Notice the design DNA? https://themarbleman.com/artglass-handmade-marbles/ Click “Jack Hahn "The Marble Man" See his first hand made”. Hope this link works. 🤞🏻 Sizes are large. Hmmm, they look like Vacor Atmospheres. 🤔