Shamrock Marbles

About that. Focus on a quality torch and kiln. For 17 years I've used a GTT Lynx torch and a Jen-Ken kiln (11" dia x 6" tall chamber). Both bought as new. I use dual Airsep concentrators. Picked up as used rebuilds. Check Craigslist for low hour units. The best tool to start is a 5-in-1 Infinite Rim Graphite Mold from Dan Grumbling. Stainless steel punties cut from welding rod. Last but not least, get proper eye protection!! John

Ric, My heartfelt sympathy to you and your family. John

Sweet! I still remember my first hand-made marbles (and still have them). Don't give them away. Mark them in sequence (1801, 1802, 1803, etc.). I kept my first 100 marbles before I sold one. Pick a number for you. Might be 10, 25 or 50. I like looking at the progression of my skills and the techniques I tried. Thanks for sharing and keep up the enthusiasm! John P.S. Get a copy of Drew Fritts' book.

My opinion: 1) Contemporary. 2) Polished down to remove one or all these: signature, boil bubbles on edges of the spots, out of roundness, rough surface or punty marks. In the photos, there appears to be a slight twist and a definable North and South Pole. As with any opinion, YMMV. John South Pole North Pole Revised opinion on "North Pole": I think there was a faux cut-line at the North Pole. There is a "straight" feature, plus a parallel "shadow" just above. That "shadow" is what happens when the glass comes into contact with the scissors (or shear). North Pole (Revised)

One on Ebay right now? https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-3-16-Spotted-China-Marble-with-a-Green-Base-by-Robert-Brown-Unsigned-Mint/173165860669?hash=item28517d573d:g:cUAAAOSwrhBZC7nY John

There is an old post in the "Archives". Bob Block had a couple photos. John

Okay. I'm confused. April 1918 - 6 machines is clearly stated. September 1917 - 10 machines. True, I am extrapolating the quantity. 150,000 per day and each machine doing 15,000 per day. Simple math. Being quite familiar with trade magazines, I am going to have to claim some exaggeration or artistic license is going on by either Akro or the writer. Thoughts? John

Part 2 Above is a sketch where I've tried to cut, unfold and flatten your marble. What I was tying to say is that you have a short "U" (Tunnel) and an elongated "U" (Road). If the first shear had removed more glass, any remnant Road U would have been cut off and the lines would appear to be parallel. Look at that marble and follow the lines. Imagine if your marble only had one cut line. You can trace some of the lines as they loop around the sphere. John

Winnie, Sorry, let me try again. Above is your photo. Let me define "Cut Line 2" as the one that is the focal point of the Road & Tunnel. "Cut Line 1" will be opposite and only shown on the marble in Row 2, Right. I've tried to outline the "Road" with a dashed red line. It appears that the road doesn't completely make it to CL1. I've placed a question mark on the view in question. John

Winnie, Your marble is fantastic! I am wondering if you have a double tunnel marble. There isn't a clear photo of how the "clear" tunnel is truncated at the 1st shear mark. The base of the white tunnel is what I would call the 2nd shear mark. John

Brian, Again, thank you for sharing your experiences. The "Twist" versus "Dip" definitely has me thinking. Surely, they would result in different patterns. The "Twist" would be a "9" and the "Dip" could give you a "U"? The production rates, also, have me thinking. More later. Do you have a date on the 2nd article? It appears that the number of machines has grown from 6 to 10. Also, it appears they have moved from manual feed to automatic. You bring up a point. Do Akro Slags have similar construction features as CA Slags? Now, I have always been curious about the working time of the glass used to make marbles way back then. A longer working time would allow the glass to stay plastic and minimize a shear mark, while allowing the forming machine more time to form a sphere. Thoughts? Sincerely, John

Brian, Always a wealth of knowledge! Thank you for sharing. So that may explain a variation in Slags. At the beginning, when the color pot (transparent purple, blue, green, amber, etc.) is "fresh", the marbles made would have a nice clean transparent base with white striations. After running for some time, any excess white not picked up in the gather would start to bleed and mix with the transparent base. So, slags toward the end of a pot would have a "cloudy" or "milky" transparent base. Thoughts? The comment "do not gather but dip the glass" is very interesting. Thoughts on what this means? Hope all is going well with you. Sincerely, John

Winnie, I don't know if anyone can definitively answer your question with a 100% "Yes" about your German sample. I don't recall ever seeing anyone post information as to what technology the German's employed and the relevant time-frames. It would be safe to say that the consensus was that 100% of MF Christensen marbles were "Hand Gathered" and "Machine Rounded". It would be safe to say that early Christensen Agate marbles were "Hand Gathered". It would be safe to say that later Christensen Agate marbles were "Machine Stream/Gob Fed". Now where it gets dicey, is what varieties were "Hand Gathered" or "Machine Stream/Gob Feed". All is open to argument. Others might add that early Peltier and Akro marbles were "Hand Gathered". Some might argue that the early Akro "Hand Gathered" marbles were actually purchased MFC stock. I think what Chris is stating that his marbles derive their pattern from the "twisting", "stretching" and "folding" actions done while "Hand Gathering". He is also implying that the MFC 9 and CA Diaper Fold patterns were generated by "Hand Gathering". Personally, I agree. Here is an Andy Davis Marble/Top Stand. I believe these are single "Hand Gathered" and then sheared off into a press/mold. Notice the beautiful striations and "Road and Tunnel" pattern? Obviously, Chris' marbles and Andy's stands have a single shear mark. Your German marble exhibits two shear marks. It is this twin feature that lead some to believe that this was "Stream Fed" and not "Hand Gathered". My belief is that a "Hand Gathered" marble can have a single shear mark, but also two shear marks. Sincerely, John

Steph, Same as the marbles. The forehearth technology was the same. You just rolled your "forming" machine underneath. Sincerely, John

Road & Tunnel Booklet - Page 4 of 4. Copyright 1994.

Road & Tunnel Booklet - Page 3 of 4. Copyright 1994.

Road & Tunnel Booklet - Page 2 of 4. Copyright 1994.

Road & Tunnel Booklet - Page 1 of 4. Copyright 1994.

Even a blind squirrel can find an acorn once in a while. Stumbled across this early Chris' Robinson postcard. This must have preceded the branding of "Road and Tunnel Slag", as these marbles are called "Super Slags". Circa 1993/1994. Enjoy! John McCormick

Craig, Glass was purchased from Gabbert Cullet. So, whatever they bought as scrap and re-sold around 1993. The scrap had animal shapes. High probability it was Fenton. Gabbert sold tons of Fenton. I need to check mine under UV! John

Craig, I do have more information to share. Chris informed me that this was a very early "experimental" version of the R&T Slag. Not only was this a "developmental" marble, it was an "unusual" size (31/32"). Due to difficulties getting the machine to round, Chris cut the gather off the punty and into a "cup mold". The goal was to "pre-round" the gather as much as possible "before dropping on to the rollers". This was an early effort that he abandoned. "The cup mold was not completely finished and had circular machined marks." This makes sense, since you stated that your indentation is opposite the cut-mark. Hope this info helps. Now, I need to go look at my samples to see if there are any similar indentations! Sincerely, John McCormick "Shamrock Marbles"

Craig, Even more perplexed. I can't imagine what caused this. Sorry. Now, I can tell you that when we make larger marbles (1-1/4"+), we have to be very careful about when to remove from the marble machine. Even if the exterior seems cool and "set", the inner core can still be very hot. If you place a marble in the annealing kiln with a super hot core, that internal heat will migrate back to the surface. The surface can soften and the weight of the marble will create a flat spot (or an impression of the shelf material). Sometimes, a marble can slip through or jump out of the rollers. If it lands on something, it will make an impression. I just can't think of anything on Chris' machine that would make this mark. Again, sorry for not being much help. John P.S. I have always wanted to see Andy Davis make his marble/top stands. If you look at the bottom, they display a perfect "Road & Tunnel" pattern. A few years back, Alan sent me some beautiful examples.

Craig, No problem. Posts get buried quickly. As far as that indentation, I am puzzled. Could it have sat on something on the annealer? Maybe. Is that a concentric ring around the indentation? Does that area appear to be more "bubbly" than the rest of the surface? Sorry for more questions. John

Good morning, everyone! John

Shamrock says, "Howdy." Glad to see you post! John