wvrons

Jabo

Alox bought these from Master, then repackaged them and sold them. When Alox discovered that they were being cheated after several orders on what they received. Master was including broken marbles and some scrap glass in the bottom of the boxes for weight. Most marbles were sold and bought by the pounds. That is when Alox decided that they would learn how, obtain the equipment and workers to make their own marbles. So Alox contacted Ravenswood Novelty and Alley Agate and not long after Alox was producing marbles. The marble machines came from WV. Even the marble machine workers all came to Alox from WV.

That first one is one of those 50/50. Good eye on the pattern. The first one is possible Ravenswood or same chance of Alley. But if you go with numbers Alley produced many more than Ravenswood. So odds are best as Alley. Some Ravenswoods and Alleys cannot be separated, but many can. The second marble is the first Ravenswood marble that I ever put a name with, Blue Raven. Alley was the first person to ever make a marble at Ravenswood Glass in Ravenswood WV. Alley made his very first marbles at Ravenswood WV for Ravenswood Glass. Ravenswood Glass later, after Alley left, became Ravenswood Novelty Works Company.

How many Vitro Pee Wees does anyone have ?

Total correct. It is not the actual roll spin speed etc. It is the glass glob being to small, to large, to hot, to small, glass buildup on the roll, etc. The hot glass glob needs to spin constant in all different directions on its own axis in each and every groove of the roll. If it spins to many revolutions in one direction it can end up a rams head or other odd pattern. Or out of round, or roll marks, or egg shape, or many abnormal things. It is a error a mistake non standard production. A shear problem can also cause the glass glob to be abnormal and then it will not spin correct. There are many variables with every step of machine made marbles. Everything is hot, moving equipment, timing, on and on. One item gets off and the marbles will change. Not one but several at 250 a minute until the problem is corrected. Sorry about that. It is some part or the glass stream or glob that goes bad.. Not the marble machine rolls. The marble machine just makes the hot glass glob round. The rolls do not make or change the pattern of the marbles unless there is a error, non standard production. The rams head and other odd twist and patterns on most marbles, especially on one or both poles, other than intended swirl type, are errors, non standard production.

I am not sure Master had any Tiger Eye labeled type marble by the company. I think Master Tiger Eye always referred to the clear base orange, black and white colors striations like above, which the colors can be wide or more narrow. Some like a patch style, cat eye style and some more like sparkler style. But always clear base with bright, orange, black and white, some do not have the white. Vitro Tiger Eye marbles are totally different. There are also stone agates called Tiger Eye. Some Cat Eye marbles were called Tiger Eye. Different types of marbles are labeled Tiger Eye. Different companies have certain marbles labeled by company or collectors as Tiger Eye. I don't think there is a big family of Master Tiger Eye marbles. I think they are all clear base with the same color combination.

Quacking patch. I don't see any corkscrew pattern. Color combo would be milky translucent white base and yellow.

Corkscrew pattern can be made by single stream or multi stream methods. Corkscrew pattern routinely steady standard production required the spin from the spinner cup that only Akro had.

I have stated it for years the rams head pattern comes from incorrect spin of the glass glob in the roll groove. It has nothing to do with any spinner cup or corkscrew pattern. It can happen on slags, or with any machine made marbles. I have seen it on all machine made marble companies marbles even newer ones at Jabo, Sammy;s and DAS. The rams head pattern is a error a mistake.

I am the odd one. I see Akro.

Any black face helmet is a good find. But I have never seen one with aventurine.

I see a Alley Pistachio.

I remember that hole at Akro. Plus that concrete at Ravenswood.

Alley flame.

Maybe a blue and yellow CAC ?

They are all veneered. All four types have the colors veneered or only thin on the surface.

I agree with all and with the use of two sets of rolls or four rolls. Probably two running side by side to the left of the furnace and two running side by side to the right of the furnace. This equipment took up a lot of space at the end of the furnace. I see the shears were air operated and tripped by the gather person. That would be slow with all the corks made. I am not sure the corkscrews were hand gathered. I wonder if the shear was changed or a different type shear was used once they were making corks ? At some point I am sure they changed to a more automatic shear. The picture above is a 1915 Miller shear. When were the first Akro corkscrew marbles produced ? I forget the patent date for the spinner cup equipment ?

One of the better Vitro guides anyplace.

I agree. I need to ponder on this. Was the shear actually a scissor type or a plate type moving back on forth ? The plate shear makes two cuts as in moves across one time and two more cuts as it moves back. Each two cuts or pass are one glass glob. At about 15-30 seconds each pass or glass glob. I just checked 50 Akro corks and 24 twisted left and 26 twisted right. Maybe the fist pass across the shear made a right twist and the reverse pass across the shear made a left twist. Or the way every other glob was delivered to the spinner cup ? I think the spinner cup spun in only one direction. I think the left and right twist was probably 50/50 on Akro corks. Shear blade. Some of these can have a perfect circle hole or one end of the hole straight like this one. These are operated automatic by roller chain drive and electric motor. The scissor type shear is much different. Some were manual. Some were foot operated and some were more automatic by electric, air etc. Shear types can make differences with marbles. Much more than any machine rolls will. The distance from the furnace outlet to the shear also makes a difference with marbles. The way the glass stream enters the shear makes a big difference with marbles and cut lines. I have said for many years that the pattern or style of marble happens before the glass glob hits the marble machine. Akro graphite spinner cup. Each much different size corkscrew marble would require a different size spinner cup and a different size marble machine with different size roll grooves. You can make 9/16 inch marbles on a 5/8 size machine. But you cannot make 7/8 marbles on a 5/8 inch marble machine. If you stray to far from the rolls actual size up or down the marbles will be roll marked, out of round, egg shaped, etc.

How could the spinner cup spin left for some and then right for some ? Then tip over and dump the marble to the machine rolls. How do you determine the top or bottom of a Akro cork ?

Akro but not enough colors for a Sparkler. Sparker needs at least four colors, five or six preferred.

Gray= Alley swirl White/orange= Alley swirl Green/white/brown= Heaton swirl Clear base Red Cat Eye= Foreign to the US. Probably Asia.

I agree modern MK game marble.

My CAC with oxblood was blue and oxblood with very small amount of white. Plus I had two dug pieces of matching cullet from the CAC Cambridge site. I think this marble is a double seam oxblood brick. I don't see enough green for me to label it green brick.