m!b$ Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Attached is my one and only private-run Jabo. It is a Foxfire error marble that measures a little over 13/16". It has all kinds of little as-made imperfections in the glass that vintage marbles often have: little dimples, short creases, tiny pits (but no "damage"). The surface has kind of an orange-peel texture. I LOVE IT! So much better than the few new Jabos I've had in hand, with their ultra-smooth surfaces. This one has just a smattering of fine particles of aventurine here and there...enough to make it interesting, but not overpowering. And there's NO WHITE, not even one little spot of it. The pattern is outrageous, and ALL OVER THE MARBLE! No dull areas at all. And the color combination fits so well together, like fall leaves. Not too many colors, and they blend into each other like an oil painting. IT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!! So, my question is this: Whatever "error" caused this marble to happen, why can't someone figure out how to duplicate that "error" at will? That's the kind of errors we need lots more of! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 the error is prob the size.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m!b$ Posted March 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 This marble got an extra dose of all the right qualities. Whatever caused the unusual size, also caused the superior pattern, etc, I would guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m!b$ Posted March 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 One more question: Jabo used to make 1" marbles. Why can't they do that now? Or can they? And if they can, why DON'T they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvrons Posted March 11, 2010 Report Share Posted March 11, 2010 They can make one inch marbles. Why not,expense. To get the same number of marbles,the one inch size would take 1/3 to 1/2 again more investment than the 3/4 inch. Everything would have to grow including the selling price. Got a extra $50,000.00-$60,000.00 go for it. Then hope they turn out as you wished. It is so easy even a caveman can do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m!b$ Posted March 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2010 I've been told that the 1" machine needs repairs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marblemansion Posted March 11, 2010 Report Share Posted March 11, 2010 dirty rollers cause the imperfections from what I understand....plus most of the ones in the boxed sets are hand culled and only the nicest smoothest ones go in the boxes; while the ones with folds, pits, cracks or out of round are set aside for later sale as a "unique examples" - when really they would have ended up in the diggings 30 years from now if they were at the MK factory. I used to find everything from footballs, to eggs, weavers, halvsies, double ingots, in a case of Jabos - never saw those in the MK cases. Of course there won't be any diggings in 30 years at Jabo since the really bad glass gets recycled I am guessing - not buried in the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m!b$ Posted March 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2010 OK, so dirty up the rollers a little, and one item on my agenda will be taken care of. If I didn't think the new Jabos had potential, I wouldn't have bothered with this (dumbass) thread. They keep getting better all the time. I'm just trying to push it along a little... And I just wondered why there aren't any more 1" ones, when there used to be. Wasn't necessarily saying they HAD to make them 1" before I would consider buying them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glangley Posted March 11, 2010 Report Share Posted March 11, 2010 You have what looks like a double ingot, just a little more glass or two slugs stuck together before, or at the beginning of the rollers. More glass means it cools slower and are still soft when they leave the rollers. I can't say for sure, just from what my eyes have seen, but it could get the orange peel affect from the shoot they go down after the rollers, or it could be something to do with cooling beyond the malleable point after or at the very end of the rolling process. There was actually more than a few of these at the run I was fortunate enough to witness, although many of them are tonged off into the scrap pile. Of those that make it down the rollers, into the sizing rollers some were tonged off and saved by what I consider a Jabo historian whose work is important. Although I personally don't think that many are needed for historical purposes, but that's another thread entirely. Of those that actually make it into the cans at the end, most of them are like Linus' head off peanuts, very lumpy and out of round. If the 1" tank needs repair, and I am totally speaking in the area of ignorance because I don't know for sure, couldn't they use the rollers with the tank they use for 3/4in mibs and just punch a larger hole for a bigger stream flow? But if it's the rollers that are in need of repair, they would need a few folks at the rollers with tongs like melon ballers shaping them the entire way down to preserve the roundness, which would help some, but undoubtibly cause tool marks and such on a higher percentage. Neat question, and although it would cost more, I would sure like to see Jabo make some 1in mibs again someday. Until then, I'll keep my fingers crossed over this lottery ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvrons Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Yes,a new tank would probobably have to be built. The machine may need some cleanup and repair,but can be done. It all goes back to the money. There has been lots of interest in the past of making a one inch run,but one key word has not made it possible,money. It could happen yet,all it takes is the interest,the money,and the gamble. Dave will supply the advice,experience and what is needed to lessen the gamble. It may be done yet?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m!b$ Posted March 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Jabo He shows only one view of this marble, tho there are 3 pics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glangley Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Ah the joys and tricks of marketing! In the broadcast industry, we call it smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m!b$ Posted March 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 A new or repaired tank, and maybe new (or repaired, heh heh) ownership in Jabo. You know, somebody who's actually interested in making marbles instead of just making money... I'm not made of money... Hey! Looks like maybe I'm not so ignorant after all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delbert Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 You know, somebody who's actually interested in making marbles instead of just making money... ) Well, I would be interested in making marbles if I could make money at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david Chamberlain Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 The original question in this thread really kind of self-destructs because any attempt to make at will the marble(s) desired would ipso facto deny the possibility of it happening and the joy of chancing upon these special oddities would be taken right out of the process. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m!b$ Posted March 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 The original question in this thread really kind of self-destructs because any attempt to make at will the marble(s) desired would ipso facto deny the possibility of it happening and the joy of chancing upon these special oddities would be taken right out of the process. David Could you elaborate on this please? I'm kind of dense... (...actually, I was sorta hoping this thread would disappear into the back pages...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delbert Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 So, my question is this: Whatever "error" caused this marble to happen, why can't someone figure out how to duplicate that "error" at will? That's the kind of errors we need lots more of! Hmmmmmm, noob that I am, I can only guess that yours might be a double ingot because of the larger than usual size. It's sho-nuff nice looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david Chamberlain Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 I'm not sure how to make it any clearer but let me try. These marble oddities have come about whilst attempting to "make a beautiful marble"(I quote Dave McCullough); any effort to duplicate these oddities I think would if anything bargain less in the possibility of them occurring. And also the extra appreciation of their unusualness would evaporate into thin air. You must understand that I sit around and worry about these things. Someone has to......David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m!b$ Posted March 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 The part I don't understand is "any effort to duplicate these oddities I think would if anything bargain less in the possibility of them occurring". The other part sounds like you're saying that if there are too many of them, people will appreciate or value them less. Maybe so, but that is an unsettling thought. If there was enough variety, maybe that wouldn't be true. On a radically different, but oddly-related subject, it has often occurred to me that maybe that's why so many children aren't appreciated or treated properly - there's just too many of them around, and they're so easy to make... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 A little TOO easy to make, and awfully hard to get rid of! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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