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Colored Sulfide


MC Marbles

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I said, found their way "to you" Rich, not found by you Rich. I just find it amazing that many colored Sulphides were sent to you for work. And then every one was a fake.. That also made me think they might have all come from one person. The odds you got that many colored sulphides to work on is amazingly huge and the fact every single one was a fake seems beyond astronomical. (unless they all came from one source).

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Wrong assumptions Galen - I got the colored sulphides from different individuals as I said regardless of the odds, astronomical or not. I go to my mailbox and get what I get and try my best to do the repair as best as I can. There are no guaranties in working glass. I've always said, the glass will do what IT wants to do! If you worked in glass you'd understand rather than just collecting glass.

When I get marbles to repair, I will not attempt any job unless the owner knows what might happen to the marble and the risks involved. These colored sulphides are what they are and so far I can't tell if the original glass was colored glass or clear glass chemically altered. You can bet I will spectroscope the next one very carefully as my curiosity is peeked after this thread has started am I am eager to learn more about this subject.

I trust the history of the glass people at Corning Galen even if you feel they don't know anything about glass and I believe what they told me when I was there.

Rich

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I've got a question but let me preface it by saying that my experience with glass and glass chemistry consists only of a very few attempts at lampworking, so I may be far off the mark here.

Could it be that Rich's results with repairing colored sulfides have to do with the fact that he heats the marbles with a torch, whereas other marble reconditioners use polishes and grinding? Isn't it true that some glass colors "strike" depending on how they are heated, the temperature, the percentage of oxygen in the flame and duration of heat applied? And isn't it true that ther color can be lost when the glass is taken beyond the striking point?

I'm just wondering if, when heat is applied to an already annealed marble, the structure of the glass is in some way "going clear" rather than it being a case of a colored coating that is burning off.

Scott - what do you think?

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Stacy I am not sure but I think when most torch repairs are done to large marbles they are usually placed in a kiln and preheated before torching I wonder why the color does not change in the kiln. And answering your question it takes a long time for the glass under the surface to raise to the same temp as the surface when placed in a torch. So even if there was a magic glass that went clear when heated(don't know of that stuff) it would not do so when just the surface was hit with a torch as Rich describes.

Rich, I am sorry I am not being clear enough. I am not doubting that Corning may have a glass dying process of some sort. What I am willing to bet is that it is in no way similar to the paint type home coloring kits. This method allows the surface to wear off rather easily, so it is usually done on the surface of the object that will not come in contact with anything. And none that I have ever seen can be used on glass used in a way corning glass products would be used. No way are the similar IMO. But thats not what I am talking about.

I just find it amazing that even if you have received several hundred sulphides for repair that you received at least 10 colored sulphides and they were all fake. I say this because I have seen probably a thousand or more sulphides and I believe I have seen only a couple dozen or so colored and they were all purple except for possibly 2 or 3. I have seen a couple others that did appear dipped in something but to me they looked obviously faked. So it is the rarity of real colored glass sulphides and faked(dipped) that made me assume the 10 fake one you received would have come from one person. And I do not see in any way that a marble making company would have been dipping marbles in color. You go ahead and believe what you want but be assured that surface colored sulphides are fakes done long after they were manufactured. If not, every scratch, chip and ding on every color dipped marble you repaired would have been obviously lacking in color. No need for a spectrascope. Suphide collectors may want to know where the fakes came from.

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Thanks Galen - I agree that my theory doesn't make sense when you think about the marble being pre-heated in a kiln, which, of course, it would need to be.

I wonder though, if just heating in a kiln without subsequent torching would affect the color, or if re-heating a clear sulfide would bring up some color. I'm just thinking about how some minerals used for jewelry are color-enhanced by heating. It would be an interesting experiment if one had a lot of expendable old sulphides LOL.

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Heating in a kiln is a must of course. The temperature in a kiln is set at 978ºF an the torch is 1450ºF - 3000ºF. The lower temperature has no color affect on the glass as it sits in the kiln. That is why the kiln doesn't affect the colored sulphide marbles.

Galen - never received several hundred sulphides.... that made me laugh! Thanks!

Stacy - those minerals used in jewelry usually are metal based where the glass used in the sulphides is silicate based so that is the difference.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This 1.25" Polar Bear sold on Ebay a couple weeks ago for $375

It was stated: Probably came from the "California Hoard"

http://www.ebay.com/...=p2047675.l2557

$T2eC16JHJG%21E9nm3pkMRBQ2C5+KMPQ%7E%7E60_57.JPG

Ok, The marble is in hand. I think it could be old but not 100% sure since I don;t have any other older colored sulphide to compare it to. Short of letting Rich heat it up and zap it with the torch, what suggestions do you have for determining age and authenticity?

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I'd advise not to touch it Greatmacscott and leave it alone.

Collectors send me damaged marbles all the time. One like the pictured one is one I'd advise to be left as is. The nearest colored Sulphide I have torched was a lot darker brown than this one. Just because of the neat color, I say let it be.

Rich

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I have it in hand and the seller must have one heck of a magnifying lens because it looks better in hand than the picture. I pulled out the big magnifying glass and can see any fractures around the figure.

I had a couple of folks here look at it and they think it is old. It goes in the collection and when my kids have the marble garage sale after I have departed this earth, the new owner can decide what they want it to be.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The closely spaced concentric rings on the far left side of the image are indicative of a remelt. I can't tell if they go all the way across the marble, due to the lighting, but if they do, it would a remelt of some kind.

Not so sure about that part, a lot of German marbles I've seen have a similar trait.

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