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Slags & Swirls Saturday!!


William

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  • 2 weeks later...
3 hours ago, Ric said:

That's a great knob, John, and a super cool use for it. I'm interested in the marble machine "Genesis". Did you design and/or build it?

The journey for “Genesis” began in late 2001.  Design and build occurred during 2002.  First marble rounding attempt was March 2003.  First successful sphere was August of 2003.  First public demonstration was October of 2003.

Genesis was followed by the “Mark II” in 2006…

It’s been a crazy trek the last 20 years!

***
I designed the machine based on the MFC patent (~80%). The remaining design had ideas from other marble machine patents, plus one of my own features not claimed in any patent.

Built the unit at work over a period of months.  Had the “wheels” made at a friend’s machine shop.

***
Bruce Breslow and Cathy Runyan-Svacina gave the initial push. Brian Graham provided me with the MFC patent number.  The rest is history!

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7 hours ago, Shamrock Marbles said:

The journey for “Genesis” began in late 2001 . . .

That is really awesome. It sounds like a labor of love and perseverance - way to stick with it!

It's a beautiful looking piece of machinery, I'd love to see it in use.

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22 hours ago, Shamrock Marbles said:

The journey for “Genesis” began in late 2001.  Design and build occurred during 2002.  First marble rounding attempt was March 2003.  First successful sphere was August of 2003.  First public demonstration was October of 2003.

Genesis was followed by the “Mark II” in 2006…

It’s been a crazy trek the last 20 years!

***
I designed the machine based on the MFC patent (~80%). The remaining design had ideas from other marble machine patents, plus one of my own features not claimed in any patent.

Built the unit at work over a period of months.  Had the “wheels” made at a friend’s machine shop.

***
Bruce Breslow and Cathy Runyan-Svacina gave the initial push. Brian Graham provided me with the MFC patent number.  The rest is history!

What would it cost to have you make one for me? I am a mechanical engineer (HVAC design) but no mechanical aptitude for making anything…🥴

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On 9/30/2023 at 10:20 PM, Shamrock Marbles said:

The journey for “Genesis” began in late 2001.  Design and build occurred during 2002.  First marble rounding attempt was March 2003.  First successful sphere was August of 2003.  First public demonstration was October of 2003.

Genesis was followed by the “Mark II” in 2006…

It’s been a crazy trek the last 20 years!

***
I designed the machine based on the MFC patent (~80%). The remaining design had ideas from other marble machine patents, plus one of my own features not claimed in any patent.

Built the unit at work over a period of months.  Had the “wheels” made at a friend’s machine shop.

***
Bruce Breslow and Cathy Runyan-Svacina gave the initial push. Brian Graham provided me with the MFC patent number.  The rest is history!

Any videos of that bad boy running :Panic:

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17 hours ago, schmoozer said:

What would it cost to have you make one for me? I am a mechanical engineer (HVAC design) but no mechanical aptitude for making anything…🥴

You are not the first to ask. To reproduce “as is” today it would be around $5,000.  It could be done for much less using cheaper materials and components.

However, the real cost was my research and development time.  Would hate to put a dollar value on that. 😉

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46 minutes ago, Shamrock Marbles said:

Not readily available.  However, here is a link showing the larger “Mark II” in action . . .

I can't believe I never saw this. Thanks for posting the link. I really enjoy the sound of that machine in action.

Those are some pretty fancy marble shears too. 😉

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