2 seams or 1 ?

[Fire1981]

I didn’t want to high jack a thread by asking this question. It was pointed out to me that all marbles have 2 seams. So here’s my question. Are CAC single seams actually 2 seams folded into one ? 🔥

[wvrons]

All machine marbles are cut or sheared twice. Except the very first one when the furnace is unplugged or opened. The first one or first hundred or more are always trash. The cut lines or a cut line can fold inside. A cut line can get twisted, Two cut lines can end up very close together. Temperature can affect cut lines, stretched longer. The amount of space or distance between the two holes of the cutter blade affects what cut lines show.  Some cutter blades holes are round, some are horseshoe shape with a straight edge on one end. Older cutters can be scissor type, manual pedal operated or air operated. There are many cutter or shear designs. But all  machine made marbles are cut twice, bottom and top, of the hot glass stream as it flows from the furnace to the shear. The glass stream from the furnace to the shear is long and round like a smooth tootsie roll.  Some glass streams can be only two inches long, some can be six, eight, or ten inches long. As long as it stays hot enough to shear correct. The striping color will be in a near straight line as it flows from the furnace. The longer the glass stream the more it will twist before entering the shear. Like water going down a drain. Some twist can start or be built into the inside of the furnace.  Ribbon or patch marbles will have a straight line on the side or sides of the glass stream from the furnace to the shear. With a short distance from furnace to the shear. The glass stream has a viscosity like warm salt water taffy or maybe caulk from a caulking gun. The one single opening going into the shear can affect cut lines. The cut line can change if the hot glass stream is not centered in the single entrance hole into the shear. If the glass stream rubs the side of the cutter entrance hole, it can cause the glass glob to fold some. If the glass stream hits on the top edge or top of the cutter entrance hole, the glass glob can fold over in half on itself and a cut line may fold totally inside the glob. After the glob is sheared it is still cylinder or elongated shape.  It then falls into a rounded funnel cup and then out onto the marble machine rolls.  Rather than a cup some use a rounded tube like a pipe on a 45 angle, to get the hot glob to the marble machine rolls. Then the marble machine rolls round the hot glob into a round marble, in the first three grooves of the rolls. The rest of the length of the rolls is for cooling. As it goes down the rolls the marble is cooling and getting harder to keep its round shape. Many things can and do affect cut lines. Like everything making marbles, one very small misalignment or adjustment will make changes in the final marbles. Plus temperature changes with gas and air flow, different kinds of glass, fast or slow flows, etc. and etc.  Watch(over and over)one of the many You Tube videos on making machine made marbles. Jabo - How To Make A Marble is a good one.   All machine made marbles are cut or sheared two times. They have to be, the hot glass stream is a long tube shape flowing straight down. The stream of tube may be six inches long. Making one inch marbles, that six inch long stream may make six different marbles. The glass stream is a steady constant non stop flow.  Size 5/8 inch many companies made 200 or 250 marbles per minute. 

Cutter or shear blade used at Jabo and by several companies. This is inside the two hollow water cooled shear blade bodies. A new shear cost about $6500.00-$7500.00 . 

[Shamrock Marbles]

Well…. Hand-gathered and machine-formed marbles are predominantly single-shear marbles.

Christensen Agate (CAC) existed at the period were both Hand-gathering and Hearth-fed marbles were made.

Many Guineas and “Exotics” exhibit true single-shear marks. -John

 

[Fire1981]

So John ?  Did you make the Shamrock marbles I have ? 🔥

[Fire1981]

🔥

[Shamrock Marbles]

Yes, some are and some are not. -John

[Shamrock Marbles]

The “Watermelon” (Bullseye) and the Green/White/Yellow Patch (Spectrum) marbles are mine without a doubt.

Need better angles of the others to rule completely out. The colors, patterns and cut lines tell a tale.

I can explain how I got two cut lines on some of my marbles. 😉

[Shamrock Marbles]

This goes back to my original conversations with Les Jones in Hannibal 2003, KC 2004 and Amana 2004.

We all are constrained by the current laws of physics. Add Occam’s razor to that mix and you have a great conversation on “how did that happen”?