good morning stephen, yes i have done the potato trick, and yes it does work, in theory the moisture ( steam ) as it vents upwards ( heat rises ) it tends to draw to the surface the air trapped when the cullet liquifies. marbles extrude downwards ( gravity fed ) so no need to rake the surface, just recharge the crucible. i learned this trick from eric bladholm ( marvin lipofsky's assistant at ccac i was the lab tech for chico states glass lab 1986-88 ) marvin did a work shop here. i am happy to help roger
hi stephen, thanks for the video, i always was taught the bubbles ( seeds) in the glass were on purpose, they were referred to as " sparklers" as they sparkled when they rolled. the bright vanes in cat eyes were called crayolas after crayons most of those were marble kings. it is a good pointer to note the vents in the center that is useful. thanks again roger
hi stephen, when glass is made by " batch" there usually are no " seeds" or bubbles. thy appear when recycled glass or cullet is used. as glass returns to its liquid state, it traps the seeds in. the way to remove them from the surface is to rake them to the side but the best trick that i have seen is to throw a potato into the batch as the potato vaporizes the seeds are drawn to the surface and thus you have clearer glass. sparklers were named as the light reflected on the seeds and thus became a marketable feature. roger
Hi Roger and thanks for the tips. I’m not sure if you’ve ever put a potato in a furnace, I have heard of such things. We asked Dave McCullough about it and he said doing such things was started by Don Michaels at Champion. He said Don made him put apples, sunflower seeds and all kinds of weird items in the tank and finally Dave got fed up and stopped doing it. it was a complete smokescreen on Don’s part to get the other companies to try and follow. Who knows?
greetings stephen, i am happy to help (if i can ) in college i knew i could never afford a furnace, pipe warmer, glory holes and annealing ovens due to the expense. i instead learned and wrote the results for investment cast glass. much more affordable than blowers. i also might be able to assist in glass chemistry. the white cateyes we referred to as ghosts. i have always loved marbles. funny how what we are drawn to in our youth is what we are drawn to when we become adults. best roger
When I started working as a glassblower, the oldtimers of the factory called the furnase debris "glassblowers teeth" because in the old times the tooth would eat a piese of the quota.
Hi John, the companies you collect are going to reflect your tastes, you might like swirls or patches or bright colors. Peltier , Akro and Christensen are generally the most collectable by the masses and hold /increase their value over time. The best places to buy are at marble shows, Facebook buy/sell groups and quite frankly Ebay imo. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy the hobby!
Thanks for the info. I thought I might of had some Bogard cat eyes... the colors look the same and the four veins go to surface, but they don't have a hollow core
Hi Travelling Bottle Digger. Vitro seems most likely for yours . Heaton Cats have paper thin veins so you could separate them fairly easily from Vitro which would be a little thicker on average.
Cat’s eyes were my favorite in my youth! To be honest, we liked to take the marbles, boil them and then put in cold water to see if we could get some cool cracks…. Sorry, fellas. Don’t know why. Forgot how much I loved them as a child!
Bogard catseyes to me are pretty distinctive. Most I’ve seen and also have been very bubbly and the veins of glass in them aren’t as solid and or distinctively striated as the Asian cats/vitro and marble kings. And as stated you gotta be careful with Peltier bananas as from what I can tell, both pelt bananas and some bogarts look basically freaking identical. Still don’t know a definite way to tell them apart.
Right Red Letter , you’re most likely going to find the Pelt Bananas in the wild . I’ve only seen one banana type Heaton/Bogard In original packaging and they was Ron Shepherds cola bag. They may be thinner and stringier but I don’t want to sound like a blanket statement . There’s always exceptions to the rule.
Well I am from Windsor Ontario Canada. I would be interested in buying some from you possibly soon. Would be interested in having a very nice collection started
I don't know anyone. I've bought things online from all other. So I don't mind getting things where ever I can. Dosen't matter where. Ups is nothing the greatest way to ship anything anyways. I get free shipping from US all the time
Beautiful cats eyes! I would be very happy with these! So many colors! Thankyou for sharing...
Thanks for watching Things in Kansas ! I think Heaton/ Bogard made some pretty cool Cat’s Eyes
I've got a handful of marbles thst have stumped me fir weeks that I bought . I now know that they are Halloween marbles. So cool . Thank you
Oh cool congratulations! Rockhound ! They’re not easy to find in loose lots.
@@stephenbahrmarbles very interesting I have five all together and some other ones that look like the same maker but I'm not sure of the style
Bravo Bravo Bravo.....MUCH RESPECT...and thanks again for the education
Thanks Summer Rose! 🇨🇦
That was educational and fun
Thanks Jracat!
Beutiful and the gentlemen who share there knowledge and experience Priceless!
Thank You!🥰
Thank you Michael ! 💥
Thanks for bringing the information on these marbles, always a pleasure to watch 👍🏹
Thank you Arrowhead Reapers! 🏹
Great video. Thank you for a look at the cat’s eye and some incredible information. Hope you and yours are well. Happy holidays.
Thank you Starrylock! I hope all is well ! I hope you have a great holiday too! 🔒
good morning stephen, yes i have done the potato trick, and yes it does work, in theory the moisture ( steam ) as it vents upwards ( heat rises ) it tends to draw to the surface the air trapped when the cullet liquifies. marbles extrude downwards ( gravity fed ) so no need to rake the surface, just recharge the crucible. i learned this trick from eric bladholm ( marvin lipofsky's assistant at ccac i was the lab tech for chico states glass lab 1986-88 ) marvin did a work shop here. i am happy to help roger
Thank you for the explanation Roger, as you could imagine I’m not well-versed in glass production, just some basics . I appreciate your comments !
You did it again!!! Fantastic video, thank you sooooooo much Stephen!!!!
Fantastic video thank you very much
Thank you Spanshfly 🔵
hi stephen, thanks for the video, i always was taught the bubbles ( seeds) in the glass were on purpose, they were referred to as " sparklers" as they sparkled when they rolled. the bright vanes in cat eyes were called crayolas after crayons most of those were marble kings. it is a good pointer to note the vents in the center that is useful. thanks again roger
Cool Roger! Thanks for the notes, a lot of bubbles usually means cheaper glass… but I love the bubbles!
hi stephen, when glass is made by " batch" there usually are no " seeds" or bubbles. thy appear when recycled glass or cullet is used. as glass returns to its liquid state, it traps the seeds in. the way to remove them from the surface is to rake them to the side but the best trick that i have seen is to throw a potato into the batch as the potato vaporizes the seeds are drawn to the surface and thus you have clearer glass. sparklers were named as the light reflected on the seeds and thus became a marketable feature. roger
Hi Roger and thanks for the tips. I’m not sure if you’ve ever put a potato in a furnace, I have heard of such things. We asked Dave McCullough about it and he said doing such things was started by Don Michaels at Champion. He said Don made him put apples, sunflower seeds and all kinds of weird items in the tank and finally Dave got fed up and stopped doing it. it was a complete smokescreen on Don’s part to get the other companies to try and follow. Who knows?
Numero uno Stephen 👍
Gracias Chad ! 🔴
greetings stephen, i am happy to help (if i can ) in college i knew i could never afford a furnace, pipe warmer, glory holes and annealing ovens due to the expense. i instead learned and wrote the results for investment cast glass. much more affordable than blowers. i also might be able to assist in glass chemistry. the white cateyes we referred to as ghosts. i have always loved marbles. funny how what we are drawn to in our youth is what we are drawn to when we become adults. best roger
Perhaps we could do a glass video at some point . Email me at sbahr@scarletknights.com , I hope you have a terrific weekend!
I love bubbles in (my) old marbles, very pretty. Is it not funny that the marbles the factories rejected are the most beautiful and sought after ones?
Right , the rejects and discards become valuable since they are scarce. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure 🪣
When I started working as a glassblower, the oldtimers of the factory called the furnase debris "glassblowers teeth" because in the old times the tooth would eat a piese of the quota.
Ahh cool Juntti ! I haven’t heard that term before thank you . Some of them have the most unusual shapes.
For collecting starting to collect. What's best advice 🤔 best companies and sites to buy from. Single marbles and or sets or lots. Please help
Hi John, the companies you collect are going to reflect your tastes, you might like swirls or patches or bright colors. Peltier , Akro and Christensen are generally the most collectable by the masses and hold /increase their value over time. The best places to buy are at marble shows, Facebook buy/sell groups and quite frankly Ebay imo. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy the hobby!
Thanks for the info. I thought I might of had some Bogard cat eyes... the colors look the same and the four veins go to surface, but they don't have a hollow core
Hi Travelling Bottle Digger. Vitro seems most likely for yours . Heaton Cats have paper thin veins so you could separate them fairly easily from Vitro which would be a little thicker on average.
@@stephenbahrmarbles thanks a million. That helps !
Wonderful video! Thanks so much ...
Can you post the eBay Id number for Rick's marbles? I could not find his postings.
Thanks again!
Hi Christine! It’s : Ricksmarbles16ebr on EBay
Cat’s eyes were my favorite in my youth! To be honest, we liked to take the marbles, boil them and then put in cold water to see if we could get some cool cracks…. Sorry, fellas. Don’t know why. Forgot how much I loved them as a child!
I’ve tried that myself, just for kick 🟢
Bogard catseyes to me are pretty distinctive. Most I’ve seen and also have been very bubbly and the veins of glass in them aren’t as solid and or distinctively striated as the Asian cats/vitro and marble kings. And as stated you gotta be careful with Peltier bananas as from what I can tell, both pelt bananas and some bogarts look basically freaking identical. Still don’t know a definite way to tell them apart.
Right Red Letter , you’re most likely going to find the Pelt Bananas in the wild . I’ve only seen one banana type Heaton/Bogard In original packaging and they was Ron Shepherds cola bag. They may be thinner and stringier but I don’t want to sound like a blanket statement . There’s always exceptions to the rule.
Hey do you know where the creek where the marbleking factory dump is at?
Yes I have seen it .
@@stephenbahrmarbles Where is it at because I want to go there and bring back a few 5 gallon buckets of marbles and cullet
Crazy eagle 31
Do you sell any
I only sell annually at the Northeast marble Show, or locally in New Jersey. Not online much really
Well I am from Windsor Ontario Canada. I would be interested in buying some from you possibly soon. Would be interested in having a very nice collection started
Sorry John, there’s plenty of Canadian sellers out there that would eliminate the USA to Canada postal rates.
I don't know anyone. I've bought things online from all other. So I don't mind getting things where ever I can. Dosen't matter where. Ups is nothing the greatest way to ship anything anyways. I get free shipping from US all the time
No worries I'll be searching