Source for 32mm glass balls

[Groundjoints.com]

Anyone know anyone that can mass produce 32mm glass spheres? I need about 1500 of them.

Thanks,

Adam

[MUPH]

solid? thats a crazy amount of balls

[Icarus]

I've got two of them right here.

Oh wait, I'm sorry, I thought you said "brass balls".


(Couldn't help it, sorry for threadjacking)

Good luck. If i remember right from reading an interview with Henry Halem, the first glass they were using for glassblowing was a really stiff formula from Corning that came in marble form. I don't know if that's of any help, but it may be a start.

[somewhere]

Anyone know anyone that can mass produce 32mm glass spheres? I need about 1500 of them.

Thanks,

Adam

That's just out of reach for most screw marble machines. How perfect do they need to be and do they need to be finished all around or will you be grinding and gluing these things to something.

[ornametalsmith]

great questions, Somewhere. My mind was racing.........cause I just recently used an acorn swage tool to make some 1" acorns. And had a thought that I could make a swage tool for 1.25" balls just as easily. It would get them very close, very quickly. But perfection would have to be done in a graphite mold I guess. Food for thought. DOH!!!

sorry for the idea of a noob.......got a lil carried away. Definitely not a production approach. I'll go back to quietly sitting on the side........so I can learn somethin.. :o:

[D. dino i ninjah]

find some one that has a sphere maker for lapidary work
it's a machieen that makes balls out of rocks I imagine that is the best way to make that many and have them be the exact size
I think they sell them here http://www.lapidarydiscount.com/SpheresBeads.html
and mabie a better known supplier http://www.kingsleynorth.com/skshop/search_results2.php?action=search&keys=sphere+maker+&catID=

peace
Clint from the hills of Wv

[Greymatter Glass]

a sphere machine would take way longer than doing them by hand.

Did you try mcmaster-carr? Also, I know corning makes smaller ones, they might be able to tool larger ones...

what kind of tolerance you need? I could make like 30-40 a day if you wanna pay :P

[Greymatter Glass]

I've got two of them right here.

Oh wait, I'm sorry, I thought you said "brass balls".


(Couldn't help it, sorry for threadjacking)

Good luck. If i remember right from reading an interview with Henry Halem, the first glass they were using for glassblowing was a really stiff formula from Corning that came in marble form. I don't know if that's of any help, but it may be a start.

You're probably thinking of the fiberglass marbles from back before spruce pine and spectrum made better glass?

Also... try thomas register and alibaba?

[jiminyrootkit]

what about one of those auger/roller things they use (used to use?) to make soft glass mibs in mass?
-f

[somewhere]

Great blog on homemade sphere machine:
http://glassmusings.blogspot.com/2009/08/grinding-marbles-into-submission.html
BTW: you can round and polish much quicker then you would expect.

Here's another great diy:
http://www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/reviews/adams_marble_maker/index.shtml

I don't no why I haven't built one yet. I fell in love with the idea when I saw one made with bamboo cups for grinding. Really simple but ingenious. Make sure to notice the grit feed on the first link.

[somewhere]

what about one of those auger/roller things they use (used to use?) to make soft glass mibs in mass?
-f

I don't think any of them produced marbles that big. It seems if they had we would see them in circulation but it is a good idea.

[Icarus]

You're probably thinking of the fiberglass marbles from back before spruce pine and spectrum made better glass?

Also... try thomas register and alibaba?

Yeah probably. It was a story of when Nick Labino first introduced helped Harvey Littleton setup the ho shop at the UW, so that's close to 30 some years ago, but I figured if one just needed a spherical glass shape, but didn't need it perfect looking, that may be a place to start.

[sunray]

As I recall Justin and the crew at Loomis Electric just finished 18,000 glass balls for the new Hilton Hotel in Bellevue.. They were all at the Flame Off. Zues, Dan and Justin
Sounds like a good job for one of them, they have a lot of practice!!!

[SNYD]

Send me the rod, Ill make em for ya.

[themoch]

i know that you can wholesale them in all sorts of colors the people at http://www.sunspots.com/ have large rubbermaid containers of all sizes of solid marbles.

i'm sure they can help you out.

[Groundjoints.com]

These need to be Borosilicate.

[Mac Maestro]

I'll make them if they can be hollow. Hit me up. I could even do a partial trade for raw glass.