your experience needed

[richsantaclaus]

An antique marble collector gave me an old marble (1 1/4" diameter) that was chipped and cracked and wanted me to try and "repair" it. So, I slowly warmed it up and brought it slowly into the heat and picked out the impurities and was careful to remove the Boro punty glass since I didn't know the COE of the marble to begin with.

It came out pretty good - nice and shiny and just a few small bubbles from the deep cracks and of course it is a bit smaller now after picking the glass from the surface.

Have you ever tried "fixing" an antique marble before and what was your experience?

[Greymatter Glass]

pretty much ruins the value.... other than that it sounds like it worked for you.

[kage]

one time i fixed a german soft glass flower with a carlisle.

[Crofootadv]

I've fixed plenty of stuff that I knew the origin of, even years later, with success.

I've even seen a pretty elaborate set of candlestick holders originally created from a furnace get repaired in a flame, but again, the COE was known.

Sounds like it worked for you, did you reanneal the piece ?

[obscure_shadow]

i dont think the coe really matters if you aren't adding anything... ?

[richsantaclaus]

I did reanneal the marble. It did change the look and I know it isn't worth what it was BUT it made the guy happy and isn't that all that really counts anyway? It was total trash before and now it is clean ans smooth.

I'll try to post a pix of the result soon for you to see.

[Swampy]

Interesting story.

[glassdocnc]

I'd love to see a before and after shot.

[richsantaclaus]

I wish I'd taken the before shot but I didn't - sorry. The marble was all foggy looking on the exterior, nothing was smooth at all. There were 1/16" to 1/4" chips and cracks inside it too.

Here are 3 shots of the result of trying to repair it. In one of the shots, you can see where I had to go really deep and it flawed the little yellow strips.

I was told that this marble was 70 years old! I was also told it was trash AFTER he gave it to me! I plan on giving it back - repaired. It's probably still not worth anything as a collectible marble but whatever. I had fun trying.

[KahunaGlassArt]

nice better than a cracked hunk of junk, i think.
how long did it take you to ramp up?

[melter skelter]

German handmade? never seen one so clear... thats kinda cool

[kebira]

I've collected antique marbles for decades. You are correct in the de-valuation of an antique marble, unless it's somewhat rare in both size and style. I used to have a very old guy , in his 80's,out in Arizona, who specialized in spherical grinding of antique marbles. Did a beautiful job. The loss is the punty mark on the older marbles, which helped in determining the age . Very old glass marbles (1850's-early 1900's)had punty marks on both poles, the transitional marbles ,half machine formed,half hand made,had one punty mark, and of course, machine made had none. Choosing to re-surface is dependent on the type and rarety of the internal style. A simple lattachino, single color wouldn't get gussied up. But a single multicolored ribbon, or multicolored lattachino would. Lots of early handmades were one-of types, end of day creations that were at the whim of the indivdual, often made as gifts to family and friends. Most of these are encased enough to grind away the surface damage,the chips and moons of centuries of play. Spherical grinding, for a collector, is choice #1. Nice job on the marble, Rich. It's a crapshot as to whether an older marble can withstand the rigors of re-finishing. I once purchased a really rare lutz-type onionskin marble. 5/8's of an inch, for $375. I was ecstatic. It was profesionally packed,insured, and when it arrived at my door, upon opening it, I discovered,literally, a package of what appeared to be almost ground glass. Apparently, just the pressure change in flight killed it. I got my dough back, but really coveted that marble. I've never seen another like it. I know people diss the older stuff, but it does not compare with the contempory stuff, a lot of which is just knock-offs of the older styles.

[Swampy]

Kev you just reminded me, the back tyres on my truck are like onion skins.

I didn't know you collected antique mibs, looking at old time goblets in museums and on the net I have much respect for the makers in them days, they had to make everything from scratch, I mean not just their tools but colours too.

Good job Rich.

[kebira]

Kev you just reminded me, the back tyres on my truck are like onion skins.

I didn't know you collected antique mibs, looking at old time goblets in museums and on the net I have much respect for the makers in them days, they had to make everything from scratch, I mean not just their tools but colours too.

Good job Rich.

Paul,
I think if you just clean that jungle mud on the tires you may find you have treads!
Yup, love them old timey marbles. My favorites are hand-made pee-wee's, less than 1/2". I was always amazed at how intricate some could be at that size. Think at one time, I almost cornered the market on them. They're a bittersweet lot, though. Made in depression- riddled Germany using lots of child labor in hellacious conditions, to be enjoyed by American children. And I think of that when I look at mine.
Marbles got me into glasswork. Gotta love them.

[kage]

nice fix. repped ya!

[richsantaclaus]

Thanks all - I sure didn't think that what I did would bring out so much interest!

By the way, I was the 6th grade marble champ at my elementary school and I happened to keep all the marbles I won and now as I sit here typing, I am looking at the lamp they are in - I am 62 so they are OLD!!!!!

[glassdocnc]

Rich, thanks for the pics! It was ballsy to even attempt the repair. I'd rep you but apparently I've done so too recently on the rep ho thread.

[Greymatter Glass]

Devalued or not, if you got what you needed out of it, and the owner is happy, I'd say it was an attempt worth making and turned out good.

I will never fully understand the mentality of antique marble collectors, but i can respect it as much as anything else people collect. Nostalgia and rarity of a manufacturer I can totally understand, but every time I see an old marble and someone says it's worth big bucks because some seemingly arbitrary decision that it just is, I don't get that. *shrug* ... it could be worse, it could be stamps or buttons.