Help from marble people please.

[Magpie]

Do you remember that spider implosion you tube thingy the other day? http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17017.0

Well, you've got to have a try, haven't you? Even on a hothead.

It looked like this.... So I decided to heat the second one from a different direction. When that one started looking suspiciously like the first I thought I'd turn it into a 'marble'. It looked good going into the vermiculite (OK I couldn't find the glasses at this point), so I made another, and another. And sort of got the hang of swapping rods around on each side. But when they came out of the vermiculite they were all dimply, which distorts the inside.
Here....
By the 3rd one I finally figured out why you put the opaque coating on the back, and that one is the least dimply.

But how do I get rid of the dimples?

Please bear in mind I can't get much hotter, I'm on a hothead. 

[garishglobes]

I don't know if this'll help (not that coherent after 8pm... ) but the thing with marbles is to use a doming block, marble press or similar and roll the marble around a hole slightly smaller than it. You actually use the rim of the ring shape to form the marble, not the indented bit if that makes sense. Once rolled around a bit, you smooth the marble out in the heat. Swap ends to do the other side, getting smaller points on the punty each time.
There are a couple of videos from the Flow Magazine showing marble making on youtube - there are lots of others too, but I was watching these ones last night and they were nice to watch. Also hotglass on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va4z6Bk6Qj4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih60DlrHELU

When I'm happy with a marble, I knock the final punty off with the marble (cooled just a little so it doesn't distort) set in a hole a tiny bit bigger than it in the mould I've been using, and just raise the marble to the flame to polish the final dint off.

I love the look of those marbles, by the way - particularly the far right one

[Flyingcheesetoastie]

I've not done marbles on a hothead before but will have to give it a try.  Silly question but is the dimpling from the vermiculite texturing the surface?  The bead will stay hotter for much longer than a bead and this heat will resonate out from the core.

I love the challenge of making marbles without a mold as I have a stigmatism so can't see symetrically (or spell it!) so it's great to get something round just by using gravity and heat!

[Magpie]

I'm surprised I'm coherent after Sunday dinner, but you understood what I said.

I don't think it was the vermiculite as I was quite gentle and the best one  had a good roll round on the floor before it got to the vermiculite. 

Regarding the doming black, I was using that, but the hole a bit bigger than the marble, not smaller, will have to have a go with a smaller hole.

Thanks, will let you know how I get on.

H

[Steampunkglass]

I'd pretty much have said the same as Emma too! Surface tension and a little heat on the spot where the mark is will quite well take out the blemish. Other than that is lots of Practise, practise, practise!

Look great already too!!!

[Hamilton Taylor]

Definitely, a marble mould with the hole slightly smaller than the marble you are rounding. The idea is to keep the glass pretty stiff (not a problem on a HH!), and use the ring of the hole edge to shape the sphere. Just do a bit at a time - heat a little, round a little,  heat a little, etc. That way, the core stays stiff, and the outer surface gets mobile enough to be rounded. Once the edge of the hole runs over the whole surface of the marble, with no gaps showing anywhere, the marble *must* be round!
If you use a hole the same or bigger, the large surface touching the glass will chill it, leaving marks, also, you won't get the roundness that you can using a hole-edge.
If you are using a doming block (I did for ages), try a little beeswax around the edge to allow the glass to run.
If you fancy a marble class, get in touch - I've been meaning to put one on the website for ages....

Sean

[Magpie]

Thanks for the replies,

List of to do things...

Practice (OK not hard to do)
Find time to practice (a bit trickier)
Beeswax
Find glasses so I can see the edges of the doming block (well David did that for me as I was packing up yesterday)
Move 400 miles northwards so I can take advantage of Sean's marble class (um, not sure how this would go down)



Edited to add: I've just watched those you tube videos. I have a severe case of torch envy now, the amount of glass they can melt at a time is amazing.

[Magpie]

Beeswax, definitely need to get some of that, I see what you mean.

Tonight's attempts. I did a 'clear' one first but left it a bit too long and it got cold, cracked, then rather dramatically went bang, and it was looking good as well.

Then I made these... They're tiny, probably struggle to be 1cm across, but don't look or feel too bumpy.
They bounce off the floor really well.

[garishglobes]

oh, now those look fab!

[Steampunkglass]

oooo! They're great!!!!!!!