marbles

[southportram]

in the "cats eyes" marble, how do they get the pretty swirly pattern so perfect when there are no seams around the glass of the marble itself??

[adydb]

This was on Discovery not too long ago.

 

Marbles are made like a stick of rock (the writings the swirl) and they are cut and whilst still very hot are simply rolled between Two flat surfaces....Like dough in your hand's I suppose!......

The cut is just 'worked in'....

Hope that makes sense!

[spudqueen]

If you're ever in Devon you can go to The House of Marbles and see them being made.  See here

[dothawkes]

My Grandma, Annie Lumb nee Trafford, lived across the fields from Percy Shaw (?) was it, who invented cat's eyes.  She lived in Todmorden when we were kids but they lived at Broarding Top above Hebden in the 1930's. She died in 1977, but for years when we were growing up she used to tell us that he lived in a house with old lino on the floor or no lino, one or the other, and he owed her 2s 6d til the day she died!