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Post by drocknut on Nov 27, 2023 10:09:48 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from south central Arizona
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Nov 27, 2023 10:11:53 GMT -5
Greetings from South Carolina!
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rolleyholeman1
having dreams about rocks
Member since November 2023
Posts: 55
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Post by rolleyholeman1 on Nov 28, 2023 0:44:28 GMT -5
Welcome from Virginia!
As a kid in Rhode Island, I played marbles a lot. We played for keepsies. I had a huge jar of fantastic marbles. I was the neighborhood champ. Sadly, I have forgotten how to play. I don't know if it is the same version as yours, either. You were likely playing a version of Ringer or "schoolyard" marbles which involves shooting glass marbles out of circle, and then getting to keep the marbles you won. Comparing Rolley Hole and Ringer is like comparing Chess to Checkers. Both games have their merits, but Rolley Hole is an intense game where each player only has one marble. You use your marble to play offense and defense, trying to make your holes while preventing the opponents from doing so. It's truly an intense game.
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iamchris
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2023
Posts: 673
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Post by iamchris on Nov 28, 2023 7:01:42 GMT -5
Welcome from Rochester!
I really enjoyed all the talk of a game I've never heard of! I appreciate your passion for it.
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dshanpnw
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since December 2020
Posts: 892
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Post by dshanpnw on Nov 28, 2023 8:17:31 GMT -5
Welcome from NW Florida.
Having never heard of your Rolley Hole game, I had to look it up. Looks like you guys are having fun - although the funny part is the video never said how you play, except that it's something like croquet.
Patty Thanks for posting the video.
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Post by Rockoonz on Nov 28, 2023 9:27:48 GMT -5
Welcome from AZ. I'm a bit too far away to make you cubes, but I have made them for larger spheres, even though I have never personally made a sphere. A marble finisher would be pretty easy to make, just a vertical shaft with an adaptor for pipe fittings on top, and some sliced up rings from the velcro backed counter finishing abrasive pads. Check this at 8 minutes for the basic idea, def doesn't need to be as complex as this.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Nov 28, 2023 12:40:04 GMT -5
A vibratory tumbler would be better than your rotary tumblers for keeping the marbles round. I have never tumbled spheres, though, so I can't say for sure. I do know that shapes like crosses get rounded off a lot more in a rotary tumbler than in a vibe. Maybe with spheres, rounding them off is exactly what you want though.
The grits you have are fairly coarse. If you already have the shape of the marble the way you want it before you tumble it, I would start with 220 or finer. I wouldn't start at 60/90.
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rolleyholeman1
having dreams about rocks
Member since November 2023
Posts: 55
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Post by rolleyholeman1 on Nov 29, 2023 1:32:52 GMT -5
For those interested, here is my playlist of Rolley Hole. Many videos I digitized and some sure are great for really getting into Rolley Hole. You may have to click the link and open it in another tab to bring up the playlist. The first video showing doesn't show all that much, but to us it is important. The two men being interviewed are State Park legends. Mack I never got to meet, but Bobby is the father of the Rolley Hole tournament and I have spent a lot of time with him. He really got into Rolley Hole and is the reason it lives to this day, though he won't say that.
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rolleyholeman1
having dreams about rocks
Member since November 2023
Posts: 55
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Post by rolleyholeman1 on Nov 29, 2023 1:38:57 GMT -5
A vibratory tumbler would be better than your rotary tumblers for keeping the marbles round. I have never tumbled spheres, though, so I can't say for sure. I do know that shapes like crosses get rounded off a lot more in a rotary tumbler than in a vibe. Maybe with spheres, rounding them off is exactly what you want though. The grits you have are fairly coarse. If you already have the shape of the marble the way you want it before you tumble it, I would start with 220 or finer. I wouldn't start at 60/90. I have been wondering if this really is a thing I should be messing with, but I guess I could always just play with them and see what happens. I ran some marbles I was working on through it and they came out rough, but round. They were pretty close to being finished anyways so I didn't do that much good there. I did start saving chips and pieces of quartz I will play with, but it's not all that exciting compared to the world of Rolley Hole. I do wonder if I can polish a marble with this more than what I can do with the polish pads I spin marbles in. I think my finest is 3000 grit and I can get some marbles close to glass. There isn't too much reason to do this unless I'm making fancy marbles which aren't the best for play. Some players sure don't want a slick marble.
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Post by liveoak on Nov 29, 2023 7:37:54 GMT -5
Here's a link to the cups they sell to make round small beads or marbles up to 7/8"
Much like in the video of that fancy sphere being made.
They are cheap enough, but still only do one at a time so probably not a gain over what you're already doing.
Patty
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rolleyholeman1
having dreams about rocks
Member since November 2023
Posts: 55
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Post by rolleyholeman1 on Nov 30, 2023 0:51:03 GMT -5
Here's a link to the cups they sell to make round small beads or marbles up to 7/8"
Much like in the video of that fancy sphere being made.
They are cheap enough, but still only do one at a time so probably not a gain over what you're already doing.
Patty
These are cheap and cool, but how are they used? Are they for the sphere machines I see people using? I do think the sphere machines are cool but haven't gotten the interest in making one. I'm a bit weird that way. I gather up so much junk for projects and only build in a sudden spurt. I have parts for all sorts of things I never got to it seems. Kinda a bad habit of mine.
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Post by liveoak on Nov 30, 2023 7:14:59 GMT -5
I just recently got a set & haven't tried them yet. BUT the theory is you mount one on a vertical shaft. My husband made me a bushing so I can mount it on the shaft of my flat lap.
Then you use a second exact one and mount on a handle of sort. I was going to get my husband to machine an aluminum handle- but I guess a wood one would work, you just need a way to tighten the set screw to keep it on the handle. Then it's much like you think- add rounded cube & work through the girts- holding the top one loosely.
Guess I better get Tom on the handle so I can try it & give you first hand horrors.
Patty
PS- This is the machine the cutter cups are actually sold for. (actually more reasonably priced)
But I read an article in Rock & Gem awhile back by Bob Rush doing it by hand.
Although I think he made his own cutter cups & I was looking for a short cut.
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rolleyholeman1
having dreams about rocks
Member since November 2023
Posts: 55
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Post by rolleyholeman1 on Dec 1, 2023 0:00:40 GMT -5
I just recently got a set & haven't tried them yet. BUT the theory is you mount one on a vertical shaft. My husband made me a bushing so I can mount it on the shaft of my flat lap.
Then you use a second exact one and mount on a handle of sort. I was going to get my husband to machine an aluminum handle- but I guess a wood one would work, you just need a way to tighten the set screw to keep it on the handle. Then it's much like you think- add rounded cube & work through the girts- holding the top one loosely.
Guess I better get Tom on the handle so I can try it & give you first hand horrors.
Patty
PS- This is the machine the cutter cups are actually sold for. (actually more reasonably priced)
But I read an article in Rock & Gem awhile back by Bob Rush doing it by hand.
Although I think he made his own cutter cups & I was looking for a short cut.
That's a cool little contraption. Looks like two motors using a belt to spin arbors these are attached to. The only motors I have here are pretty massive so I don't know how well I could implement that, but I'm always looking for other motors or things with motors. The problem with motors is for something like this you would have to have DC motors most likely, at least for speed control. Using an AC motor you will have less control/options, and if you try running an AC motor with a variable power supply, you could strain and ruin your motor. That being said, I do have ideas using box fan motors or old turntable motors. One thing I do worry about is often I see marbles with metal embedded in them from processes like this, or how some guys spin a marble on the safety guard of a grinder. I would worry that on a rough sphere this would be more likely to happen.
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michiganpebbler
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2023
Posts: 344
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Post by michiganpebbler on Dec 1, 2023 8:33:12 GMT -5
Welcome from lower Michigan! I just spent some time down in your neck of the woods. I really enjoyed this thread, thanks for sharing!
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rolleyholeman1
having dreams about rocks
Member since November 2023
Posts: 55
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Post by rolleyholeman1 on Dec 3, 2023 0:59:16 GMT -5
Welcome from lower Michigan! I just spent some time down in your neck of the woods. I really enjoyed this thread, thanks for sharing! Did you find anything out this way? I have been hunting for rocks in the Tennessee Valley and sure have come up with nothing. The highland rim and Upper Cumberland sure seem to be the places you need to be for the quartz material I'm after, or so it seems. In Roane County there's a lot of material that seems to be quartz, but it always is filled with an amazing amount of faults and other issues like softness. On the flip side of that, for things to toss in a tumbler, Roane County really has some awesome things. My tumbler is starting to produce so many amazing colors and banding. This is nothing like what I've seen in miles of stream walking in Overton and Putnam counties. Streams that way are just a big bunch of greys and browns, while here I see everything. Out towards Kodak Tn and Pigeon Forge I used to pick up white quartz pieces that ended up in the garden of our old house. Man if I had those now... Such white and heavy small stones just perfect for Rolley Hole. Tennessee sure is something special. A short drive in any direction can get you into a big shift in geology.
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rolleyholeman1
having dreams about rocks
Member since November 2023
Posts: 55
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Post by rolleyholeman1 on Dec 4, 2023 0:58:22 GMT -5
Here's some of the type of rocks I'm working with with the tumbler. Seems I have trouble uploading here.
Edit: Disregard. I can't figure it out. It wants a URL to add a photo and won't let me do it from my laptop.
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geoff59
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2022
Posts: 280
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Post by geoff59 on Dec 4, 2023 5:56:05 GMT -5
I’ve been reading along as this thread has grown. Marbles made of stone are one thing I’m always looking for out there in the world. A lot of people assume marbles are all made of glass, but I’m guessing anyone who is a member here knows otherwise.
Anyway I wanted to say welcome from New Hampshire!
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Post by liveoak on Dec 4, 2023 7:54:31 GMT -5
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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 4, 2023 11:54:58 GMT -5
I remember Aggies from my marble playing childhood, once punched a bully because he was stealing my little brothers marbles, only to find out he has legit won the game. Did keep the bullys away from both of us for a time though. I don't think the large shooters we had were ever stone, though from time to time I had a "steelie", a large ball bearing. I think the steelies came from the millwrights kids.
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rolleyholeman1
having dreams about rocks
Member since November 2023
Posts: 55
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Post by rolleyholeman1 on Dec 5, 2023 0:44:05 GMT -5
I followed the directions and still no luck with dragging and dropping from my laptop.
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