Glassy works of art
February 8, 2007 2:24 AM Subscribe
How marbles are made. Video showing colored marbles being hand-crafted, layer upon layer, into miniature works of art.
Energy intensive! To end global warming we'll have to give up marbles. Hold onto the ones you already have, in the future they'll be as rare as scarabs from Egypt.
posted by jfuller at 3:52 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by jfuller at 3:52 AM on February 8, 2007
you just KNOW that guy makes most of his income off of glass bowls.
posted by shmegegge at 4:07 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by shmegegge at 4:07 AM on February 8, 2007
That's from the TV show "How It's Made," the new TV addiction at our house. Hockey sticks, organ pipes, Twinkies, sanitary napkins (!?) - they make it all look interesting.
Slightly o/t, my husband's grandmother lives in a very small town in West Virginia that had a glass factory in it (now closed). We have a fascinating piece from there: a glass walking stick. It's absolutely beautiful but seems awfully impractical.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 4:19 AM on February 8, 2007
Slightly o/t, my husband's grandmother lives in a very small town in West Virginia that had a glass factory in it (now closed). We have a fascinating piece from there: a glass walking stick. It's absolutely beautiful but seems awfully impractical.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 4:19 AM on February 8, 2007
Chunder: It's on YouTube, as well. Interesting stuff!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 4:23 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by soundofsuburbia at 4:23 AM on February 8, 2007
Sweetie Darling, not true if your bones are brittle and glass like and you're bent on trying to find your physical antithesis. Somebody who's as unbreakable as you are breakable.
posted by substrate at 5:31 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by substrate at 5:31 AM on February 8, 2007
"Ooh - pop ups galore! Thanks!
This sounds fascinating - but I'm not about to let a site spawn crap everywhere like that :("
Wow, my first post on MetaFilter and the first comment is a CBG-style flame!
It's like some kind of internet cliché coming to life. Beautiful, in it's own way.
posted by ReiToei at 5:47 AM on February 8, 2007
This sounds fascinating - but I'm not about to let a site spawn crap everywhere like that :("
Wow, my first post on MetaFilter and the first comment is a CBG-style flame!
It's like some kind of internet cliché coming to life. Beautiful, in it's own way.
posted by ReiToei at 5:47 AM on February 8, 2007
"Ooh - pop ups galore! Thanks!
This sounds fascinating - but I'm not about to let a site spawn crap everywhere like that :("
There's a thousand and one different pop up blockers, even some made for crap-ware like IE. If you don't like pop ups, install something and stop whining. No one cares.
ReiToei: excellent first post, I had no idea anyone even made hand blown marbles. Looks like I have a new show I'll need to program in my DVR.
posted by inthe80s at 6:22 AM on February 8, 2007
This sounds fascinating - but I'm not about to let a site spawn crap everywhere like that :("
There's a thousand and one different pop up blockers, even some made for crap-ware like IE. If you don't like pop ups, install something and stop whining. No one cares.
ReiToei: excellent first post, I had no idea anyone even made hand blown marbles. Looks like I have a new show I'll need to program in my DVR.
posted by inthe80s at 6:22 AM on February 8, 2007
Very cool! I've always loved marbles, & really got interested in the one-of-a-kind handmade ones a few years ago, before youtube and its uglier stepsisters were around. This is just exactly what I would have wanted to see, but never thought to look; thanks for posting!
posted by sleevener at 6:29 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by sleevener at 6:29 AM on February 8, 2007
How It's Made is the third greatest import from Canada, the first 2 being ice hockey and Molson XXX. They show it twice a day on the Discovery Channel (and probably more on the Science Channel).
posted by Mach5 at 6:59 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by Mach5 at 6:59 AM on February 8, 2007
Now I want to take a glass blowing class. Cool link!
posted by figment of my conation at 7:25 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by figment of my conation at 7:25 AM on February 8, 2007
mmmm. hot glass is like an ice cream cone. You can't be distracted for one moment or it'll be ruined. such a zen kind of medium. thanks for posting this.
posted by potus at 7:27 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by potus at 7:27 AM on February 8, 2007
Mach5 writes "How It's Made is the third greatest import from Canada"
Not only a great show,they've managed not to screw it up despite several seasons.
posted by Mitheral at 7:48 AM on February 8, 2007
Not only a great show,they've managed not to screw it up despite several seasons.
posted by Mitheral at 7:48 AM on February 8, 2007
Canada!! Duh, I wondered why the show was obviously made perfectly for dual language. Part-French Part-English. Man I'm dense.
I like How It's Made but the shots showing the product off in front of the factory or whatever with the camera sweeping from side to side staying centered on the pedastalled product just crack me up. BEHOLD!!! THE U-SHAPED FLOURESCENT TUUUUUUUUUUUUUBE!
heh
posted by Phantomx at 7:49 AM on February 8, 2007
I like How It's Made but the shots showing the product off in front of the factory or whatever with the camera sweeping from side to side staying centered on the pedastalled product just crack me up. BEHOLD!!! THE U-SHAPED FLOURESCENT TUUUUUUUUUUUUUBE!
heh
posted by Phantomx at 7:49 AM on February 8, 2007
I love that the producers of "How It's Made" chose an Olympic gold-medalist swimmer to narrate the first season of their low-budget industrial educational show. It seems very Canadian, though I can't pinpoint why.
posted by Popular Ethics at 8:19 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by Popular Ethics at 8:19 AM on February 8, 2007
Speaking of cool work in glass, Dale Chihuly does some.
posted by Trochanter at 9:27 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by Trochanter at 9:27 AM on February 8, 2007
Great video...absolutely mesmerizing. Thanks posting this.
Hmm...I wonder how much those marbles cost? They're lovely.
posted by django_z at 9:31 AM on February 8, 2007
Hmm...I wonder how much those marbles cost? They're lovely.
posted by django_z at 9:31 AM on February 8, 2007
What a delightful post! I had students gathered around my monitor, watching how marbles are made, as none of us knew.
Thank you, ReiToei!
posted by Lynsey at 9:42 AM on February 8, 2007
Thank you, ReiToei!
posted by Lynsey at 9:42 AM on February 8, 2007
Wow, my glass pipes and bongs sure had a lot of love given to their creation. Big ups to glass blowers!
posted by balzac at 9:45 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by balzac at 9:45 AM on February 8, 2007
Amazing, the video showed 6 layers being incorporated into that marble! I too wonder how much they sell for.
posted by dcjd at 10:09 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by dcjd at 10:09 AM on February 8, 2007
To end global warming we'll have to give up marbles.
Nonsense, all the Metafilter flaming shaped my marbles round and firm.
posted by elpapacito at 11:00 AM on February 8, 2007
Nonsense, all the Metafilter flaming shaped my marbles round and firm.
posted by elpapacito at 11:00 AM on February 8, 2007
I love "How It's Made" and glass marbles!
Some of the most beautiful objects I've ever seen were lampwork glass marbles. With the combinations of colors swirling against each other, they can have a seemingly endless depth in which to peer.
Take a look through here and here, or just google for some of the artists listed on this wikipedia page.
It might be best to stay away from the ebay, though. :)
posted by deathofme at 11:32 AM on February 8, 2007
Some of the most beautiful objects I've ever seen were lampwork glass marbles. With the combinations of colors swirling against each other, they can have a seemingly endless depth in which to peer.
Take a look through here and here, or just google for some of the artists listed on this wikipedia page.
It might be best to stay away from the ebay, though. :)
posted by deathofme at 11:32 AM on February 8, 2007
why isn't he wearing gloves omigod
posted by ScotchLynx at 11:57 AM on February 8, 2007
posted by ScotchLynx at 11:57 AM on February 8, 2007
Terrific. Though I imagine that the "more complicated" marbles that were handmade in this video can be made with a machine as well... I remember playing with several as a kid, and they were pretty cheap to obtain.
posted by ajshankar at 12:13 PM on February 8, 2007
posted by ajshankar at 12:13 PM on February 8, 2007
How It's Made is the third greatest import from Canada, the first 2 being ice hockey and Molson XXX.
SHATNER - you forget Shatner...
posted by Muddler at 4:38 PM on February 8, 2007
SHATNER - you forget Shatner...
posted by Muddler at 4:38 PM on February 8, 2007
And for the dark side: how marbles are destroyed.
posted by No Mutant Enemy at 12:35 AM on February 9, 2007
posted by No Mutant Enemy at 12:35 AM on February 9, 2007
Awesome. Great video. Totally enjoyed that. I love transparent, colored glass! So beautiful.
posted by nickyskye at 9:45 AM on February 9, 2007
posted by nickyskye at 9:45 AM on February 9, 2007
And for the dark side: how marbles are destroyed.
So that's how they make cocaine.
posted by dirigibleman at 7:20 PM on February 9, 2007
So that's how they make cocaine.
posted by dirigibleman at 7:20 PM on February 9, 2007
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This sounds fascinating - but I'm not about to let a site spawn crap everywhere like that :(
posted by Chunder at 2:58 AM on February 8, 2007