How Does
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People all over the world have played with marbles for thousands of years. Children in ancient civilizations such as Rome and Egypt enjoyed games with marbles made from baked clay. Today, most marble companies use recycled glass or misshapen marbles to create their products.
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This mixture of recycled glass and marbles goes into a kiln heated to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit. After 16 hours, the molten glass flows out of the kiln and into a marble-forming machine. There, a shearing device cuts the stream of glass every half-second into marble-sized pieces.
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The sheared pieces of glass slide down a chute and land on grooves between the spinning, cast iron rolls of the marble-forming machine. The spinning keeps the glass from sticking to the iron rolls. After 72 hours, the marbles have formed and cooled into perfect spheres.
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The marbles then roll down chutes that weed out ones that are too big or too small. Those remaining continue down the chute, where they can be packaged for sale around the world.
eHow Article: How Marbles Are Made
