How Are Glass Marbles Made?
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Glass Sources
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The majority of marbles manufactured today are made from a special glass that contains sand and silica, in addition to calcium hydroxide and sodium. This combination allows marbles to appear clear like normal glass, while being stronger and more resistant to damage. For glass marbles with colorful decorations on the inside, pigmentation is also added.
In some cases, glass marbles can also be manufactured using recycled glass. This recycled glass is able to be melted down and reused. Regardless of whether a marble uses new or old glass sources, the general manufacturing process is the same.
Glass Melting
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The materials of marbles, whether new or recycled, must first be melted before they can be formed into the proper shape. This occurs in a heated tank designed for melting glass. With temperatures reaching several thousand degrees, this melting tank converts the raw materials into a hot molten mixture.
Connected to the heated melting tank is a vat. The glass mixture travels to this vat while it is still hot, allowing pigmentation to be pressed into the molten glass. Different methods of inserting this pigmentation into the hot glass will result in wide varieties of marble decorations.
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Glass Forming
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The hot and melted glass substance is next pushed out of the vat. Mechanisms split the hot glass into small portions, which have been measured to match the desired marble size. As these portions are pushed and split, they roll down a special ramp. This rolling motion shapes the heated glass into spheres, or balls. As the glass cools, it stays in this rounded shape.
Every completed glass marble is inspected as it cools. If a marble is not a perfect ball or has any defects, it can be sent back to the melting tank to be formed again. Glass marbles that pass inspection are allowed to cool completely and are then packaged and shipped.
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