How to Make Stone Marbles by Hand

You can make marbles from stone without the use of modern tools.

Ancient Native Americans and other cultures played with marbles, just as some children still do today. The marbles were made from stone and were crafted by hand without the use of metal tools. Shaping a stone marble by hand is a difficult process, because it takes a long time to grind the stone into a rounded shape. It should take about eight hours to make one marble about 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter.

Things You'll Need

• Coarse sandstone
• Small stone chunks (soft stone, such as limestone, is easier to shape)
• Sapling--1 inch thick, 12 inches long
• Utility knife

Instructions

1. Find two or three chunks of sandstone in varying grits of roughness. Pick stones that are stable when placed on the ground and have flat or concave top surfaces. These will be the stones you use to shape the marbles.

2. Split the top four inches of the stick into four or more prongs. Wedge the stone that you want to make into a marble between the split pieces of wood.

3. Lay the stone against a hard surface. Chip the edges of the stone with another rock to begin rounding the edges. Keep chipping away edges until the marble starts to have a rounded shape.

4. Pour a small amount of water onto one of the roughest sandstone pieces. Place the marble on the stone with the stick held up in the air. Twist the stick around rapidly to create a depression in the sandstone. Every 30 minutes or so, position the rock differently in the stick to round a different part of the stone. Eventually, you will form a rounded depression in the sandstone, which you can then use to make the final rounded shape of the marble. Add more water, as necessary, to keep the stones from sparking. When you are satisfied with the marble shape, stop grinding it against the sandstone. You may need to switch to another coarseness of sandstone for best results.

References

• Cherokee Nation: Making Marbles