Hobby Thread - January 17, 2026 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies (TM) a spin it landed on sea glass.

[Top photo: Glass Beach, Kauai, Hawaii]

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What are you hobbying?

As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. All (legal) hobbying is welcome. Discussion of current events, religion and politics can elsewhere. Pants are optional. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.

Play nice. Don't be a troll and do not feed the trolls.

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What is sea glass? Sea glass is naturally tumbled and frosted glass that is found on beaches along oceans (and sometimes large lakes). It is old broken glass from bottles, jars, tableware, shipwrecks, etc. that the sea has transformed over decades into smooth, gem-like treasures. The constant churning of waves, salt water, sand, and rocks rounds off the sharp edges, etches the surface, and gives it that signature frosted, matte appearance. Some call sea glass "mermaid's tears."

Do you enjoy hunting sea glass? Do you collect and take it home or just enjoy?

Where are your favorite places to find sea glass?

If you take it home, what do you do with it? Display, turn it into jewelry, etc.

Have you found other glass goodies on the beach, like fishing floats?

We'll save shells for a thread of their own at some point, so save this post for glass.

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Sea Glass Travels: Glass Beaches of the World

Kauai, Hawaii

Glass Beach on the island of Kauai has been a favorite spot of mine for the last ten years. When my youngest son was two months old, we flew to Hawaii to spend the last month of my maternity leave on the island, and I took him to this beach with me. The first time we went to Glass Beach, the sand was covered in tiny, worn down glass pieces; all I collected at the time was a small jar of sand.

Sidney, British Columbia, Canada

A few years ago, my son had a hockey tournament in British Columbia. Per hockey coach rules, he had to be at the rink an hour before the first game of the day for warmups. I looked at a map of the nearby area and saw that there was a little beach and boardwalk in downtown Sidney, so I grabbed a cup of coffee and decided that I'd start my morning with a walk near the ocean at sunrise. The sunrise was breathtaking and once the sun was up, I was able to see glass on this little patch of sand to the right of the pier, which I later learned was called Glass Beach by locals.

Prince William Sound, Alaska

While exploring the Prince William Sound in Southcentral Alaska, we've found pristine black sand beaches that rival anything Hawaii has to offer, beaches filled with dried starfish and shells, and a secret Glass Beach.
My friend and I stumbled upon Glass Beach one day when we decided to explore an island we'd seen many times from the boat.
Our starting point had thousands and thousands of shells littering the beach, and as we rounded the bend, we saw that the beach was stacked with sand dollars in all stages of their life cycle. Rounding the far corner or the island, we came to two rocky beaches that we felt were ripe for glass...and our intuition didn't fail us! This beach has given us glass in all shades of green, teal and blue, some large egg shapes, and a green glass "gumdrop."

Others at the link, but where have you sought and found sea glass?

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What do you do with found sea glass? Make jewelry!

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I did not know that tumbling glass to replicate the look of sea glass is a thing. Apparently, all you need is a small rock tumbler and broken glass. Anyone done this with glass or rocks or ?

Make your own glass allows you to make things like a sea glass Christmas tree.

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Running for Exercise and Fishing for Calm: The Benefits of a Hobby

The 7 Characteristics of Healthy Hobbies

Optimal hobbies are not only inexpensive and low risk but can also be enjoyed into advanced age with friends, improving physical and mental health along the way. And if they provide other ancillary benefits such as networking, career advancement, or generational wealth, so much the better. Here are seven characteristics of healthy hobbies.
1- Low Cost
2 - Not High Risk
3 - Longevity
4 - Camaraderie
5 - Physical Health
6 - Intellectual Stimulation
7 - Relaxation

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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did an home building theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

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Notable comments from last week:

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Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

***

If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, contribute your own. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Welcome Hobbiests

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 05:30 PM (Ia/+0)

2 I've never sean them before.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 17, 2026 05:31 PM (uQesX)

3 Thanks Dino. First saw seaglass in Maine just a few months ago.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 17, 2026 05:32 PM (RIvkX)

4 In happier times, we use go look more for sharks teeth. Theory is some are really almost fossils thousands of years old

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 05:32 PM (Ia/+0)

5 Afternoon, hobby folken. Can't say I've ever heard of sea glass. The beaches I've known, in coastal MS, AL, and FL are pretty much white sand with little in the way of rock or glass. Sounds like nice stuff to work with.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 17, 2026 05:33 PM (wzUl9)

6 Evenin', y'all. My new hobby is trying to squeeze in as many apostrophes into as few words as possible.

Posted by: ErikInTexas at January 17, 2026 05:34 PM (4b7CV)

7 Thanks Dino. First saw seaglass in Maine just a few months ago.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 17, 2026 05:32 PM (RIvkX)

You could try it yourself in the bay. Just go down and grab some of the glass from Alito's. I heard they knocked it down.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 17, 2026 05:34 PM (uQesX)

8 Looked for the sea glass mentioned but never found the best pieces, more only sort of rounded

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 05:34 PM (Ia/+0)

9 Thanks for the thread, TRex. Just took a break from working on the turret of a Type 1 Chi-He in 1/35. Never heard of sea glass but it looks beautiful.

Posted by: PA Dutchman at January 17, 2026 05:40 PM (h/O4U)

10 8 Looked for the sea glass mentioned but never found the best pieces, more only sort of rounded

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 05:34 PM
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Unfortunately, picking up too many pieces makes the beach location less special for those that come after. The smaller pieces are all that remain but they're still very eye catching with the water and sunlight.

Part of the reason why I included the videos of people making their own.

Posted by: TRex - glassy dino, not gassy dino at January 17, 2026 05:40 PM (cCn4/)

11 Everybody praises up sea glass, but if I go pitch a beer bottle onto the beach, everyone gives me shit. Does.Not.Compute.

I saw a little beach in Greenland that was entirely green. Sand was composed of olivine grains (aka Peridot), weathered out of basalt rock.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 17, 2026 05:42 PM (8zz6B)

12 The beach that guy is hunting for sea glass in St Kitts must have been next to a 7up bottling plant.

Posted by: Opinion fact at January 17, 2026 05:43 PM (KDPiq)

13 What’s with finding marbles?

Posted by: Opinion fact at January 17, 2026 05:44 PM (KDPiq)

14 I've seen some awesome sea glass copies of famous stained glass art.

My collection is very modest and nothing's been made with any of it. Lore has it that there are "rare" colors of sea glass. I'm familiar with red and orange, as I've found shards of those, but black is really rare.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 17, 2026 05:45 PM (U2OZr)

15 There is always a possible rock tumbler to make it.

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 05:45 PM (Ia/+0)

16 There's also Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, CA, although most of the glass is pummeled into tiny bits, now.

Posted by: Shepherd Lover at January 17, 2026 05:45 PM (es3e/)

17 Who was the moron who suggested Hocking Hills park in Ohio for a good location for landscape subjects to paint?

Posted by: Opinion fact at January 17, 2026 05:48 PM (KDPiq)

18 16 There's also Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, CA, although most of the glass is pummeled into tiny bits, now.
Posted by: Shepherd Lover at January 17, 2026 05:45 PM (es3e/)

I gathered lots of it near Mendocino.. That was years ago

Posted by: It's me donna at January 17, 2026 05:49 PM (VE6XX)

19 I haven’t run across much sea glass. Plenty of agates on the Oregon coast. The comment about breaking a bottle on the beach being unacceptable made me laugh.

Posted by: HappyFun at January 17, 2026 05:51 PM (CoQfd)

20 I grew up with Atlantic beaches literally down the road. While sea glass can be found in Rhode Island, it isn't very common on the Aquidneck beaches. Too bad. We kids would have liked it. Sea glass is so smooth it could serve as a worry stone.

Making sea glass with a rock tumbler looks interesting. I have one I use for cleaning brass cases to reload.

Posted by: JTB at January 17, 2026 05:52 PM (yTvNw)

21 Collected some lovely sea glass in Cape Breton, Canada. Never thought of-and don't have the talent for making jewelry from it, but it sounds like a nice idea.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 17, 2026 05:53 PM (IEV/x)

22 Have to admit, as a little boy, I would have been more interested in finding stones to skip on the water than in sea glass. You can't have a competition throwing sea glass. Teens would have been a different matter.

Posted by: JTB at January 17, 2026 06:00 PM (yTvNw)

23 Glass in general is pretty neat material.

Lots of exotic properties that make it an unusual substance.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at January 17, 2026 06:01 PM (ESVrU)

24 So if I understand correctly - sea glass doesn't occur naturally like from undersea lava seepage? If not, it's mind-boggling to think there must be that much glass 'floating' around in the ocean...

Posted by: Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan (ARiK) at January 17, 2026 06:03 PM (QGaXH)

25 I’ve see people who made kitchen counter tops with broken colored glass and concrete.

Posted by: Opinion fact at January 17, 2026 06:03 PM (KDPiq)

26 How long does it take for a piece of broken glass to become "sea glass" through natural means? Years? Decades?

What's the defining point when it stops being a shard of broken glass and can be classified as "sea glass?"

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at January 17, 2026 06:03 PM (ESVrU)

27 >>I grew up with Atlantic beaches literally down the road. While sea glass can be found in Rhode Island, it isn't very common on the Aquidneck beaches. Too bad. We kids would have liked it. Sea glass is so smooth it could serve as a worry stone.

Best place I've found is on the beach below the Mohegan Bluffs on Block Island. I've found some on local beaches and down at Beavertail. Not Kauai but there's some.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 17, 2026 06:05 PM (viF8m)

28 We should be mindful of depleting our beaches of too much sea glass - the last thing we want is for our adversaries to get ahead of us and then we'll have a sea glass gap...!

Posted by: Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan (ARiK) at January 17, 2026 06:09 PM (QGaXH)

29 > How long does it take for a piece of broken glass to become "sea glass" through natural means? Years? Decades?
----------
Yes.

The stuff we've found off Monterey in CA was likely ground, polished and deposited over 20 - 30 years.

You can tell because you find glass that's not quite polished and worn enough (cloudy) and you can identify it as an old Michelob bottle, or Sky vodka bottle just by the color.

The "old" stuff could be almost anything.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 17, 2026 06:11 PM (U2OZr)

30 Sort of hobby related. I enjoy writing with fountain pens and have several good ones. Used to prefer fine or extra fine nibs. These days I do better with broad or even a 1.1 mm stub nib. The results are certainly more legible. No idea why the change.

I like using fountain pens and dip pens. They slow me down (no deadlines to worry about anymore) and I can appreciate the feel of the pen gliding across the paper as I form my thoughts.

PS: There are several fountain pens with acrylic bodies designed to look like sea glass.

Posted by: JTB at January 17, 2026 06:11 PM (yTvNw)

31 The 7 Characteristics of Healthy Hobbies

___________________________

That's it. That's the push I needed. I'm going to learn to roast coffee:

1. Low Cost (have you seen the cost at the store lately?...check)

2. Not High Risk (I will not be sticking my fingers in the roaster...check)

3. Longevity (If you're asking about the hobby, I won't stop once I get rolling. If you're asking about my personal longevity, coffee is medicinal. Everyone knows that....check)

4. Camaraderie (Camaraderie or parasites? Who cares. It's coffee...check)

5. Physical Health (You don't want to see me without a hot cup in the morning...especially if their sharp implements in the vicinity. So, I think it's better for everyone's health. Not just mine...check)

6. Intellectual Stimulation (see # 5 ...check)

7. Relaxation (Relaxation is overrated...I'll relax when I'm dead...check)

Posted by: Orson at January 17, 2026 06:11 PM (dIske)

32 Apparently, all you need is a small rock tumbler and broken glass. Anyone done this with glass or rocks or ?

Yup. When my wife was dabbling with wire-wrapped jewelry. Thick colored glass like the bottom of wine bottles works well.

Posted by: Oddbob at January 17, 2026 06:12 PM (5HwML)

33 Interesting. Is there any reason why the sea glass shows up concentrated in certain areas?

Posted by: Ben Had at January 17, 2026 06:12 PM (0KSrI)

34 The 7 Characteristics of Healthy Hobbies
1- Low Cost
~~2 - Not High Risk~~
3 - Longevity
4 - Camaraderie
5 - Physical Health
6 - Intellectual Stimulation
7 - Relaxation

The Paolo thinks that, how you say, six out of seven is not bad.

Posted by: Paolo at January 17, 2026 06:12 PM (VHUov)

35 Sea glass = Trash

Posted by: Elrond Hubbard at January 17, 2026 06:12 PM (WQDw6)

36 Perfessor was wondering same thing.
As said heard theory sharks teeth can be thousands of years onld, certainly glass hasn't been there that long but 10s to 50 years?

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 06:13 PM (Ia/+0)

37 Sea food > Sea glass ?

Discuss

Posted by: Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan (ARiK) at January 17, 2026 06:13 PM (QGaXH)

38 37 Sea food > Sea glass ?

Discuss
Posted by: Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan (ARiK) at January 17, 2026 06:13 PM (QGaXH)
______________________________

Sure, if you enjoy ingesting something that swims around in its own toilet. Enjoy. Heh.

Posted by: Orson at January 17, 2026 06:15 PM (dIske)

39 Making sea glass with a rock tumbler looks interesting. I have one I use for cleaning brass cases to reload.

You might want to get a separate canister for the glass since you'll be using silicon carbide abrasives and probably don't want to get it mixed in with your brass polishing media.

Posted by: Oddbob at January 17, 2026 06:16 PM (T/x12)

40 33 Interesting. Is there any reason why the sea glass shows up concentrated in certain areas?

Posted by: Ben Had at January 17, 2026 06:12 PM
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Not naturally occurring, so needs a nearby supply like a coastline dump, factory that dumped refuse into the water, or shipwreck with glass cargo aboard.

Posted by: TRex - coastal dino at January 17, 2026 06:16 PM (cCn4/)

41 27 ... "Best place I've found is on the beach below the Mohegan Bluffs on Block Island. I've found some on local beaches and down at Beavertail. Not Kauai but there's some."

According to the interwebs, Barrington Town Beach is one of the best RI places to fine sea glass. Never went there. No need when Easton and Sachuest beaches were a few minutes away.

Posted by: JTB at January 17, 2026 06:18 PM (yTvNw)

42 The 7 Characteristics of Healthy Hobbies
1- Low Cost

OK, I'm out.

Posted by: Oddbob at January 17, 2026 06:18 PM (T/x12)

43 15 There is always a possible rock tumbler to make it.

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 05:45 PM
***
In doing the prep for this post, I found a whole sub-world of rock tumbler enthusiasts on YouTube. Never knew it was a thing, but apparently lots of people are into tumbling rocks, glass, marbles, etc. Who knew?

Posted by: TRex - shaken, not stirred dino at January 17, 2026 06:19 PM (cCn4/)

44 I've picked up a fair share of sea glass right in Jersey. But the best place I've found is a small beach in Bermuda near Alexandra Battery in St. George's. Wade out a little on the right side and you'll see a small cave where the glass collects. You can literally scoop it up by the pail-full, just like the pics above.

Posted by: IrishEi at January 17, 2026 06:19 PM (3ImbR)

45 Bonus:
"SeaFood" nearly got me kicked out of a restaurant in Avalon, NJ. I had to visit the restroom, so in case the waitress returned to take our order while I was gone, I told my friend to order for me. When she asked me what I wanted, I said "Not Seafood."

When I returned my friend looked mortified. She told me we almost were asked to leave. Of course, I asked why, and she said that when the waitress returned and she went to place my order she said, "My friend said, Not seafood. What do you recommend."

The waitress heard something different. "Nazi Food." But, it got cleared up.

Posted by: Orson at January 17, 2026 06:22 PM (dIske)

46 > Interesting. Is there any reason why the sea glass shows up concentrated in certain areas?
----------
Shipping lanes. Cargo and/or trash dumped overboard either by accident or deliberately.

There are stories about certain cargo lost... like the unique color of Skyy Vodka bottles. Then... years later, all this blue sea glass appears along a couple beaches.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 17, 2026 06:22 PM (U2OZr)

47 39 ... "You might want to get a separate canister for the glass since you'll be using silicon carbide abrasives and probably don't want to get it mixed in with your brass polishing media."

Good thought. Protecting the brass cases is the first priority. Both because too much abrasive could weaken them (safety) and because I am too frugal to waste brass.

Posted by: JTB at January 17, 2026 06:22 PM (yTvNw)

48 The 7 Characteristics of Healthy Hobbies
1- Low Cost

OK, I'm out.
Posted by: Oddbob at January 17, 2026 06:18 PM (T/x12)
---
Yeah, if it's low cost you are probably doing it wrong. You gotta spend your excess cash on something, so it might as well be a hobby.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at January 17, 2026 06:24 PM (ESVrU)

49 My favorite fountain pens now are Schaffer Snorkels. There is a guy on ebay that rebuilds them and they are reasonable. They have a tube that comes out to dip into the ink, so that you don't have to put the nib in. Just like writing with them.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at January 17, 2026 06:24 PM (+mUZM)

50 Hendrick's Gin comes in a deep brown, almost black, thick bottle. I wonder how pieces of it would look if tumbled.

Posted by: JTB at January 17, 2026 06:25 PM (yTvNw)

51 This has my mind running all over the place. If the glass is from trash or lost cargo that means it sunk to the ocean floor right? What draws it off the ocean floor?

Posted by: Ben Had at January 17, 2026 06:27 PM (0KSrI)

52 49 ... "My favorite fountain pens now are Schaffer Snorkels."

Notsothoreau,

Never tried one of the snorkel style and none of my pens use a bladder, just converters. My one Sheaffer pen is a '7 Seas' series they made for Levenger's decades ago but discontinued. Too bad. It is a superb pen, on a par with Pelikan.

Posted by: JTB at January 17, 2026 06:33 PM (yTvNw)

53 Ben the washed up glass , shells or any other flotsam I would think is dumped reasonably close to shore. Bottles tossed over boats possibly.

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 06:34 PM (Ia/+0)

54 51 This has my mind running all over the place. If the glass is from trash or lost cargo that means it sunk to the ocean floor right? What draws it off the ocean floor?

Posted by: Ben Had at January 17, 2026 06:27 PM
***
With the caveat that I know nothing about anything, the same undercurrents and tides that move shells around the ocean floor and pull and push them towards beaches are probably responsible. Those currents are influenced by topography of the ocean floor too.

Posted by: TRex - riptide dino at January 17, 2026 06:36 PM (cCn4/)

55 >>This has my mind running all over the place. If the glass is from trash or lost cargo that means it sunk to the ocean floor right? What draws it off the ocean floor?

If we were a few years younger I'd show you. The bottom of the ocean is not always placid. There are currents on calm days and in times of storms even more extreme ocean movement, even at the bottom.

Not all the motion is on the surface.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 17, 2026 06:37 PM (viF8m)

56 Not seafood. What do you recommend."

The waitress heard something different. "Nazi Food." But, it got cleared up.

Good. Nazi food is the wurst.

Posted by: Oddbob at January 17, 2026 06:37 PM (PTB5U)

57 Green glass from 7-Up bottles.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at January 17, 2026 06:37 PM (pkeXY)

58 My favorite fountain pens now are Schaffer Snorkels. There is a guy on ebay that rebuilds them and they are reasonable. They have a tube that comes out to dip into the ink, so that you don't have to put the nib in. Just like writing with them.
Posted by: Notsothoreau at January 17, 2026 06:24 PM (+mUZM)

I have one that I took apart and cleaned but I coudn't get the ink to flow. The suggestion I got was to boil the baffle thingy in the nib to get it to work right, and I haven't had the nerve to do that yet.
I use the cheap Chinese ones and Parker ink.

Posted by: Kindltot at January 17, 2026 06:38 PM (rbvCR)

59 50 Hendrick's Gin comes in a deep brown, almost black, thick bottle. I wonder how pieces of it would look if tumbled.
Posted by: JTB at January 17, 2026 06:25 PM (yTvNw)
Which would you rather find on the beach, an handful of beach glass or an intact bottle of Hendrick's Gin?

Posted by: Eromero at January 17, 2026 06:40 PM (LHPAg)

60 >>With the caveat that I know nothing about anything,

Well you were pretty spot on with that one.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 17, 2026 06:40 PM (viF8m)

61 TRex, thank you. Oceanography must be a fascinating subject.

Posted by: Ben Had at January 17, 2026 06:40 PM (0KSrI)

62 What if you found something that looks like sea glass but it 1500 miles from the sea and a mile from an inactive volcano?

What could it be? Quartz? Diamond? A translucent teardrop.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at January 17, 2026 06:41 PM (BSdIE)

63 I had about 40 lbs. of sea glass collected over a couple decades jogging on the Outer Banks, some at Sandbridge in Virginia Beach. Had it on display in a couple crystal bowls. Last year, I gave it all, except a couple pieces, to my sister-in-law, who makes beachy arts, driftwood sculptures and such, as well as paintings, and sells on ebay. She makes some good money doing it. Kudos to her.

Posted by: Son of The Beach at January 17, 2026 06:42 PM (oftw2)

64 What if you found something that looks like sea glass but it 1500 miles from the sea and a mile from an inactive volcano?

What could it be? Quartz? Diamond? A translucent teardrop.
Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at January 17, 2026 06:41 PM (BSdIE)
---
Fossilized T-Rex booger?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at January 17, 2026 06:44 PM (ESVrU)

65 59 ... "Which would you rather find on the beach, an handful of beach glass or an intact bottle of Hendrick's Gin?"

I'll assume I finished the contents before breaking up the bottle. Waste not, want not is my motto.

Posted by: JTB at January 17, 2026 06:44 PM (yTvNw)

66 You could try it yourself in the bay. Just go down and grab some of the glass from Alito's. I heard they knocked it down.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 17, 2026 05:34 PM (uQesX)
====

I didn't know that. Old San Francisco is really gone. (Alioto's)

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 17, 2026 06:45 PM (RIvkX)

67 As a kid I used to collect what were called "Cape May Diamonds". At the time I was told that they were pieces of clear quartz that had been tumbled in the ocean. They were mostly very small, maybe around four or five mm at their widest.

Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin at January 17, 2026 06:46 PM (DK5Sh)

68 brewing beer:
1- Low Cost: Not the first batch or when you switch to all grain.
2 - Not High Risk: Large amounts of boiling water and sweet wort
3 - Longevity: Depends on how much you brew and drink.
4 - Camaraderie: YES!
5 - Physical Health:see #4
6 - Intellectual Stimulation: absolutely
7 - Relaxation: yes except for moving 5 gallons at a time and all the grain.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at January 17, 2026 06:48 PM (zHVsH)

69 The old is it trash or treasure argument. It's in the eye of the beholder. To find something unusual is kinda cool. But maybe it is a piece of junk.

Posted by: Case at January 17, 2026 06:48 PM (4rWc3)

70 What draws it off the ocean floor?

$20

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at January 17, 2026 06:49 PM (Kt19C)

71 I also found a somewhat sandblasted message in a bottle of Hennessy in Frisco, NC that had been thrown into the Connecticut River in the middle of that state. A bunch of people from a college radio station were there on May 4, 2001 at 10 AM. I found the bottle with mussels and clams on it around Sept. 2006. Must have gone down the river, out in the sound, and followed the Labrador current down close to the coast. A decent little journey.

Posted by: Son of The Beach. at January 17, 2026 06:49 PM (oftw2)

72 I didn't know that. Old San Francisco is really gone. (Alioto's)
Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 17, 2026 06:45 PM (RIvkX)

Saw another Metal Leo today. Dang. I think we've eaten there a few times. Bet they'll take down Fisherman's Grotto soon, too.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 17, 2026 06:51 PM (uQesX)

73 Sea glass ... I have some bits and pieces, but the prized ones are a couple of Japanese glass floats. When I was stationed in Northern Japan, I found three small ones, the size of tennis balls and a lovely green, blue or blue-green color, cast up on the beach one day after a typhoon blew through ... never found any more after that, and one of them shattered when it was dropped on a hard floor. But I have the other two, I think - and one that I bought in Japan - a big green one, the size of a basketball. It's currently a garden ornament, in a small stand. I would be heartbroken, if it broke in some accident or other.
You could purchase them, back in the day

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at January 17, 2026 06:53 PM (Ew3fm)

74 >>>Fossilized T-Rex booger?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

>I've read some T-rex's posts where he's blubbering and gibbering, but this tear drop is clear white, not green.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at January 17, 2026 06:53 PM (BSdIE)

75 71 Must have gone down the river, out in the sound, and followed the Labrador current down close to the coast. A decent little journey.

Posted by: Son of The Beach. at January 17, 2026 06:49 PM
***
I've always found sea currents interesting. How long do things float around? Where does the message in a bottle go? People find "trash" from Japan on the west coast beaches. A cargo ship famously lost a cargo of rubber duckies and other plastic bath toys which were tracked for years.

Posted by: TRex - drifting dino at January 17, 2026 06:53 PM (cCn4/)

76 74 >I've read some T-rex's posts where he's blubbering and gibbering, but this tear drop is clear white, not green.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at January 17, 2026 06:53 PM
***
I might have blubbered, but never gibbered.

Posted by: TRex - dignified dino at January 17, 2026 06:56 PM (cCn4/)

77 Saw another Metal Leo today. Dang. I think we've eaten there a few times. Bet they'll take down Fisherman's Grotto soon, too.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 17, 2026 06:51 PM (uQesX)
=====

Thanks for the reminder about Metal Leo was it you you suggested his recent video in the Embarcadero?

The Embarcadero was "Planet of the Apes"-style California brutalism, which I love. But now it is empty, lifeless, a zombie place.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 17, 2026 06:57 PM (RIvkX)

78 I wonder where everything went during/after Hurricane Helene...into the streams, rivers and out to sea?

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 06:58 PM (cCn4/)

79 On the beach one day in White Rock, BC. I found a heart shaped piece of sea glass about the size of my thumb. It’s very pretty and I always meant to make a necklace out of it. Think it’s around here somewhere…

Posted by: kelly at January 17, 2026 06:59 PM (8Uuhj)

80 These descriptions of San Francisco's decline pain me...I enjoyed many times there in my single days. While Fisherman's Wharf was always a tourist destination, it was fun. And Alioto's was special. It was a lovely graceful city. Glad I could experience it then.

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 07:02 PM (cCn4/)

81 I finished 3D printing out all of the James Bond movie posters, some of the standouts are moonraker, octopussy and my personal favorite, Thunderball.

Bond looks so cool and that babe… moron a mia… that body is to die for. Tawny, sultry, supple, but also tight like a tiger.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at January 17, 2026 07:05 PM (XV/Pl)

82 >>I've always found sea currents interesting.

Me too.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 17, 2026 07:05 PM (viF8m)

83 Thomas Bender- for your use?

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 07:06 PM (Ia/+0)

84 my personal favorite, promethius.

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at January 17, 2026 07:06 PM (Kt19C)

85 Metal Leo has done a great job documenting San Francisco's collapse.

A place on my corner closed on 12/31. I thought they had been doing good business. The family has the place 50 years.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 17, 2026 07:07 PM (RIvkX)

86 Our oceans are every bit as dynamic as the atmosphere, in some cases, more so. There are vast "rivers" or "jets" of ocean at various depths, shallow to very deep. Stuff gets moved around, just like your patio furniture gets blow off your deck or wherever. But the energy imparted is huge.

The simple motions created by waves move vast amounts of sand and debris around. Onto shore. Or pulls it off. Just look at the aftermath of a hurricane. That's not all wind. It's the wind ginning up currents, gusts, in the ocean just like wind on land. But not. A three or four foot wave hitting a dock for hours on end will likely do serious damage. A 30 or 40 MPH wind is almost a nuisance.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 17, 2026 07:07 PM (U2OZr)

87 Yesterday I did my first SOTA hike of the year. The hike itself wasn't very strenuous, but the band conditions sucked and by the end I was so cold I couldn't write in my logbook (or work the Morse paddles correctly).

I've never found sea glass. Beachcombers in Oregon will sometimes find glass floats that were used on fishing nets back in the day, but I've never found one.

Posted by: PabloD at January 17, 2026 07:09 PM (pXTL4)

88 Metal Leo doesn't always know what he's talking about.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 17, 2026 07:09 PM (RIvkX)

89 I worked for 12 years at a Private School in Virginia Beach. The middle school science class would go over to Cape Henry and release messages i bottles at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Over the years, they got several responses from Ireland, at least one from UK, and one from Norway. The Gulf Stream keeps them habitable, they should be thankful.

Posted by: Son of The Beach.. at January 17, 2026 07:11 PM (oftw2)

90 When XH and I lived at Misawa, we'd take our jeep onto the beach & hunt for treasures. Put it in 4-Lo, set throttle to a crawling speed, flip the windshield down... kick back until we saw *something* and hop out to investigate... then run to catch up to the truck and hop back in. Good times!

Found lots of small glass floats (over time, of course) and a couple of large ones. Most still had their knotted rope covers, which I suppose helped protect them from breaking.

Don't know if we broke any laws doing that.

Posted by: JQ at January 17, 2026 07:12 PM (rdVOm)

91 @83

>> Thomas Bender- for your use?

Yes, my den/office is full of movie memorabilia, a lot of movie posters and other paraphernalia.

The problem is I’m running out of wall space and I could hang these in the arcade but that’s got other stuff and it really wouldn’t mesh.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at January 17, 2026 07:12 PM (XV/Pl)

92 Thanks for the mighty, mighty Hobby Thread, T-Rex!

I picked up sea glass while hubs was stationed in Panama. The most interesting thing I found was an old glass syringe that had been tossed by the sea until it was no longer transparent. Just added it to a jar of shells and glass so I'm sure it's around here somewhere.

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at January 17, 2026 07:12 PM (kB9dk)

93 88 Metal Leo doesn't always know what he's talking about.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 17, 2026 07:09 PM
***
Neither does Metal Dino.

Posted by: TRex - rock and roll dino at January 17, 2026 07:13 PM (cCn4/)

94 Based on those 7 criteria, I'd say my hobby qualifies. I volunteer with the local hiking orgs to maintain the trails.

Free, except for the gas to get there, all tools provided, so definitely low cost. Safety is always prioritized. Trails will always be around, so no worries about it becoming obsolete. You usually work in a crew of 2-20 people, so plenty of like mined trail people for the camaraderie. It's good outdoor physical activity at your own pace, so perfect for good health. Solving problems is often part of it - how are we going to move this rock or log, how do we fit these natural rocks together to build this wall, how can we turn this natural situation into something that looks like the various manuals published by the USFS, etc, so there's often plenty of intellectual stimulation to go with the physical side of things. Since its volunteer, there's no pressure - we'll get done what we get done, so its relaxing.

Bonus - getting to use the trails you've built or maintained.

Posted by: No Name Guy at January 17, 2026 07:14 PM (L1eRG)

95 TRex, thank you once again for a fantastic hobby thread. Much appreciated.

Posted by: Ben Had at January 17, 2026 07:14 PM (0KSrI)

96 >>>>A three or four foot wave hitting a dock for hours on end will likely do serious damage. A 30 or 40 MPH wind is almost a nuisance.

Water damage is usually the cause of most coastal damage in a hurricane not wind.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 17, 2026 07:15 PM (viF8m)

97 95 TRex, thank you once again for a fantastic hobby thread. Much appreciated.

Posted by: Ben Had at January 17, 2026 07:14 PM
***
Thank YOU and thank you all for being here. Appreciate everyone's input and experiences. Lots of random fun niches to investigate and share.

Posted by: TRex - jacques cousteau dino at January 17, 2026 07:19 PM (cCn4/)

98 Long ago in the age of tape Rental use to often work at a grocery store that rented movies. Had chance many times for movie posters but nothing I overly wanted.

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 07:19 PM (Ia/+0)

99 The Snorkels are complicated, which is why I didn't buy one earlier. The ones I have seem to have a slight curve at the end of the nib. I've got both Palladium and gold coated nibs. I have too many pens, and I have several that I just don't like. I bought some of the cheap Chinese ones and wasn't happy with them. New Conklins are a disappointment too.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at January 17, 2026 07:20 PM (+mUZM)

100 I took Mrs F. to Alioto's for our 5th anniversary.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 17, 2026 07:21 PM (RIvkX)

101 92 Thanks for the mighty, mighty Hobby Thread, T-Rex!

I picked up sea glass while hubs was stationed in Panama.

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at January 17, 2026 07:12 PM
***
Interesting shells to be had in Panama?

Posted by: TRex - central america dino at January 17, 2026 07:21 PM (cCn4/)

102 I took Mrs F. to Alioto's for our 5th anniversary.
Posted by: San Franpsycho
***********
I'm sure that is a treasured memory....

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 07:22 PM (cCn4/)

103 I know it's off topic, but this is a great playoff football game and we're past 100. Gambling is a hobby, amirite?

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at January 17, 2026 07:22 PM (BSdIE)

104 >>I know it's off topic, but this is a great playoff football game and we're past 100. Gambling is a hobby, amirite?

Great game.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 17, 2026 07:23 PM (viF8m)

105 Time to say thank you before the next act takes the Ace of Spades stage. Thanks for being here and talking sea glass, oceanography and other random hobbying.

Don't forget to stop by Club ONT later tonight!

Posted by: TRex - gassy, not glassy dino at January 17, 2026 07:23 PM (cCn4/)

106 I know it's off topic, but this is a great playoff football game and we're past 100. Gambling is a hobby, amirite?
Posted by: Rev. Wishbone
********8
Certainly is a great game...far better than the utterly stupid college hoops game I had to endure this afternoon...

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 07:25 PM (cCn4/)

107 One night I drank scotch and water and got drunk.
The next night I drank bourbon and water and got drunk.
The third night I drank vodka and water and got drunk.

Clearly, it's the water that makes you drunk.

Posted by: Walter Monk at January 17, 2026 07:28 PM (rbIOb)

108 I was picking up metal stuff long before I ever heard of a FOD walkdown. Just today at Batteries Plus getting the battery replaced in a gate clicker, in the parking lot I picked up a brass bushing smaller than a dime but thicker than a silver dollar, of course I smoothed off the rough edges where it had been run over with my handy Swiss Army file blade and put it on my gate clicker ring.

Posted by: Eromero at January 17, 2026 07:29 PM (LHPAg)

109 WE HAZ A MOVIE MARQUE

Posted by: Skip at January 17, 2026 07:30 PM (Ia/+0)

110 Thanks for the reminder about Metal Leo was it you you suggested his recent video in the Embarcadero?

The Embarcadero was "Planet of the Apes"-style California brutalism, which I love. But now it is empty, lifeless, a zombie place.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 17, 2026 06:57 PM (RIvkX)

Yeah. It's amazing how many places are empty there. Ghirardelli's empty too? Union Square unsafe as well?

Nice thread, Rex. Next stop, ONT.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 17, 2026 07:32 PM (uQesX)

111 I was picking up metal stuff long before I ever heard of a FOD walkdown. Just today at Batteries Plus getting the battery replaced in a gate clicker, in the parking lot I picked up a brass bushing smaller than a dime but thicker than a silver dollar, of course I smoothed off the rough edges where it had been run over with my handy Swiss Army file blade and put it on my gate clicker ring.
Posted by: Eromero
******
Curious minds are wondering about this...do you have many of these items? How long do they stay on your gate clicker ring? Etc, etc...
Please say hi to Mrs E from me...

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 07:33 PM (cCn4/)

112 This year for Christmas I stumbled across stone and sea glass artworks on Etsy. Bought several and gave them to various family members. They all really seemed to like them - got one for my MIL to go in her new laundry room, got one for a friend who raises llamas, and sent a picture of one to DD#3 because DD#2 would have loved it. She said that her hubby would love it, so I bought it for him - she was so right; he LOVES it!

I am always so happy when I find unique gifts for friends and family and they end up loving what I give them. This was a very happy Christmas in that regard 😊♥️🎄

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn. at January 17, 2026 07:33 PM (SRRAx)

113 This was a very happy Christmas in that regard 😊♥️🎄
Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn.
*******
This was a very happy Christmas for many reasons

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 07:35 PM (cCn4/)

114 I would not want to be Prater right now for all the $$$ in the world.

Posted by: IrishEi at January 17, 2026 07:42 PM (3ImbR)

115 Not this hobby related but on my metal hoarding hobby. Picked up a custom pressed .999 silver half dollarish sized coin today from the press that made all of the Carson City coins. The museum was running it today when we took the grandkids.

Posted by: Reforger at January 17, 2026 07:43 PM (lROFx)

116 Nailed it.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 17, 2026 07:43 PM (viF8m)

117 This is a wild football game....

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 07:44 PM (cCn4/)

118 Curious minds are wondering about this...do you have many of these items? How long do they stay on your gate clicker ring? Etc, etc...
Please say hi to Mrs E from me...
Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 07:33 PM (
Just that one. Mrs. E says hi back.

Posted by: Eromero at January 17, 2026 07:45 PM (LHPAg)

119 I really want the Bills to pull this off. How many times can they make the playoffs but never make it the Super Bowl?!?!?!?

Posted by: IrishEi at January 17, 2026 07:49 PM (3ImbR)

120 I really want the Bills to pull this off. How many times can they make the playoffs but never make it the Super Bowl?!?!?!?
Posted by: IrishEi
*******
With all due respect, this is the Bills after all. But yes, I am pulling for Buffalo, too

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 07:51 PM (cCn4/)

121 My MIL used to have a place on Lake Huron, about 25 years ago. This was a co-op with a great little private beach. She used to take our kids up there and we would visit frequently. We used to collect lots of beach glass. We still go to the same place every year but collect very little beach glass. I blame the 10 cent a bottle deposit in Michigan. No one chucks their bottles overboard anymore.

Posted by: Mrs. Leggy at January 17, 2026 07:51 PM (dyL4B)

122 115 Picked up a custom pressed .999 silver half dollarish sized coin today from the press that made all of the Carson City coins.

Posted by: Reforger at January 17, 2026 07:43 PM
***
Interesting. A big mechanical mass production type press or a manual small scale press or ??

Posted by: TRex - by the light of the silvery moon dino at January 17, 2026 07:51 PM (cCn4/)

123 wow

Posted by: JackStraw at January 17, 2026 08:02 PM (viF8m)

124 Interesting. A big mechanical mass production type press or a manual small scale press or ??
Posted by: TRex - by the light of the silvery moon dino at January 17, 2026 07:51 PM (cCn4/)

Huge press. Got about a six foot flywheel on it. The only cycle it once per coin but in operation it ran continiously. It made thousands and thousands of coins back in the late 1800.
I didn't even know it was going on today. I suspect from the line they could run it 7 days a week and never run out of customers. They still have most of the old dies too.

Posted by: Reforger at January 17, 2026 08:04 PM (v8m2L)

125 124 Huge press. Got about a six foot flywheel on it. The only cycle it once per coin but in operation it ran continiously. It made thousands and thousands of coins back in the late 1800.

Posted by: Reforger at January 17, 2026 08:04 PM
***
Coin Press No.1. Found it on the interweb. Definite steam engine vibes. Thanks for posting.

Posted by: TRex - dino has not cornered the silver market at January 17, 2026 08:09 PM (cCn4/)

126 This is NOT the time to implode Buffalo...

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 08:10 PM (cCn4/)

127 Blot...

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 17, 2026 08:14 PM (cCn4/)

128 Fantastic game.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 17, 2026 08:18 PM (viF8m)

129 I happen to want a Broncos win. F Buffalo

Posted by: Ronster at January 17, 2026 08:18 PM (6J32i)

130 Late again.

The TRC-57 that had a dead VCO now has a live one. Still not working correctly, but at least now it can receive and transmit.

Starting pulling the corrosive glue out of a Cobra 148 GTL. Spent pretty much all day cleaning that crap out, and I still have more to do tomorrow. It ate two of the PLL pins, and is rotting a bunch of component leads. The component leads I can usually save by sanding and coating with solder, if they're long enough. The 10.240 MHz crystal that runs everything didn't have long enough leads so I had to raid another chassis for that.

Posted by: Blanco Basura - Z28.310 at January 17, 2026 08:36 PM (lUFok)

131 *sob*

Posted by: IrishEi at January 17, 2026 08:43 PM (3ImbR)

132 Fort Bragg, NorCal…
I live in NorCal. Had a female visitor come up and ask about Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, and if we could go check it out. In my interest in impressing her, I replied Sure!
3 hours of windshield time, and we arrived.
Went to Glass Beach.
Nothing to be seen, anywhere!
“”pummeled into tiny bits, now.“”
Nope. Pilfered into non-existence now.
The only worn glass to be found was in the souvenir stores. Fake. (And gay, in keeping with our memes)
Letdown, with 6+ hours of round trip driving..
BUT! The Northcoast Brewing Co had Blue Star Ale on sale for $30 fora case, so there was some salvation!

Posted by: Gunslinger at January 17, 2026 08:47 PM (4pWEQ)

133 I fail most of the criteria as a land speed racer.
1- Low Cost -Not at all
2 - Not High Risk - Yes, it is
3 - Longevity - Not likely
4 - Camaraderie - 100%
5 - Physical Health - Um, yeah, until not so much
6 - Intellectual Stimulation - Very much
7 - Relaxation - Not really, we are pretty edgy

Posted by: Jim in Texas at January 17, 2026 09:34 PM (nGt2v)

134 I guess we contributed to the loss of glass on Glass Beach, many years ago now... Husband made framed wall art out of the pieces, some combined with leftover Bisazza tile - a sea turtle (all glass), squid, sea anemone, crab, rockfish. They're hanging in our bathroom now.

Posted by: Pat* at January 17, 2026 09:54 PM (jc3nu)

135 It's not sea glass, but Cape May diamonds are similar. Quartz comes down stream in the Delaware River and gets deposited on the beach at Cape May NJ. The pebbles are polished, cut and sold as souvenirs.

Posted by: Stacy0311 at January 17, 2026 11:31 PM (///6J)

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