Hobby Thread - November 7, 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. For this week, the Wheel of Hobbies (TM) is feeling round and decided on a marble theme for this Hobby Thread.

Marbles? Read on, fellow hobbyists...

[Top photo: Moon Marble Company]

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Your host is a dinosaur with a small brain and short arms. That means it is difficult to get low to the ground and reach to shoot marbles. But I understand that others are into marbles. Some still shoot marbles or play other games. It seems like many others are enamored of collecting marbles because of the visual interest and variations inherent in the glass making process.

Marbles are also useful for other crafting and hobbying pursuits.

Other than losing them, what hobbying experience do you have with marbles?

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Give the content a chance before you judge and bail out. There's gotta be something that resonates with you. More importantly, what are you hobbying? Jump in with your hobbying, interests, stories and questions.

Anything (legal) you are hobbying is welcome. If not, offer something else relating to hobbying or just check in and say hello.

As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. Leave politics and religion to threads elsewhere (unless your hobby is building or restoring churches). Pants? Nope. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.

Play nice and do not be rude. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls.

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Are you wise in the ways of marble history?

The earliest marbles were made of flint and stone and baked clay. Examples have been found in archaeological sites around the world and some of these, from Rome and ancient Egypt, can be found at the British Museum.
There are frequent references to marbles in Roman literature and it is probably fair to assume that the Romans took this popular form of entertainment with them to all parts of their empire.
For centuries thereafter the marbles were made of common stone or in some cases, real marble. China and crockery marbles were introduced around the year 1800 and before that glass marbles had been made in Venice. However, it was only when a German glassblower invented a tool called the marble scissors in 1846 that production became quick enough to make the sale of glass marbles to the public an economic proposition.
These marbles became increasingly popular throughout Europe and America. An enormous variety of colours were used and intricate patterns were created within the glass.
Clay marbles began to be produced in bulk from about 1870 onwards on both sides of the Atlantic. In the 1890's the first machines for the manufacture of glass marbles were introduced. However, machine production remained low until the 1914-18 war in Europe cut off supplies of marbles to North America. This stimulated the machine production of glass marbles in the U.S.A. This production technique and the machines themselves are now found in many countries, east and west.

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Does anyone still shoot marbles? Do kids still learn?

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How it's made: marbles

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Some people are serious marble collectors based on the colors and patterns:

The world's largest Marble King (one specific marble maker) collection:

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Marble music:

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Anyone make cracked glass for crafting? Want to learn how?

How to Make Cracked Glass Marbles for Crafting

Cracked glass marbles can go by several different names. I've seen them called fractured glass, fried marbles, or shattered marbles.
So these marbles are pretty and all, but what can you do with them?
The answer is pretty much anything you can do with regular marbles! Which means there are plenty of options.
You can turn them into jewelry, embellish an art project, add them to an outdoor decor project, or use them as a vase filler. The list goes on and on.

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Marbles come in different sizes:

PeeWees - approx. 12mm or 1/2" and smaller
Decor Marbles - approx. 14mm or 9/16"
Target Marbles - approx. 16mm or 5/8" (most standard size)
Shooters - approx. 18 - 19mm or just under 3/4"
Cobbles - approx. 22mm or 7/8"
Boulders - approx. 25mm or 1"
Jumbos - approx. 35mm or 1 3/8"
Super Jumbos - approx. 41mm or 1 5/8"
Toebreakers - approx. 48mm or 2"

How much do marbles cost? Like anything else, fancier gets more expensive. They are sold in bulk quantities. I fancy found target marbles for sale on line sold by the pound. There are approximately 80 to 90 in a 1 pound bag ($13) and approx. 250 in a 3 pound bag ($32.50).

A 50 pack of bumblebee jumbos costs $52.

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Anyone play marble games called Ringer, Plums, and Dropsies in scouts?

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Marble jargon is fun. Here are some marble words that came up during the research for this content - can anyone vouch for these? Any others come to mind?

Types of Marbles:
Aggie - Marble made of agate (or glass imitating agate)
Alley - Originally from alabaster or real marble. Sometimes alley taw for a high-quality shooter.
Bennington - Glazed clay or stoneware marble (named after pottery style, though not made in Bennington, VT).
Cat's eye - Clear glass marble with a colored, eye or vane-shaped insert inside.
Clearie / Peerie / Purie / Crystal - Transparent clear glass marble.
Commonie - Cheap, plain clay or common marble.
Onionskin - Glass marble with layered, swirling color bands that run the length of it.
Steelie - Steel ball-bearing marble (heavy and effective as a shooter).
Sulphide - Clear or semi-opaque glass marble with a small clay or porcelain figure (animal, person, etc.) inside.
Bumblebee - Yellow-and-black striped marble.
Joseph's Coat Specific pattern with many straight color bands.

Size-Related Names:
Peewee / Pewee / Mini - Small marble
Mib / Target / Tolley / Duck / Kimmie - Standard target/player marble
Shooter / Taw / Dobber - Larger marble used to knock others out
Boulder / Giant / Bumboozer / Bowler / Tom Bowler - Very large marble
Other size nicknames include bonker, masher, popper, thumper, and godfather.

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Making a marble track:

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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did a crystals and gem cutting theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

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).

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Reminder: if you put links in the comments, use a URL shortener and describe what you're linking to. Failing to do either or both makes you barrel-eligible. Don't make people click to find out what you're linking.

Boo! Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Or just email to say hello. Do mighty things.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Welcome Hobbiests

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2026 05:32 PM (Ia/+0)

2 I lost all mine.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 07, 2026 05:32 PM (1Ff7Z)

3 A very sad story to tell
I should be at this very moment in Lancaster playing a War of Ozz game but am at home, wasn't feeling well and had to bail out at its start.

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2026 05:34 PM (Ia/+0)

4 I remember marbles from childhood. I never knew how to play them, but I'd roll them around and knock them together--they made a great sound. Sounds like I'm a cat but I'm not.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at November 07, 2026 05:34 PM (CHHv1)

5 My main hobby this week was drinking.

I did make a nice rotating spiral galaxy, though. Still frame:

https://tinyurl.com/yr5su32d

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at November 07, 2026 05:35 PM (CHHv1)

6 https://tinyurl.com/2bxfupsx
A short video of some of the game boards at Fall in HMGS convention.

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2026 05:37 PM (Ia/+0)

7 Didn't shoot marbles, but played Chinese Checkers with them.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 07, 2026 05:37 PM (1Ff7Z)

8 They play with marbles in trans world.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at November 07, 2026 05:42 PM (Cqx++)

9 "Bing Bang Boing"

Obscure, I know. But is or was, "a thing."

This is an open ended action game.

The object of the game is to be the first player to raise the "Ideal" flag. Players do this by arranging the various mechanisms, drums, and obstacles and then try to run a ball bearing through their course.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at November 07, 2026 05:42 PM (RORbl)

10 A short video of some of the game boards at Fall in HMGS convention.
Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2026 05:37 PM (Ia/+0)

Eh, Tuesday said otherwise, Skip.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 07, 2026 05:43 PM (1Ff7Z)

11 Marble Machine guy: when you're an engineer, but you wind up in a rock band instead of working for Volvo.

Posted by: mikeski at November 07, 2026 05:43 PM (VHUov)

12 I did make a nice rotating spiral galaxy, though. Still frame:

https://tinyurl.com/yr5su32d
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at November 07, 2026 05:35 PM (CHHv1)

What did you use to create? Are you going for the realistic look?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 07, 2026 05:45 PM (1Ff7Z)

13 I remember seeing other kids play marbles, and the terms "aggie" and "cat's eye" are familiar to me. Not much else.

This week I've been tempted to buy a new vintage pipe, but haven't settled on one yet. However, I did buy a new watch, the first since 2020! It's a Laco "Flieger," the Luftwaffe-style pilot watch. Laco, it seems, was one of the five companies that supplied the Luftwaffe with pilot watches. Mine is 39 mm, the type B dial with two concentric rings, no date, and is handwound -- it has to be wound every day, like the German pilots needed to do. Completely unlike any of my other watches.

According to the USPS it's out for delivery today -- but I haven't seen the mail truck yet. Still might make it here before the evening is out, though.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 07, 2026 05:45 PM (56Qyq)

14 Marbles was a big thing when I was a kid. I grew up in a black neighborhood so I don't know if the game holesies was common beyond my neighborhood.

You would dig three holes with your heel about two feet apart. Object was to shoot your marble into the holes forward and back. First to do it wins. You lose your turn when you miss. Your opponent can try to hole the marble or strike your marble .

Here is the part that's probably unique to the neighborhood. Loser has to put their knuckles on the ground by the first hole and the winner gets to throw a marble at them standing by the third hole.

Posted by: polynikes at November 07, 2026 05:45 PM (OXhw3)

15 My Lord of the Rings Online odyssey continues...

I've fought my way from Dol Amroth in western Gondor to the banks of the River Anduin in Eastern Gondor. All that stands between me and the Pelennor Fields is an Orc-infested city of Harlond. From Pelennor, I can get to Minas Tirith.

I'll say this for LOTRO...They make you WORK to get anywhere important from the books. You really feel like you've achieved something when you cross that hill and see the mead hall of Edoras in Rohan, or the immense fortress of Minas Tirith...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at November 07, 2026 05:46 PM (s2iZv)

16 Try again from beginning, some Fall in games Saturday
https://tinyurl.com/3eryjws4

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2026 05:47 PM (Ia/+0)

17 Didn't shoot marbles, but played Chinese Checkers with them.
Posted by: OrangeEnt

Similar. Had some marbles as a kid (lost now, obviously), but never played the actual game.

Mostly, they decorated the aquarium so the guppies had something to look at.

Or we built marble tracks for them out of other toys. Lego tracks were harder than they looked, since you could only make right-angle turns.....

Posted by: mikeski at November 07, 2026 05:47 PM (VHUov)

18 Willowed: Sadly we had one of our murderfluffs pass this morning, little Shiloh girly was small and frail, we finally had her eating solid food at 6 weeks, this morning was exactly nine. the other 5 are active and healthy.

I am heartbroken, I thought we had nursed her along far enough
Posted by: what the cat drug in at November 07, 2026

***
My condolences to you, WtCDI.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 07, 2026 05:48 PM (56Qyq)

19 Intellectually speaking, the primary use of marbles is aptly demonstrated within "Animal House." It is, of course, to screw up the local marching band when generously rolled within their projected path.

Posted by: Orson at November 07, 2026 05:48 PM (dIske)

20 Never played marbles as such as a kid, but with marbles as game pieces, my grandfather made a Chinese Checker board and used marbles

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2026 05:48 PM (Ia/+0)

21 IIRC I stopped playing marbles when the local marble guy was pointed out by my dad as for cheating.

I must have been about 11.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2026 05:49 PM (NnhvP)

22 https://tinyurl.com/yr5su32d
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at November 07, 2026 05:35 PM (CHHv1)

Very cool

Posted by: polynikes at November 07, 2026 05:49 PM (OXhw3)

23 Similar. Had some marbles as a kid (lost now, obviously), but never played the actual game.

Posted by: mikeski at November 07, 2026 05:47 PM (VHUov)

Yeah, a leather bag with a drawstring. Never used for the game. Just other stuff. Not that I'm saying they were used as projectiles. No. I'm not saying that.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 07, 2026 05:50 PM (1Ff7Z)

24 My last painting I did was from a photo ace posted on a cafe thread awhile back. See nic.

Posted by: polynikes at November 07, 2026 05:51 PM (OXhw3)

25 The Moon Marble Company (top photo) is in Bonner Springs, a little suburb west of Kansas City.

If travelling through the area with children (or adults with maturity equal to that of PI), it is a good, entertaining break.

You can also buy some unique marbles for kid Christmas presents, etc. I guarantee that is a gift that they will not already have in their toy box.

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at November 07, 2026 05:52 PM (HlyYF)

26 Had a good Friday at Fall In, lost two historical games on the loosing sides, Prussian 1806, British at Saratoga 1777, but today played for 1st time a WW1 battleship battle on the German side and we won quite convincing .

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2026 05:52 PM (Ia/+0)

27 I'm saying they were used as projectiles.
Posted by: OrangeEnt

Corrected for brevity.

Yeah, Marbles fit the wrist rocket really well.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2026 05:53 PM (NnhvP)

28 last painting I did was from a photo ace posted on a cafe thread awhile back. See nic.
Posted by: polynikes

Nice work!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2026 05:54 PM (NnhvP)

29 I would guess the equivalent for girls is playing jacks. Does that still happen?

Posted by: Wenda at November 07, 2026 05:54 PM (qBjG1)

30 Beckoning Chasm kind of makes me think of the Restaurant at the end of the universe

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2026 05:55 PM (Ia/+0)

31 My former house was a marble farm. It was on a corner, in an older neighborhood, and near schools.

Almost every time I dug around to plant something, would find a marble. After removing the sod out front, there were marbles galore exposed after it rained.

I'd imagine many children played on that very yard, with many marbles won and lost there over the decades.

Posted by: JQ at November 07, 2026 05:55 PM (rdVOm)

32 I used marbles for my wrist rocket.

Looks like lashing wire is used for the tracks.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at November 07, 2026 05:57 PM (X8vlu)

33 My last painting I did was from a photo ace posted on a cafe thread awhile back. See nic.
Posted by: polynikes at November 07, 2026

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Beautifully done; it makes me want to drive out West again and see some unobstructed sky for a change.

Your "Algiers Point" is remarkably realistic, too.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 07, 2026 05:57 PM (56Qyq)

34 Good evening Horde. Happy hobbying!

Posted by: TRex - glassy dino at November 07, 2026 05:57 PM (XfIK1)

35 I would guess the equivalent for girls is playing jacks. Does that still happen?
Posted by: Wenda at November 07, 2026

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If there's an app on their phones

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 07, 2026 05:59 PM (56Qyq)

36 > I used marbles for my wrist rocket.
--------
Interestingly... those are making a bit of a comeback. As "less lethal" type weapons.

Probably depending on the ammo.

Currently used to pop Flock surveillance cameras.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at November 07, 2026 06:01 PM (RORbl)

37 My marble collection was stored in rectangular, clear glass canisters. Had hundreds of marbles, old and new.. a couple of clay ones... Asshoe what broke into Dad's house stole them all.

Posted by: JQ at November 07, 2026 06:02 PM (rdVOm)

38 I gotta get to my mother's house to find that wrist rocket. Lott fun with that.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at November 07, 2026 06:03 PM (X8vlu)

39 Similar. Had some marbles as a kid (lost now, obviously), but never played the actual game.
Posted by: mikeski
-----
Yeah, a leather bag with a drawstring. Never used for the game. Just other stuff. Not that I'm saying they were used as projectiles. No. I'm not saying that.
Posted by: OrangeEnt

Yep. Dad showed me a replica he made for shooting marbles. Iron water/gas pipe, drilled a hole to feed a 1940s sized fire cracker through the threaded end cap. Stuff some old rag in, marbles next, firecracker, then screw on the end cap.

Point and light. Pray a little too.

*for experimenting only*
I extended that design to pvc and potatoes. Used aquanet hair spray for the propellant and fired it with a fireworks punk shoved into the combustion chamber. Modern upgrade would use a butane torch complete with ignition source built in to the handle.

Posted by: BifBewalski - at November 07, 2026 06:03 PM (QVmho)

40 My 'hobby' has been replacing the radiator in the 2006 Miata automatic transmission, bought on Thursday, radiator blew on friday. Waiting for the all aluminum replacement after noticing I ordered the one for a Manual transmission, added over a week.
Had a difficult time 'burping' the air out of the system, it is a rather fiddly procedure.
All done yesterday. Driven slowly locally yesterday. No leaks. Will take it out on the freeway tomorrow.
Hurray!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2026 06:03 PM (NnhvP)

41 For some reason we never played 'official' marble games when growing up. However, we had a lot of marbles, some as gifts, some, a surprising number, we found from past generations that had been lost in our yards. We all played Chinese checkers and making the board was a common project in shop class along with cribbage boards.

Not a game as such, but us boys would gouge tracks in the dirt on an incline so the marbles would move. The idea was to make the track layout as complicated as we could without the marbles getting stuck. Any excuse for seven year old boys to play in the dirt. Packed snow could also be used.

Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026 06:05 PM (yTvNw)

42 The WWII Battleship game I played in the game master made all the game parts needed with a printer.
Game board to track damage, range finder and moving measure device.
Also at another game just looking around a 28mm Napoleonic cavalry figure printed that was amazing as and metal figure in details.

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2026 06:05 PM (Ia/+0)

43 I gotta get to my mother's house to find that wrist rocket. Lott fun with that.
Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory

Replace old surgical tubing!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2026 06:07 PM (NnhvP)

44 Mom made each of her kids one cloth drawstring bag and monogrammed them our initials on her fabulous Singer Slant-O-Matic sewing machine. She put marbles in them as a sort of starter set. We played, a lot. Neighbor kids, too. My sister won a steelie shooter, and it was the envy of the neighborhood. I still have mine somewhere. The bag is a lovely robin's egg blue, and the marbles are mostly cat-eyes. I guess they all count as antiques these days, as do I.

Posted by: tcn in AK at November 07, 2026 06:08 PM (5WPt1)

45 Any excuse for seven year old boys to play in the dirt. Packed snow could also be used.
Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026 06:05 PM (yTvNw)

Funny how the best stuff to play with when we were kids didn't cost a dime, but usually involved a bath later.

Posted by: tcn in AK at November 07, 2026 06:09 PM (5WPt1)

46 Replace old surgical tubing!
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron

Yep. Probably snap on the first draw.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at November 07, 2026 06:10 PM (X8vlu)

47 Wolfus:
Seriously? Playing jacks on a phone?

Posted by: Wenda at November 07, 2026 06:10 PM (qBjG1)

48 28mm Napoleonic cavalry figure printed that was amazing as and metal figure in details.
Posted by: Skip

A friend uses a resin print for fighting figures for increased detail.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2026 06:10 PM (NnhvP)

49 nice work, polynikes!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at November 07, 2026 06:10 PM (VyBeY)

50 OT, but it appears DH's dad is probably dying this week. He pretty much smoked and drank his heart to death, besides being an obdurate asshole and being emotionally abusive to his long suffering wife. Still, it is going to be difficult for DH's mom, so a prayer or two would not go astray. Also, appears DH will have to fly back to WI, just two weeks out from knee replacement, so that will be a mess.

Posted by: tcn in AK at November 07, 2026 06:10 PM (5WPt1)

51 Mrs. JTB smiled when she saw the topic. The subfloor of her childhood bedroom, put in by her dad, had plenty of knot holes. Before the actual floor was installed, she would try to shoot the marbles down the holes. If anyone ever takes up the floor, they will have a good collection of marbles. Childhood memories.

Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026 06:11 PM (yTvNw)

52
Yep. Probably snap on the first draw.
Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory

You could poke out your eye!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2026 06:11 PM (NnhvP)

53 appears DH will have to fly back to WI, just two weeks out from knee replacement, so that will be a mess.
Posted by: tcn in AK

DH and family in my prayers.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2026 06:13 PM (NnhvP)

54 24 ... "My last painting I did was from a photo ace posted on a cafe thread awhile back."

polynikes,
Nice painting. You have a wonderful talent for painting light.

Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026 06:13 PM (yTvNw)

55 Some day I will open up a box and find all of the marbles that the kids played with when they were little. I remember making some cracked marble jewelry for my Mom back when I was in elementary school.

Posted by: Debby Doberman Schultz at November 07, 2026 06:14 PM (ibDUx)

56 Wolfus:
Seriously? Playing jacks on a phone?
Posted by: Wenda

Well, "jacks" seemed old fashioned, so they changed it up a bit. The game's called "fruit ninja."

Posted by: mikeski at November 07, 2026 06:14 PM (VHUov)

57 In reality I lost all my marbles years ago.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2026 06:15 PM (NnhvP)

58 Played a LOT of marbles as a kid. Aggies, cat's eye, peeries(?), steelies... I had a bespoke leather bag for my stash.

I've told before how my dad had a friend who worked at a ball bearing factory and he gave me a ball bearing as big as a silver dollar (or at least that's how I remember it). I dominated the playground marbles scene.

Dad and I also made those plastic/lucite balls where you pour the liquid stuff into glass balls with a stem, they heat up and then harden, and then you crack the glass and sand down the nub at the stem. I made the Tsar Bomba of "marbles".

Did anyone else make those? What was that stuff? Don't breathe too deeply! I sure huffed a lot of chemicals as a kid.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at November 07, 2026 06:16 PM (kpS4V)

59 The video on how marbles are made was fascinating. Good thing I was a English major. If the world depended on my technical imagination and skills, we would still be living in caves.

Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026 06:16 PM (yTvNw)

60 still have the wrist rocket I bought in, maybe, 1977 ... now on 5th or 6th set of surgical tubing.

illegal in Chicago, so I bought it mailorder from L. L. Bean when they were an obscure sporting-goods place in Maine

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at November 07, 2026 06:17 PM (VyBeY)

61 Sorry about all that drama, tcn. Prayers for hubby.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at November 07, 2026 06:17 PM (kpS4V)

62 Regarding cars: The suburban library hosted a "Cars and Coffee" event this morning in their parking lot. Free! Including the coffee. People had a lot of muscle cars and their modern equivalents, like a Maserati sedan and beefed-up Mustangs and some BMWs. To me the stars were the old Chevys. There were two Corvette Sting Rays in red over black, one a '63 split-window (the first year) and the other a '66. One fellow had a '63 Chevy Impala SS coupe, tomato red, and a white '66 SS like my father drove in the late '60s. I commented about the '63, "Must be the last *non-low rider* left in America!" He laughed.

There was even a vintage Ford F-100 pickup, with a nicely appointed bed, and everything else looking pretty original. From the days when you bought a pickup to, yanno, *pick up and haul* things instead of to impress your neighbors. It had a cozy cabin too (probably damned hot in summer, unless he's put in A/C) with a plain bench seat.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 07, 2026 06:20 PM (56Qyq)

63 Pipe smoking hobby. I ordered several pounds of my favorite pipe tobacco today while it was on sale. A bit extravagant but it is a Danish company and with all the problems in Europe these days I imagine there could be disruptions. The blends are Stokkebye's Navy Flake, Cube Cut, and Black Cavendish. Should be enough for quite some time.

Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026 06:22 PM (yTvNw)

64 Wolfus:
Seriously? Playing jacks on a phone?
Posted by: Wenda at November 07, 2026

***
I just meant the kids would probably be so attached to their phones they wouldn't have any interest in a real life game. No idea if that's true, but the college students I used to see at my former work had their eyeballs glued to those little screens all the time and never spoke to each other.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 07, 2026 06:23 PM (56Qyq)

65 *hic*

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at November 07, 2026 06:24 PM (vBZcw)

66 There was even a vintage Ford F-100 pickup, with a nicely appointed bed, and everything else looking pretty original. From the days when you bought a pickup to, yanno, *pick up and haul* things instead of to impress your neighbors. It had a cozy cabin too (probably damned hot in summer, unless he's put in A/C) with a plain bench seat.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 07, 2026 06:20 PM (56Qyq)

I look for them once in a while, but every one I find online is either rusty or they want 30k for them.

Watched a vid earlier from a Model A guy who drove a Model A pick up to haul some wood. Nice looking thing. I wonder what the market for those are?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 07, 2026 06:24 PM (1Ff7Z)

67 Intellectually speaking, the primary use of marbles is aptly demonstrated within "Animal House."

Using the bulk prices shown above, 10,000 marbles would be about $1300, or about $118 in 1962 adjusted for inflation.

Posted by: Oddbob at November 07, 2026 06:25 PM (vTZFs)

68 Pipe smoking hobby. I ordered several pounds of my favorite pipe tobacco today while it was on sale. A bit extravagant but it is a Danish company and with all the problems in Europe these days I imagine there could be disruptions. The blends are Stokkebye's Navy Flake, Cube Cut, and Black Cavendish. Should be enough for quite some time.
Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026

***
Erik Stokkebye, or Peter? I have some Erik S. Morning Blend, which smells darn near edible and smokes quite well once it's dried a bit. And I think I tried the Cube Cut. Couldn't get it lit by itself, but mixed in with another blend, it worked fine.

I've been finding Gawith & Hoggarth's Bob's Chocolate Flake to be a good cool smoke, and actually I get some cocoa/whisky aroma out of it now. But finding the actual product is a challenge. Everybody seems to be out of it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 07, 2026 06:26 PM (56Qyq)

69 50 OT, but it appears DH's dad is probably dying this week. He pretty much smoked and drank his heart to death, besides being an obdurate asshole and being emotionally abusive to his long suffering wife.

---------

A poetic epitaph if I ever read one.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at November 07, 2026 06:26 PM (vBZcw)

70 My son picked up some Australian black licorice on sale at Ollies.

OMG. I just could not stop eating them.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at November 07, 2026 06:27 PM (LOvBA)

71 I saw the Obdurate Assholes open for Big Head Todd and the Monsters at the Santa Monica Civic in '84.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at November 07, 2026 06:28 PM (vBZcw)

72 Literally no one ever "played marbles" in my neighborhood.

I think we had a board game involving a marble track of some kind.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at November 07, 2026 06:29 PM (RIvkX)

73 I just meant the kids would probably be so attached to their phones they wouldn't have any interest in a real life game. No idea if that's true, but the college students I used to see at my former work had their eyeballs glued to those little screens all the time and never spoke to each other.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius
------

Rather true for most adults under 40 or so.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2026 06:29 PM (XeU6L)

74 Stalag 17 is on Movies! at 7 pm Central. I doubt we'll be back from dinner (Mexican tonight) in time to watch it. Svengoolie has Young Frankenstein at 6, and two original Twilight Zones right afterward.

Getting dark here. I doubt the mail truck will show up this evening (though I have known it to arrive as late as seven pm). Guess I'll have to wait for my watch until Monday.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 07, 2026 06:31 PM (56Qyq)

75 I didn't make any HF contacts this week, but right now I'm monitoring the smart meters in my neighborhood on 915MHz, using free software rtl_433 and an RTL_SDR dongle rcvr. Everything has a radio in it these days.

Posted by: gp at November 07, 2026 06:31 PM (Jr5Lq)

76 Still painting away, although not a lot recently as we've had to play host to a relative for 3 weeks and counting. Finished up another portrait and made a start on painting the recent solar eclipse. As I have no good photos of my own (we went to Iceland and got rained out), I'm using several from the internet which were taken in Spain as my inspiration. Have only managed to get in about 8 hours' worth of work on it due to having to spend a lot of time cooking meals and entertaining the company.

Posted by: tankascribe at November 07, 2026 06:33 PM (EhQXY)

77 I taught our boys to play marbles but they got bored after a few games. To tell the truth so did I.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 06:36 PM (MWfyi)

78 Played marbles quite a bit in the second and third grades. Usually in the school/church parking lot in all seasons. Winters in Michigan could be extreme, so the players (kids) cleared off the ice and snow enough to make a go of it.

Made up rules for when the marbles hit puddles or snow.

Lots of fun.

Posted by: mrp at November 07, 2026 06:37 PM (rj6Yv)

79 I taught our boys to play marbles but they got bored after a few games. To tell the truth so did I.
Posted by: fd
-----

Try Mumblety-peg.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2026 06:39 PM (XeU6L)

80 When I was a kid we did play marbles at school. For keeps. There might have been some crying involved.

Steelys not allowed. At first.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 06:39 PM (MWfyi)

81 Made up rules for when the marbles hit puddles or snow.
Posted by: mrp

Calvinmarble!

Posted by: mikeski at November 07, 2026 06:40 PM (VHUov)

82 Pipe smoking hobby. I ordered several pounds of my favorite pipe tobacco today while it was on sale. A bit extravagant but it is a Danish company and with all the problems in Europe these days I imagine there could be disruptions. The blends are Stokkebye's Navy Flake, Cube Cut, and Black Cavendish. Should be enough for quite some time.
Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026 06:22 PM (yTvNw)
=====

I still have a fair amount of Stokkebye's "Proper English" and "English Oriental Supreme" laid by. Good stuff!

Posted by: mrp at November 07, 2026 06:41 PM (rj6Yv)

83 Perhaps somebody on this thread can help America locate it's marbles.

Posted by: Eromero at November 07, 2026 06:41 PM (LHPAg)

84 There is (or at least, there was) a use for marbles when breeding certain tropical fish. I had several tropical fish tanks when I was a youngster. I raised up some fish called Zebra Danios which tend to eat their own eggs. Put a couple of layers of marbles in the bottom of the tank that's going to be the nursery and the eggs fall between the marbles. The adult fish can't get to them. Remove the adults when they've finished their fishy version of makin' whoopie and wait for the young-uns to hatch. Put a few floating plants in there so the young can feel more at home.

Posted by: George V at November 07, 2026 06:41 PM (g6ahB)

85 "Try Mumblety-peg.
Posted by: Mike Hammer"

I did not teach them that because I didn't want their mom make them go to the emergency room.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 06:41 PM (MWfyi)

86 I taught our boys to play marbles but they got bored after a few games. To tell the truth so did I.
Posted by: fd
-----

Try Mumblety-peg.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2026 06:39 PM (XeU6L)
=======

Try teaching them the fine art of playing Draw Poker.

Posted by: mrp at November 07, 2026 06:42 PM (rj6Yv)

87 "I've told before how my dad had a friend who worked at a ball bearing factory and he gave me a ball bearing as big as a silver dollar (or at least that's how I remember it). I dominated the playground marbles scene"

Oh, you were that kid who caused the escalation.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 06:43 PM (MWfyi)

88 Jeepers. Buckeyes are getting their asses handed to them by the ducks.

I hate Oregon.

Posted by: nurse ratched. at November 07, 2026 06:44 PM (4ThdF)

89 I have an antique quack novelty 'razor blade sharpener,' containing two uranium glass marbles. Supposedly drawing the blade between the 'radium balls' would rejuvenate the blade. Dubious at best.

Posted by: gp at November 07, 2026 06:44 PM (Jr5Lq)

90 Jacks was a girls game but we might have played cause we was bored. Also that stupid "Dating Game" board game.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 06:46 PM (MWfyi)

91 I saw Lane Kiffin open for Obdurate Assholes at the Swamp August of ‘03.

Posted by: Accomack at November 07, 2026 06:46 PM (9H7EW)

92 I was kinda hoping to smoke a few bowls this weekend, but the recovery time for the actinic keratoses procedure put the kibosh on that idea.

Posted by: mrp at November 07, 2026 06:48 PM (rj6Yv)

93 the 'radium balls'
Posted by: gp

A side effect I don't even notice.

Posted by: Bruce Banner at November 07, 2026 06:48 PM (VHUov)

94 Try teaching them the fine art of playing Draw Poker.
Posted by: mrp
----

Ha! My dad did that. I learned two life lessons, as he scraped up the matchsticks that we played for.

"Never telegraph your punches, and, play your cards close to your vest"

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2026 06:49 PM (XeU6L)

95 "Supposedly drawing the blade between the 'radium balls' would rejuvenate the blade"

Sounds kind of gay if you ask me. I know you didn't but that's never stopped me before.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 06:50 PM (MWfyi)

96 I taught our boys to play poker too. They got bored with that. I have this cool vintage bakelite poker chip carousel full of poker chips but nobody will play poker with me.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 06:53 PM (MWfyi)

97 Jeepers. Buckeyes are getting their asses handed to them by the ducks.

I hate Oregon.
Posted by: nurse ratched

OSU lost their mojo when they lost Julian Sayin. Tough season without him.

Posted by: Tuna at November 07, 2026 06:53 PM (lJ0H4)

98 Those happy Brit marblers in 2017 playing for keeps but not looking ahead.

Posted by: Eromero at November 07, 2026 06:53 PM (LHPAg)

99 Likewise, chess. Nobody wants to play. They want to play something with giant fighting robots and explosions.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 06:54 PM (MWfyi)

100 Played with marbles as a kid. My brother and I would form opposing lines of them and take turns rolling one to get a hit on the other side. It passed the time...

Posted by: Joe Kidd at November 07, 2026 06:55 PM (08OqX)

101 99 Likewise, chess. Nobody wants to play. They want to play something with giant fighting robots and explosions.
Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 06:54 PM
You rang?
-AI

Posted by: Eromero at November 07, 2026 06:55 PM (LHPAg)

102 One of my favorite short stories is The Oracle Engine by M.T. Anderson, a steampunk set in Andient Rome concerning an inventor who achieves revenge by building an oracle engine that works by running a marble through a series of programmed chute to achieve an answer.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent at November 07, 2026 06:58 PM (ndZc7)

103 There is no joy in beating AI at chess.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 06:59 PM (MWfyi)

104 I don't play chess anymore, but I do about a dozen tactical puzzles a day at this excellent site:

https://lichess.org/training

Worldwide, chess is still as popular as ever. Two very good YT channels I watch are agadmator, and Ben Finegold's lectures.

Posted by: gp at November 07, 2026 07:00 PM (Jr5Lq)

105 "One of my favorite short stories is The Oracle Engine by M.T. Anderson, a steampunk set in Andient Rome concerning an inventor who achieves revenge by building an oracle engine that works by running a marble through a series of programmed chute to achieve an answer.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent "

I wonder if you could run Doom on it.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 07:01 PM (MWfyi)

106 Chess was 'cooked' by regular computer engines years before the advent of today's AI tech. People don't play against the engines; they use them to analyze their person-to-person games, and assess the accuracy with which they were played. The engines have been a boon to the game, not a detriment.

Posted by: gp at November 07, 2026 07:03 PM (Jr5Lq)

107 Try teaching them the fine art of playing Draw Poker.
Posted by: mrp at November 07, 2026 06:42 PM (rj6Yv)
----
My eight-year-old pretty much knows basic blackjack strategy at this point lol.

Posted by: ballistic at November 07, 2026 07:03 PM (oqH4h)

108 OSU lost their mojo when they lost Julian Sayin. Tough season without him.
Posted by: Tuna at November 07, 2026 06:53 PM (lJ0H4)
====
nurse means the University of Oregon

Posted by: San Franpsycho at November 07, 2026 07:04 PM (RIvkX)

109 I don't really want to play against a computer. It becomes all about winning. If I am going to lose a game I'd at least like to be able to have a conversation with my opponent.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 07:05 PM (MWfyi)

110 OSU lost their mojo when they lost Julian Sayin. Tough season without him.
Posted by: Tuna at November 07, 2026 06:53 PM (lJ0H4)
====
nurse means the University of Oregon
Posted by: San Franpsycho

And I was referring to Ohio State.

Posted by: Tuna at November 07, 2026 07:06 PM (lJ0H4)

111 I swallowed a marble at 3 and almost died. True story!

Glad I could contribute. 😂

Posted by: Piper at November 07, 2026 07:06 PM (ZdaMQ)

112 I don't really want to play against a computer. It becomes all about winning. If I am going to lose a game I'd at least like to be able to have a conversation with my opponent.
Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 07:05 PM (MWfyi)
---
You can play mind games with a human opponent, forcing them to make mistakes.

You can't do that against a computer.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at November 07, 2026 07:07 PM (s2iZv)

113 "You can play mind games with a human opponent, forcing them to make mistakes.

You can't do that against a computer.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel"

Not to mention getting them drunk.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 07:09 PM (MWfyi)

114 People mostly play chess against other human opponents, online, but there are plenty of IRL tournaments, clubs and hustler games.

Posted by: gp at November 07, 2026 07:10 PM (Jr5Lq)

115 What about bridge? If I could have majored in bridge in college I'd probably graduated summa cum laude.

Posted by: Wenda at November 07, 2026 07:11 PM (qBjG1)

116 I swallowed a marble at 3 and almost died. True story!

Glad I could contribute. 😂
Posted by: Piper

I guess you get the award for the most-complicated marble track.

Posted by: mikeski at November 07, 2026 07:11 PM (VHUov)

117 116 I swallowed a marble at 3 and almost died. True story!

Glad I could contribute. 😂
Posted by: Piper

I guess you get the award for the most-complicated marble track.

Posted by: mikeski at November 07, 2026 07:11 PM
***
Ha! Well played.

Posted by: TRex - doctor dino at November 07, 2026 07:13 PM (XfIK1)

118 Try teaching them the fine art of playing Draw Poker.
Posted by: mrp at November 07, 2026 06:42 PM (rj6Yv)

Ever play Liar's Poker? You and your friends each bring a stack of dollar bills and use the serial numbers to bid on each round, going from 0 to 9. Repeating numbers are highly prized, so let's say your friend just bid a three, the guy to his left bid two threes. Your dollar bill has three threes in it's serial number, so you bid five threes. They challenge, and everyone reveals their dollar. If their bills plus yours have at least five twos in the serial number, you win both of their dollars.

A variation of this game is called Bullshit, where you drop that word whenever you want to challenge a player's claim. It really does improve the gameplay, but use discretion if you decide to play with the grandkids..

Posted by: Joe Kidd at November 07, 2026 07:14 PM (08OqX)

119 68 ... Wolfus,
It's Eric Stokkebye. He's the 4th generation owner. Peter might be his son. I tried the Morning Blend once and liked it. Cube Cut (I've been preferring burley blends lately) can be a challenge to light but not too bad. The cut doesn't tamp down easily and I gravity feed the bowl and keep the puffing slow. Finding Gawith blends seems to be a crap shoot. I see a lot of out of stock notices for it, especially the Chocolate Flake.

Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026 07:19 PM (yTvNw)

120 "For no word from God will ever fail." — Luke 1:37

I thank God for my interest in harmonica. While not particularly good at it, I’m getting ready for the holidays by sharpening my Christmas tune capabilities. It usually brings a smile to people’s faces, and I get inspiration from playing.

Posted by: Unkaren at November 07, 2026 07:20 PM (TgU4U)

121 I don't really want to play against a computer. It becomes all about winning. If I am going to lose a game I'd at least like to be able to have a conversation with my opponent.
Posted by: fd
-------

I do not play games, but work crossword puzzels, Wordle. I used to do Sudoku, but wrote a software solver and as a consequence, lost interest. Publius also wrote a solver.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2026 07:20 PM (XeU6L)

122 The clock on the wall says the time for this week's Hobby Thread is ticking down. Don't fret - there will be another Hobby Thread next week with a different theme.

Thanks for being here. You're welcome to hang here for a while but don't forget to stop by Club ONT later. The Root Beer is already chilled.

Posted by: TRex - hourglass dino at November 07, 2026 07:21 PM (XfIK1)

123 *puzzles

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2026 07:21 PM (XeU6L)

124 And I was referring to Ohio State.
Posted by: Tuna at November 07, 2026 07:06 PM (lJ0H4)
====

Ahh. I thought it was The Ohio State?

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

125 In The Bronx, when we were kids, we didn't play with marbles, we would fill bottle caps with crayon wax and shoot skelsies on a board drawn in chalk on the sidewalk in front of the tenement buildings.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at November 07, 2026 07:22 PM (XV/Pl)

126 One of the most popular chess engines is stockfish. It's free, and can play at ratings above 3000. It's been around for decades, is not AI, and the executable is about 50MB. People generally don't play against it, but instead use it for analyzing positions and human games.

Engines have also generated so-called 'bases' of cooked complex end-game positions, so that it is easy to feed such positions in, and find out instantly if they are wins or draws with just a database lookup.

Posted by: gp at November 07, 2026 07:22 PM (Jr5Lq)

127 Just got a high wind alert on my Phone.

Power supposed to fail at some point this evening.

And I just put beef ribs in the oven.

Posted by: nurse ratched. at November 07, 2026 07:22 PM (yEz+x)

128 Young Frankenstein is on Svengoolie. This should be fun.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 07:23 PM (MWfyi)

129 Ahh. I thought it was The Ohio State?
Posted by: San Franpsycho
-------

Has anyone ever seen an actual buckeye?

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2026 07:25 PM (XeU6L)

130 Your host is a dinosaur with a small brain and short arms. That means it is difficult to get low to the ground and reach to shoot marbles.
.......

Is that what the kids are calling it now?

Posted by: wth at November 07, 2026 07:26 PM (oq9dX)

131 Young Frankenstein is on Svengoolie. This should be fun.
Posted by: fd
-------

What knockers!

Someone had to say it.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2026 07:26 PM (XeU6L)

132 In The Bronx, when we were kids, we didn't play with marbles, we would fill bottle caps with crayon wax and shoot skelsies on a board drawn in chalk on the sidewalk in front of the tenement buildings.
Posted by: Thomas Bender at November 07, 2026 07:22 PM (XV/Pl)

Same. Newark, NJ circa 1970..

Posted by: Joe Kidd at November 07, 2026 07:26 PM (08OqX)

133 Tommy Carr is the schnizz.
Without Sayin, Michigan has a chance.

Posted by: Accomack at November 07, 2026 07:27 PM (FqNtp)

134 I still have all my marbles.

Posted by: Archer at November 07, 2026 07:27 PM (jG9m7)

135 Using good quality writing instruments is a sort of hobby. I mentioned on a previous thread trying some high end pencils: Blackwing and Mitsubishi. They are definitely superior pencils that are a pleasure to write with. I prefer, so far, the Blackwing 602 despite the cost.Writing with it is feels very similar to using a fountain pen, it's that smooth. My handwriting with it looks like my penmanship with a good Pelikan fountain pen. I find myself wanting to write just to use it.

Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026 07:28 PM (yTvNw)

136 glad you're still with us, piper!

when I was 3 I understood how to operate the deadbolt and doorknob, so one day when I was bored I toddled off to Lincoln Park ... crossed 2 major streets to get there ... my distraught parents found me sitting on the grass playing with a stick.

(fwiw this would have been the late 50s, Chicago was not nearly as dangerous a place ...)

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at November 07, 2026 07:28 PM (VyBeY)

137 Why is nurse watching a ducks game?
/wonders to self

Posted by: San Franpsycho at November 07, 2026 07:28 PM (RIvkX)

138 Where wolf? There wolf.

Posted by: Archer at November 07, 2026 07:28 PM (aWPl9)

139 I swallowed a marble at 3 and almost died. True story!
.......

My cousin stuck a peanut up his nose and had to go to the ER to get it removed.

Posted by: wth at November 07, 2026 07:29 PM (oq9dX)

140 TRex,
Thanks for the thread. Marbles turned out to be a surprising cool topic.

Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2026 07:30 PM (yTvNw)

141 "Where wolf? There wolf.
Posted by: Archer"

I just learned from Svengoolie that Brooks did the wolf howl before those lines!

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 07:31 PM (MWfyi)

142 I still have all my marbles.
Posted by: Archer
......

Got any steelies?

Posted by: wth at November 07, 2026 07:32 PM (oq9dX)

143 I swallowed a marble at 3 and almost died. True story!
.......

My cousin stuck a peanut up his nose and had to go to the ER to get it removed.
Posted by: wth
------

"Never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear"

Posted by: Mike Hammer's mother intones at November 07, 2026 07:32 PM (XeU6L)

144 Roll, roll, roll in the hay!

Posted by: Teri at November 07, 2026 07:32 PM (Q+gd/)

145 If you listen to it, it does sound like Brooks. Now I can't unhear it.

Posted by: fd at November 07, 2026 07:32 PM (MWfyi)

146 Nood.

Posted by: Nazdar at November 07, 2026 07:33 PM (NcvvS)

147 126 One of the most popular chess engines is stockfish. It's free, and can play at ratings above 3000. It's been around for decades, is not AI, and the executable is about 50MB. People generally don't play against it, but instead use it for analyzing positions and human games.

Engines have also generated so-called 'bases' of cooked complex end-game positions, so that it is easy to feed such positions in, and find out instantly if they are wins or draws with just a database lookup.
Posted by: gp at November 07, 2026 07:22 PM (Jr5Lq)

I wonder how many people use AI in online poker games. I imagine the companies try to prevent it but no system is safe from fraud and manipulations.

Posted by: Stateless - Ralphy - 106.5 years old! Puppy at heart! at November 07, 2026 07:33 PM (Sco7b)

148 Mitsubishi does make a really fine pencil.

Kita-boshi is another good brand from Japan.

never tried Blackwing, but their word-of-mouth is huge ...

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at November 07, 2026 07:34 PM (VyBeY)

149 but no system is safe from fraud and manipulations.
-------

A timely comment.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2026 07:34 PM (XeU6L)

150 149 but no system is safe from fraud and manipulations.
-------

A timely comment.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2026 07:34 PM (XeU6L)

I thought people here would get that.

Speaking of which, I"m back on my big AI project. Got very frustrated and took up booze for a hobby. Better now.

Posted by: Stateless - Ralphy - 106.5 years old! Puppy at heart! at November 07, 2026 07:36 PM (Sco7b)

151 Ahh. I thought it was The Ohio State?
Posted by: San Franpsycho

Only to the current generation. When I went to school we were simply Ohio State or The Big Farm.

Posted by: Tuna at November 07, 2026 07:37 PM (lJ0H4)

152 Don't make people click to find out what you're linking.
_-_
Oh, you're no fun anymore!
I used to run into guys who did this at gem and mineral shows in my youth - not as many of those as there used to be

Here is a video of making an agate marble:
https://tinyurl.com/92da2f82
...and larger spheres:
https://tinyurl.com/yc6n675

Posted by: Don in SoCo at November 07, 2026 07:43 PM (3UxRL)

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