Abandoned Orbs

Wednesday, 18 August: Part II

I’m going to take a break from the bears for a minute and post about a gift we received today.

As the Single Star made its way to Kukak Bay, Eberhard presented us with a wonderful memento — a glass float. With this gift came the information that I present below:

BEACHCOMBERS

Nobody has used glass balls to float fishing nets for decades, but those beautiful, abandoned orbs still circle the great basin of the North Pacific, caught in the gyre of powerful currents.

Lucky is the person who finds among the piles of driftwood and debris the pre light of a blue-green glass sphere, or a brown one, or even more rare, a red one. They were once used by fishermen in many parts of the world to keep their nets afloat.

Norway was the first country to start production of glass fishing floats around 1840. The earliest floats, like the one you are holding, were hand made by a glassblower. Recycled glass, especially old sake bottles, was typically used and air bubbles in the glass are a result of the rapid recycling process. After being blown, floats were removed from the blowpipe and sealed with a “button” of melted glass before being placed in a cooling oven. While floats were still hot and soft, marks were often embossed on or near the sealing button to identify the float for trademark.

Once a float lands on a beach, it may roll in the surf and become “etched” by sand. When old netting breaks off of a float, its pattern often remains on the surface of the glass. Most floats are shades of green because that is the color of glass from recycled sake bottles. However, clear, amber, blue and other colors were also produced. The most prized and rare color is red or cranberry hue. The majority of colored floats available for sale today are replicas.

Happy beachcombing!

Our gift is proudly displayed in our family room …
along with many other mementos of our travels.

Thank you Eberhard! When we next find ourselves strolling on a beach along the Pacific Ocean, we’ll look for an abandoned orb or two.