I think I can actually pick this one up locally, which would be 35mm Soapstone:
http://www.numbski.com/img/soapstone.jpg
Have to go check to make sure.
What about halite? 
I want one with a scorpion inside
I could, but then I couldn’t be held responsible if you got mauled by a deer.
That, and sweat may prove to be an issue. And pruning of hands.
Find me a piece of glass/plexi/lexan with a scorpion encapsulated in it. :wtf: I know they have them as souvenir’s in various gas stations across the midwest. I’ve seen them.
omg id pay for one of those
how bout carbon fiber?
how bout with names on the outside?
or in the inside like those disney souvenirs
can you ballpark the price range for each one?
im mainly looking at the translucient bubble style with something in it
It really depends on what you’re having me do. If it’s something stock off the shelf, I’ll probably just charge materials + my time, so if it’s a simple glass marble that’s $2, and say the insert is $3, then it takes me a half hour to make (over-estimation…I hope!) then say $20. I’ll keep it reasonable and I’ll stay transparent. I’m not out to rip anyone off. This crazy “I want (insert item here) floating in transparent plastic” stuff is something I’ve never personally done. If you can source it I’ll see what I can do. If enough people want it I can try doing it. What I’d do is take an existing ball top, cast a mold is plaster of paris, then somehow do an injection of melted plexi. The first things that come to mind doing that is that it might not come out clear. Someone with a bit more experience on the topic might be able to shed some light on that though.
hmm, thats not bad for some reason i though the prices were gonna be in the 38-60 range.
im working on a few sticks, and when im definite on the whole theme ill definitely give you a pm
whats available off the shelf right now?
Right now? Not entirely sure. I have a couple of local glass shops I’m going to hit either tonight or tomorrow. I’m pretty sure I can get soap stone locally. I also have a vendor that can do gem-alikes (ie, glass/plastic that looks like) of amethyst, ruby, sapphire, and a few others. Also looks at some glass with irridescent/metalic look surfaces.
Something like this (Torpedo Metal Finish):
http://www.numbski.com/img/torpedo.jpg
or this (iridescent metal finish):
http://www.numbski.com/img/iridescent.jpg
The problem with those is that I MUST buy in quantity. If I find stuff locally I can buy one unit at a time, otherwise I need either bulk orders or group buys. For example, the iridescent costs me roughly $10 for a 3 pack of 35mm, whereas the same one 42mm or 50mm (one slightly larger, one smaller than the standard sanwa) I have to buy a 25 pack, and the price per unit drops to $1.50/$2 each, but still…I have to buy 25 of them! 
If I can get guaranteed orders in a quantity, I don’t mind, but well…you see the issue here.
Also found one that is similar to the Seimitsu clear bubble ball top, only it’s 50mm instead of 35mm. The sanwa tops are typically 45mm, to give you an idea. It’s called “Clearys”:
http://www.numbski.com/img/clearys.jpg
Again, roughly $2/unit, minimum order for me is 14.
BTW, when I’m mentioning prices, I don’t mention shipping. I don’t yet know how fragile these things are. I’m probably going to intentionally do a drop test or two on concrete. I don’t know if USPS is sufficient, padded bags vs envelopes, etc. Again, not going to rip people off. This ought to be a fun experiment though. Anyone want oddball shapes? I’m trying to find tabletop game shops that carry either 1D6 or 1D20’s in 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" sizes. I’m also going to take a hack saw to an old Happ bat-top for grins too.
wow, I am very interested in custom balltops, I cant wait to see pics of the different materials
Hmm. One shop was out of stock, the other closed before I got there.
Oh well, at least I have some stuff coming by mail. I’ll try again tomorrow too.
the torpedo metal finish looks sick.
I thought so too. I actually got a message back on the metal/iridescent finish stuff. They tell me they can sell me a random grab bag of those for $25. There’s no guarantee as to what finish would be what, only that they’d all be 35mm, and all of some fancy-schmancy finish.
So…hmm. If I can get 5 people to be guinea pigs for this, $5 each, I’ll order. Here’s the kicker. They tell me I will get somewhere between 10 and 25 in a kit. They don’t even know how many! So…whatever I get, you’ll get at least 1, possibly more for your $5. That doesn’t cover shipping, just the ball tops. You may walk away with 5 ball tops, you may walk away with one. Allow room for error too. I have a pretty solid idea of how to center the drill on these things, but I’m human after all. Takers?
Sanwa balltops are typically 35mm not 45mm. The larger balltops they sell are 45mm (LB-45).
~Paik
Custom PCBs, custom ball tops, what’s next? Custom buttons?
What a great summer for fighter fans.
Can these be done for happ sticks?
Possibly, but not easily. Happ sticks have the shaft and bat top in one piece. You’d have to cut off the bat top, and die-cut threads into the top of the shaft. Can it be done? Yes. Easily? Nope. 
So yeah, the 35mm balls are the ones I’m contemplating. Paik…if that’s right, then the smaller seimitsu bubble balls are what, 30mm?