Radtke is no different from the other makers in jealously guarding his ingredients and process. He said he uses the same silicone material that forms artificial heart valves, and that it costs him $18 a pound. He builds his own molds, and that saves a tremendous amount of money. "Besides the silicone, I add about five special ingredients that I won't divulge. And I experimented with about 50 different pigmentations before I found the one I like. You put it all in a mold and it cures overnight. But I can't tell you anything more specific than that."

 

The biggest challenge faced in the manufacturing process is to avoid air bubbles. Radtke said he worked for two or three years to overcome that problem. He's also proud that his balls have no visible "sprue" or "vent" spots. They do have seams, though, because he said, "you can't make a ball without a seam."

 

Though he runs a small shop, Radtke has some advantages that Dube and Smith cannot match. First of all, he has molds to produce balls in nine sizes, from 3/8" all the way to 3-1/16". He has also devised a process to incorporate a juggler's initials, or other design, permanently into the surface of the ball during its manufacture.

 

Paul Bachman, who got the first batch of Radtke's initialized balls, pointed out the utilitarian value of that feature. He said, "It's a silicone ball world out there now. With everyone having a set, you can keep track of your own in a crowded gym when your initials are right there in the ball."

 

While he doesn't exactly resent the fact that Dube and Smith have become the mass marketers of the product he invented, Radtke follows a code of ethics that takes the others to task for him. He said, "I got permission to put the diminishing golf ball on the market after its original inventor, Laurie Ireland, died. I didn't have to get permission, but I do everything as ethically as possible. A silver extraction coin I make was originated by a dentist, Doc Zola. When a guy told me he wanted one and Doc wasn't making them anymore, I made one for him. But first I showed it to Doc and asked him if I could make them. He said I could, and I made it better than he did.

 

"Let's just put it this way, if I knew someone was making silicone juggling balls, I wouldn't have made them, too. I'm not resentful, but sometimes I feel hurt. But they're in business to make money and I suppose that's what they do. Fortunately I don't have to earn my living doing it."

 

He said he never even considered trying to patent a silicone ball because a friend in the magic business called patents "an invitation to a law suit," and not worth the trouble unless the product had a potential for huge sales.