I made a close up mat out of foam board and felt over top. It looks nice and is very sturdy -- in fact too sturdy. It has little give for when you need a grip below something, or for doing matrix. What other materials have you used in contructing such a simple device? A sponge backing might work but I worry about its longevity.

How about using mouse pads for your intended purpose ?

Matt

Use the stuff for automobile headliners!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I consructed one using a piece of long pile carpet with a thick cloth glued over the top.
I normally use a dealer item, but wanted a large one for a cups and ball routine.

Mine is just made of foam, front and back. You could probably make something like that.

I've seen mats made of thick wetsuit material.

Certain carpet tiles make good ones...

The surface of pool tables can be used too

Thanks for all the great ideas. I think I'll try the headliners first, then the wetsuit idea -- the dive shops must have some old ones they throw out. Thanks!
Tony

I say just buy one. I got mine from penguinmagic.com for 12 dollars and it gives me everything I want from it.

Got mine from Magic Warehouse and perfectly happy with it!

Dean Dill's close up pads are wonderful. I bought 2 of them 6 years ago and they look as good as the day I bought them (I take good care of them of course) and they have the perfect amount of cushion for good table magic.

I also practice on the cheap magic shop mats, so that I'm not too spoiled by the perfect service Dean's pads offer. I don't always have the luxury of performing on my own pad.

I just made a mat to go on top of a custom performing table I made. I was going to just buy one, but I couldn't find one large enough (I needed it to be 24 1/2" and couldn't find anything that long). I first tried suede over wool felt, but there was not enough give for some of the moves. So I replaced the suede with a high quality velvet over that. I attached this to a base that has a hard black surface on the other side for dice stacking, and built a frame of purpleheart to go around the entire thing (purple and black is my color scheme). The velvet works like a dream, perfect for card and coin work, as well as 3 shell game, etc. There are various grades of velvet - I chose the heaviest, as I figured this would wear best and give the best surface. My cost for the felt and velvet was around $13.00. This looks better than the mats you buy (I have used a variety of mats, and feel they are excellent value for the money, and they all work well, though the neoprene are too stiff for my taste), and is reasonably cost effective. I think this is similar to what Dean Dill offers, though I have never seen any of his mats (his Dean's box is of the highest quality, so if that is any indication...).
Bill

I'm in the UK, so can someone explain what "the stuff for automobile headliners" is?
The term "headliner" in this context is something I don't understand.
Thanks

Headliner is the padded fabric used to cover the interior of automobile roofs. Sometimes it's vinyl, but most often it's a velvet like fabric.

Try putting a layer of cheap batting underneath the felt.
Works great for me