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Dave McFarland Regular user Portland, OR 184 Posts |
I've read on a few posts that a heavier wand is helpful in learning the mora/vernon vanish. Does that mean that the tips should be heavier or the overall weight heavier? Also is it generally easier to spin a wand that has metal tips (heavier tips), or should the wand be consistently weighted for the entire length of the wand. I have a solid wood wand (12") now and am wondering if a heavier wand would help.
thanks |
Dave V Inner circle Las Vegas, NV 4824 Posts |
It's more of an "inertia" thing. Weighted tips could help, but some of the better "spinning" wands are the same throughout their entire length. 12" is kind of short though. Even if the ends were heavier you could still have problems. I'd go longer instead of heavier and see what happens.
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Dave McFarland Regular user Portland, OR 184 Posts |
Thanks Dave,
When you say longer, is 14" a good length for a wand? thanks |
Dave V Inner circle Las Vegas, NV 4824 Posts |
Sounds good to me.
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mcmc Veteran user 310 Posts |
I have wands of both types, and find that both evenly distributed, as well as weighted tip, wands work well, though different =) The tip-weighted ones definitely have more angular momentum for the same length (even if overall weight is same), i.e. they want to keep on spinning. Therefore they also require a little more force to stop. However, once you start them off, they continue spinning gracefully with little effort, so it looks and even feels more graceful. I like both types and use both.
Part of it also depends on your finger strength. Btw, I have small to medium sized hands, and I use a 13" long, .420" thick wand, and it's perfect for me. |
Robert Kohler Special user Fayetteville, Arkansas 520 Posts |
My experience with this is the perfect weight is the 3/8" solid aluminum dowel you can buy at your favorite home improvement store and cut it to 14-15" length. I have several and have painted them different colors - bright red, olive green, black. You can buy a spray on black rubber coating which is great for gripping, but I have found it easily scratches off. Mask off the tips to let show the alum. -it's a perfect wand. The weight is of course continuous which is crucial for the spin. Just weighting the tips would make the spin next to impossible. I have also heard of people filling the plastic wands with fine sand (silica) to increase weight, if you're into that look.
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
People who have used my GoldenRodâ„¢ wands really like them. They are 3/8" brass rod, 14" long, with heatshrink tubing for a sleeve. They are heavier than the aluminum wands. I chamfer the ends so they don't cause any damage to your hands.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
James Alan Special user Toronto, Ontario 680 Posts |
Specifically for the wand spin, it's not so much the weight as the density. Plastic wands are horrible, but wands that are too heavy actually make it harder to do the spin (and easier to send the wand flying out of your fingers).
Roy Kueppers has a beautiful wand for this purpose which he sells (much to the dissatisfaction of the designer who was hoping to keep it to himself). The secret to learning the spin is not to go straight for the best wand, but to do the spin with anything you can find from pens/pencils to candlesticks to sex toys, and try to vanish all kinds of different objects (pennies, cherries, rolled up pieces of paper, eggs...). That way when you do pick up the proper tools (a long, thin, dense wand and a heavy ball - not cork) you'll be able to do it in your sleep. It also helps to find a good description. The descriptions by Michael Ammar that pop up are easier to learn from than the ones by Lewis Ganson. |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Actually, in a wand that is made of a homogeneous material, weight and density amount to the same thing, that is, they produce the same effect, given that the dimensions of the wands in question are the same. It's basically when you get to extreme dimensions that the importance of density comes into play. For example, if you have a wand that weighs 12 ounces, but it's made of styrofoam, it will be unwieldy because of its size.
Almost any wand that is about 12 - 14 inches long and about 1/2 inch in diameter, that is made of any metal, hardwood, or a combination thereof, given that the material is homogeneous, will be reasonably good to spin. For example, oak, hickory, brass, aluminum, ebony, walnut or maple will all spin well. To say "Plastic wands are horrible" shows a lack of knowledge of plastics. Some plastics are denser than some metals. Length is critical, but not for the reasons you might think. If you have shorter arms, you will find that a shorter wand is more practical than a long one.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Dave McFarland Regular user Portland, OR 184 Posts |
Thanks for all of the great advice.
jameson--do you have Roy Kueppers "Cups and Balls Wand" (steel tubing with hardwood ends, 14" long)? If so, what do you think of it? bill--you don't sell your goldenrod wand anymore, right? |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Sometimes, if the wind is blowing in the right direction, and I can get through all the rubbish in my garage to find my lathe, I make them. I use the lathe to polish the brass.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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