Hello everyone. I did a bit of research and was unable to find the answer to this. I just made an appearing parking meter. It looks amazing. I was told to cut a piece of PVC pipe with a slit and role pole up, place inside. This will keep it from un-winding. Any other thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Jason

I can't recall where but I'm pretty sure that I just read a review or an ad about just that, a holder for the appearing poles that could be inserted into a bag, box, whatever.

Yes, it's Barry Mitchell that sells the "Pole Control".

- Donald

Tony Chris has a pole holder he uses to produce the "North Pole" .It's on his DVD A Tony Christmas Magic Show DVD. Think of a paper towel holder.

John

I own Barry Mitchell's Pole Control and can vouch for it as a utility prop for appearing shovel. I do not need it for Appearing Pole, but would likely use it for an appearing parking meter. I would be concerned about a PVC pipe being too restrictive for a flash production.

I've used 4 in PVC as you described. You can experiment with cardboard tubes to get an idea on how it will work. Think oatmeal container. I put duct tape on slot edges to smooth the transition. Fast forward to 6:45 for production: http://youtu.be/XI-sqY_XAFw

Raven - thanks or sharing. The production speed for your wand was impressive to me because I never tried PVC and would be concerned about the friction. How tight is yours rolled? You mentioned an oatmeal container, which has about a 5" diameter, I would think.

I'm using four inch PVC.

Thanks. Nice tip.

Thanks everyone. The Raven. Do you anchor PVC in bottom of case? I'm using a much thicker appearing pole and without an anchor the pipe comes with it. I might wind it way to tight also. Is it better to have a looser roll or tightwrm? I'm using a rather small PVC pipe for this .

Yes the holder needs to be anchored. It is also necessary for the case to have sufficent weight. In fact I put my old high school year book in the side pocket of the case to give it extra weight. I have found that it is best to have a somewhat flexible anchor so as the pole is extracted it can find it's own best angle for extraction -- that is to say that the easiest extraction is not necessarily with the slot straight up. If you don't have a flexible anchor that allows the holder to turn on its axis, you will want to experiment with the best angle before premanently affixing anything. I have drilled two small holes in opposite sides of the bottom of the pvc and I run a string through one hole across the inside of the pvc and then out the other side. For my cases create a cardboard insert the full size of the case so I can keep different acts in a case and just remove the liner setup for an act and replace it with another liner for a different act. The string for the pvc runs through this cardboard liner effectively anchoring the holder loosley to the bottom of the case (by the way, I use binder clips to hold the cardboard liners firmly in the case so they won't lift out. This sounds elaborate but basically the holder is anchored to the bottom of the case by looping a string through it.

In terms of extraction, I believe that the smaller diameter PVC you use the more difficult it will be to pull out. For an eight foot pole, I found the 4 in to be about right. Once you put the pole in the holder it will uncoil itself within the confines of the tube. In that regard, the diameter of the holder determines the tightness of the coil.

I encourage you to experiment with cardboard before committing to PVC.

I use a 5' shower curtain rod cover for a magic wand. I got a small fist-sized metal "toolbox" gift card holder from Harbor Freight, cut and slotted a piece of 2" PVC, and used velcro to secure the pipe into the box. I can remove the pipe, insert the "wand", and secure it back inside. It works well - a bit sticky at times, but that adds to the illusion.

Ed