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Devils Advocaat Loyal user London 248 Posts |
Hi all!
Does anyone out there know which are the best materials to use in making your own tt? Of your *own* t? Vernet's large are just a bit too small for me and the large pliable ones I already have can barely take a 9" silk without falling off! Thumbz-Up is also too small (more like a thumbz-Down, then). Any help/advice would be well appreciated! Frank.
"My Karma ran over my Dogma..."
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Dano Loyal user Centerville, OH 240 Posts |
Brian:
Try soaking your pliable TT in HOT!!! water for a few minutes and then cramming it down on your thumb. This will stretch it somewhat. Just a thought that worked for me!
"Magic" is merely an illusion, but "Perception" is reality!
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BroDavid Inner circle America’s North Coast, Ohio 3176 Posts |
At some of the conventions I have seen TT's that looked big enough to hide a cow!
I have hands large enough to palm a basketball and large knuckles besides, and these were way, way bigger than I could use. I think that rather than making one, you should be able to find really large ones on line or possibly from a local dealer. BroDavid
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
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Devils Advocaat Loyal user London 248 Posts |
Thanks for the replies, guys! I tried the
'hot-water' method to no avail. The only large thumbs I have seen are designed to look that way - supposedly having been hit by a hammer! The one's I use now are not Vernet, they are slightly pliable and the flesh-tone is excellent (I don't know who makes them). When I was performing the vanish of red 9" silk the other day, to my horror the corner of the silk was sticking out of the tt!! Through subtle mis-direction this was not spotted by the spectator - hence I need a larger tip (or smaller silk). At least the Vernet ‘Third Finger’ fits my pinky well and is excellent for pk stuff. Frank.
"My Karma ran over my Dogma..."
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Payne Inner circle Seattle 4571 Posts |
There is a product called celastic which is used by theatre's to make props like armor and such. It is a fabric that is infused with a plastic that becomes pliable when immersed in acetone. You then can use it like paper mache and when the acetone evaporates it becomes quite rigid and durable. There is a jewelry weight that might work well for your purposes. You would want to make a form out of clay and then wrap the celastic around it. Flesh coloured spray paint from a hobby store could be used to colour it correctly. You can obtain celastic from Here! if you cannot find it locally
"America's Foremost Satirical Magician" -- Jeff McBride.
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BroDavid Inner circle America’s North Coast, Ohio 3176 Posts |
And for a bigger effect, try diamond cuts silks, instead of standard 9 inch square. I can get a 16 inch diamond cut into my TT and the length of it makes the effect more powerful.
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
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Devils Advocaat Loyal user London 248 Posts |
Thanks for the tip, Bro' (pun intended).
Oh yeah, tried the hot water trick again last night and burnt my right knuckle. In fact my thumb resembles the throbbing 'joke' thumb I mentioned previously! Frank
"My Karma ran over my Dogma..."
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WindsorWizard New user CANADA - Windsor, Ontario 44 Posts |
Brian... I have on several occasions made
'special' tips that were longer for my purposes at the time, from an empty pill bottle and also the plastic top cover from one of my wife's hair spray bottles. I just looked around the cupboards and found these 'tubes' that I could just fit my thumb into, up to the knuckle, used a file to remove all sharp edges, then the edge of a paring knife to SCRAPE the shine down, although fine emery paper works well too (I've used my wife's nail boards in a pinch) which dulls the outer finish so a coat of tan or flesh colour model paint sticks better and provides a non slip surface for palming if needed. Of course, when used properly, no one should see or suspect the invisible assistant anyway, so you can be creative in it's construction. All this reminds me of my dear mentor of back in the late 40's in Toronto, Johnny Giordmaine, who sold me my first TT, made of cardboard no less and painted flesh colour. It worked! I remember him fooling most everyone at an IBM Ring 17 Hat and Rabbit Club meeting with a routine using his TT that was Chrome Plated... and we didn't see it! You might want to take a look at the various containers used to house candies and such that are popular for children. We see all kinds that could be adapted to our uses by cutting off the fliptop or screw-on top and trimming to fit. A touch of flesh paint (By the way, craft stores carry Crafter's Acrylic all purpose paint for a dollar or so for 2oz/60ml bottle and you may have several shade choices too)and you are all set! This paint is also good for other flesh coloured prop touch ups too!
EVERYTHING is possible...
If you simply, just BELIEVE! ~ ~ ~ Johnny Ould ~ ~ ~ VISIT US: Windsor Magic Place & Cases For Magic=A Free Report! |
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Dr. TORA Inner circle TURKEY 1439 Posts |
I have another suggestion. Try also the "fliptip". It is bigger and has some additional features. Plus it comes with a video for the new effects. For me it is also durable-latex. You may find it versatile.
Magically Yours,
OZLEN TUNCER /Dr.TORA Have you visited my new Website in English, yet? www.magictora.com or www.torasmagic.com |
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Ray Haddad Regular user Mansfield Center, Connecticut 151 Posts |
Brian,
Try using brass or aluminum tubing cut to size with the end fashioned into the proper shape over a broom handle. Buy the tubing to match your finger size and use a small ball and peen hammer to shape the end. Brass and aluminum are malleable so you won't have to heat the tubing. Just work slowly using tiny bends beginning with the very lip of the tubing and working downward on the tubing. Use sandpaper and auto body filler to make it smooth. Paint it using mannequin paint available from any place that sells mannequins. You can also use a dowel that is about the same size as your thumb sanded into a very mildly tapered cone to stretch a thumb tip. Use that hot water method everyone has been talking about here or a small hair dryer held at a distance from the tip. Slowly work the tip down the dowel and let it cool on the dowel. Leave it on the dowel to dip it painlessly into the boiling water or while heating it with the hair dryer. Repeat heating a few times and remove it when cool. It works every time. Best, Ray |
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Shadow Regular user Akron, OH 171 Posts |
So that's the secret, put it on a dowel BEFORE you dip it in boiling water.......
I see...... Thanks for the advice (although a tad late) Maybe I can change my stage name from Shadow to Lefty..... |
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Ray Haddad Regular user Mansfield Center, Connecticut 151 Posts |
That one's already taken by Jay Marshall's Left Hand Man.
Best, Ray |
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BroDavid Inner circle America’s North Coast, Ohio 3176 Posts |
Tora has a good point, when I read his post, I remembered where I got the TT that I use most often, it came with the Flip-tips, which never get out of the case, but there was an extra un-flipped tip with them, and it is soft and very comfortable.
I don't mind if it isn't soft when it is on my hand, I have used a couple of very inexpensive ones and not had a problem, since I don't wear them all day. But I do carry one constantly in my pocket, and it can be real irritating when it is in your pocket - if the TT isn't soft. BroDavid
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
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Dano Loyal user Centerville, OH 240 Posts |
The problem I have always experienced with the soft tips if they are too tight is the POP sound it makes when loading the tip in your palm with the same hand. Talcum powder rectifies that problem, however. Just don't use too much or you will have the other problem, which is worse.
"Magic" is merely an illusion, but "Perception" is reality!
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DoctorAmazo Special user Florida 643 Posts |
Dano--
Try making a pinhole somewhere near the tip...the fingernail "crack" hides it well. This will allow air in and eliminate any suction when your thumb comes out. That's what causes the "pop". |
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Dano Loyal user Centerville, OH 240 Posts |
Thanks, I will give it a shot!
"Magic" is merely an illusion, but "Perception" is reality!
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mghia Veteran user Kymystical 387 Posts |
About 5 years ago I embarked on selling a kit for a "make your own TT" kit. Many had come up and told me there was a French man selling tips made from molds of your own thumb and painted to match at a convention one year. All done by the end of the convention for only $50.
Well this created debate on whether it was important or needed to have an exact match. I still feel that the closer you get to seamless the less likely somone will catch it in real close up situations. (please do not post how you used a chrome tip or giant thumb to make the point size and color does not matter. If you do not get what I am saying than there is no point to challange it. The more seamless the better.) So I got pretty good at mold making and mixing colors. BUT after all the time and research here was my conclusion: Making a duplicant of your own thumb only works for magic if you have a very large thumb. MOST thumbs are too small to fit even a 6" silk and get it back on. There is a reason tips are over sized and if you tried making one you would come to the conclusion to enlarge it. Yes, I had a method for that as well but then it just seemed like I was reinventing the wheel. In SFX we feather latex to blend it with the skin and paint it all up to match to hide the seam. You would need an impractical and fragile taper to be seamless. So I agree, the hot water method works as well, if you are careful and using the hard plastic tips, a lighter held below will widen or shrink your hole. Be smart about it. Not too close to burn just heat enough to soften. I am sorry guys but the getting burned just shows you why they put so many warning lables on products. Sometimes you wonder why the silliest things are on the bottles. Well it is because at least one person tried to do something not intended for the products use. Common sense should tell most that when working with heat to wear protective gloves or use other methods than bare flesh to hold the props. Another idea to close down the hole on a tip is to add a tape or a band-aid to the inside to act as a spacer. Mark |
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mkiger Loyal user 228 Posts |
The only problem with casting from your thumb is that it is the same size as your thumb. No room for a load. The hot water/hair drier works a bit, but if you use yourself for a mandrel it can get painful.
Here is what I did: At a craft store I bought a box of instant mold making compound - 'Insta-Mold' - just add water. I mixed it up and put it in a plastic cup. Shoved a thumb in the goo and wondered idly if I should have greased my thumb before sticking it into the gummy junk. Moving my thumb a bit made the mold a shade larger. I then used acrylic resin - also obtained from the craft store - to make a plastic model of my thumb. This gets shoved into the thumbtip instead of me to enlarge/reshape it. Later experimentation with the plastic thumb. I dipped it into molten wax to enlarge it a bit and then made a mold of that. I now have two acrylic thumbs, one larger than the other that gives me a lot more room for bills. I also made a more oval shaped one using wax on the bottom of the thumb, but the thumb tip tore. It was an old Vernet and it had been through a lot of experiments. Some of the things I did I adapted from the foamed latex techniques that you can find in books about theater make-up. |
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Mkiger's suggestion about making a positive mold reminded me of something I did several years ago for a similar prop. It may work for making a TT, although it's a bit more work.
What I did was to cover the $%^&^%$# with a very thin "papier-mache" shell of toilet tissue, held together with just a bit of water. This sounds weird, but it works beautifully. I used the same technique to make a model of a large scenery piece I designed for a theme park, and it's amazing how much detail the thin toilet tissue will hold. The trick is to tear the tissue into very small pieces, and layer them on with just a bit of water, just enough so they adhere. Once the thing is dry (overnight), remove it carefully from the mold and spray it lightly inside and out with a clear satin urethane such as Minwax, putting on just enough that it soaks thru the tissue. You can apply more tissue to it if you want to, and keep spraying it with the urethane. The final product will be very thin but incredibly stiff.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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mkiger Loyal user 228 Posts |
That is great! Much better than the wax, I never thought about layering like that.
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