This may be a stupid question, but... are there any other materials that are sufficiently compressible and such to be used as magicians' silks?


(just for explanation, the whole killing the silkworm to get the silk is what bugs me, so wondering if anyone knew of any other materials that could still be reasonably squeezed into a TT and so on and so forth)

Kill silk worms, interesting! My search found they have been using this process since 2700 BC. And now you are just getting concerned about this poor moth.

Then try the synthetic material referred to as nylon. These scarves are used by Petrick and Mia exclusively in there act. They look good from stage, and are transparent. Can't hide anything behind them, unless you have several.

Go to ladies stores and try Wal-Mart. Being Wal-Mart killed the Five & Dime Store business, they are much harder to locate (what can we do about this travesty). Usually, sold as women's head scarves. You will have to look hard to find sizes less then 24" but they should be out there still.

I have not researched if the making of nylon has contributed to the killing of humans, so this is the only alternative I know of that as some of the same qualities of a silk scarf.

*chuckles*

Was just adding that bit as explanation of why I'd prefered some other material, that's all. So you recomend nylon is sufficiently compressable and such to be useful for these purposes? Thanks.

Yes, the nylon will do the job, just fine if you use the sheer ones. You can see thru them easily. They have a very open weave. I personally do not like them, but they will work. They are also sold as juggling scarves. You can get them here: http://www.stoners.com just type juggling scarves in the search engine. $9.95 for 3 scarves and juggling booklet.

Thanks.

Hello Bill,

It was good to see you at the Cavalcade of Magic. Hope to see you again when we have plenty of time to talk. (Did Dick Stoner know that I was just playing with him in the Saturday night show? No harm meant. Maybe it got him a customer or two out of it.)

As a young cowboy in the 50s & 60s we were among the first to use nylon lariats. There is still a scar across my right eye from one that stretched like a rubber band and then popped. (It embarrassed my roping horse too! Poor Firewater!) The US Navy won't use it. On the ranch I still use real rope when handling counts. The primary benefit of nylon is that it is cheaper than silk. Otherwise, it is sincerely inferior in my opinion.

A real shortcoming of nylon is that it deteriorates in any kind of light. Therefore, it stands to reason the best place for it is in real black magic! But who would see it?

As I remember it in the 80s Petrick and Mia were using them because their van was robbed. (Boy did we look younger then! At least Mia kept her good looks.)

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Nylon deteriorates in light?

Hrm..... suddenly I have an idea for an altogether new type of vanish. *Ducks*

I bought some non-silk silks a few years ago. They were cheaper and did (come to think of it, still do) what I want for a colouring book routine. I think I got them from Hank Lee, but couldn't swear to it.

They are SLIGHTLY bulkier than real silk. In a change bag it doesn't matter; it might in a TT.

What were they called?

and *nods* thanks.

When space, flow, strength or color under the lights is insignificant using silk substitutes can make sense. Some of the scarves used to cover my props before and after the show are not silk. (Of course, they are not really in the show either. I seldom leave silks out because I have lost some as souvenirs by accident. Apparently the audience thinks a magician can get all he wants.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

You could try to find handkerchiefs made from Ahimsak Silk as this silk is made from the discarded cocoons of hatched silk moths.

Though I doubt you could find any Handkerchiefs made out of Biosteel would be interesting to work with. This is a new material made through genetic engineering. A spider gene in introduced into a goat allowing it to produce spider silk via its milk. Stronger than steel, spider silk is also bacteria resistant making it a perfect new fabric for both the military and medical fields. Magicians too, I am sure will be soon adapting this new fiber into their repitoire.

Ohh, hadn't heard about Ahimsak Silk before, nifty, thanks.

and *blinks* KEWL! I'd read a bit back about hacking mammaries with spider genes to get them to produce the silk, but I thought it was cows. Anyways, I hadn't realized that the results are already commercially available. double KEWL.

Interesting side note..the PETA (people eating tasty animals) has been yelling about killing the poor silk worms. Two major silk factories in Japan are closing or have closed. The remaining two are importing the silk cacoons from China.

Is nothing out of the line of fire for these idiots!

Richard

Why do you want to use some other materials rather than silk? It`s like inventing a bicycle again.