Frank:

I just went to Joann.com, and there's a 50 percent off coupon on the front page; it's for a single, regularly priced item. The coupon also says it's just for "today".

Ron

Well, Ron, it looks like my inside info is 10% less valuable than yours. So here we are, just a couple of regular guys, sharing some smart shopping tips to use at the fabric store.

Frank,
Next time you visit Joann Fabric, sign up for their mailing list and you will get coupons in the mail. I buy my beads on a string there; I give away more than 20 pearl poodles out a week. Of course, each poodle comes with a business card.
THANKS
Al Angello

Do you think JoAnn will send two coupons to the same household? I'd hate to have to fight my wife for them.

Best,

Jon

Check these scissors out. They are the best I have ever found.

http://www.shopscissors.com/product_info......dcf5f7d6

One thing that is overlooked by a lot of magicians that do a lot with rope is the quality of the scissors. If you go buy the $8 or $9 pair at WalMart, then they are going to do you no good. When you shop for a pair, make sure that it is one that will hold a good edge. Sharpen them often, and make sure they are in excellent working order all the time. Buy a case for them, and use it. I have seen so many magicians use a cheap pair of scissors on rope, and they practically have to saw the rope in two. It looks bad, and it makes for a frustrated effect. I guess if Owen's Magic made a good set of scissors, then we would try to get the best. My 2 cents here.

Steven

Thanks for the tip.

I vote with the tin snip guys! Mine aren't "Wiss", but they have navy blue handles and are slightly smaller. Both are "improvements" in my book. Also, as a lefty, I find ambidexterousness (Wow, a new word!) a plus. Mine stick up out of my hip pocket just enough for an easy grab. Got 'em at Home Depot for $6 a few years ago. Probably more now.

Thanks for that link, Daniel! I've been looking for those scissors for a long time - they're the ones Michael Finney uses on his L&L video series. He bought them at Magic, Inc. for double the price. I checked with them some time ago, and they no longer carry those scissors.

I just ordered a pair - thanks again.

Ron

Do you sharpen them, yourself, with a whet stone, as you would a pocket knife? Or do you take them somewhere to be sharpened? Mine are good, quality scissors, but they're starting to need sharpened, and I've never sharpened scissors before. Thanks for your input.

My favorites are Clauss High Leverage Shears:

http://www.bmfwholesale.com/product_info......e-shears
/products_id/134?osCsid=63e5278970feda097c86f98ee379e5de

Have you guys tried the shears at Tandy Leather?

Also, speaking of scissors, I'm looking for a pair of scissors that LOOK sharp, but aren't, so I can use them to do a more convincing cut in Pavel's Super Walking Knot - any suggestions?

Thanks, Daniel!

I ordered these scissors, and they are superb. I have a friend who has the same pair of scissors and bought them as "chicken shears" and paid twice the price.

Those look like good scissors, but I don't like the point on them.

I have always used the tin snips because, though they are not "sharp" and never need sharpening, they cut through the thickest rope like butter.

They have a round end, so I can put them in my back hip pocket without tearing my pants or making a hole in the bottom of the pocket. I don't need a special holster to try to attach to my beltless tuxedo pants.

They also work the same for left or right handed people.

They look like they mean business with their gun metal blue shears and rubber handles. I also think that they look fine from stage, and actually are almost unnoticed by the audience. You can see my clip of the "Mongolian Pop-Knot" on the Palace stage at the Magic Castle here: http://www.whithaydn.com/video_clips.htm I doubt that anyone in the audience even noticed the red handles.

I have used and recommended tin snips since my street performing days in the 1960's.

If you need a chromed expensive set of scissors that call attention to themselves, these will not work for you. But I have even taken tin snips as carry-on luggage without being questioned. Their roundedness and lack of sharpness makes them seem harmless. But they will cut through magician's rope like it wasn't there.

I also have always felt it looked odd and silly for a performer to have a scissors holster in his business suit or tux.

I highly recommend the eight dollar tin snips from the hardware store.

BTW - The blued steel snips make a much clearer picture from stage distance against the white rope than chrome or shiny scissors do.

You're welcome, Ron and magicgrandpa. Glad I could help.
Ron, you're right, they are the same scissors that Michael Finney uses.
They cut rope like butter, don't they? And they hold an edge!
Even young children have no problem cutting rope with those.

I just got my pair of 8" high leverage shears. I love them, I only wish they had a better finish. My Mundials (Joanns) are prettier, but the HL shears are more versatile, I think, and pretty enough. The larger handle rings are better for my other ROR stuff. They did cost half as much, even including shipping, than my Mundials.

I use the Wiss 20W model. They are actually designed to cut fiberglass and Kevlar fabric. They are rather large, to the point that it adds more comedy to the act.

I would love to find a pair of scissors like Gene Anderson uses - now, THOSE are scissors!

I bought a pair of the same ones Finney uses. In his DVD, they do cut rope like butter, but I don't seem to be getting the same effect. He seems to just snip them and it cuts, while I have to actually use quite a bit of force to cut through. I'm guessing it's the rope. I am using Elite Magician's Rope from Hocus Pocus. Any other suggestions?

I am surprised to find out that you do cut and restore with such expensive rope. I have been complaining about the $.10 a foot generic magician's rope. How much do you pay for that Elite rope?
Al Angello