I am adding a rope effect to my parlor/platform routine, but am in a bind as to what makes a rope good. I'm sure I could use clothesline, but I would probably be missing out. There are lots of good comments on where to get rope, but not so many on what makes a buy good. So:

1) What diameter do you need for a close-up, parlor, or platform routine?

2) What looks suspicious? What looks normal?

3) How soft is soft? Does it really need to be cotton?

4) Coring a rope can make it look limp. Am I better off getting a rope you don't need to core?

Thanks

You have lots of questions, and there are not any easy answers. These responses are strictly IMHO. A better person to ask might be Dennis Loomis at http://www.loomismagic.com , who has a Knot DVD and knows a lot about rope routines.

For platform: bright white rope 1/2 diameter is not a bad choice. Although depending on the routine, any bright color will do.

Softness: I like round, soft rope that's braided. You will need to ask dealers and check out hardware stores to see what they have. They used to sell rope with a foam core that was soft, round, and easy to use.

However for some escape routines, stiffer rope may be better to allow you to get some slack.

Suspicions: Most people will believe ropes are normal until you give them a reason to doubt. Obviously if you have gaffed ropes, your naturalness and familiarity with the routine will go a long way to dismiss doubts.

Cored: I prefer cored rope, even if it makes it look limp. Some types of rope are cored, yet remain round and still have a firmness.

Good luck

Speaking from relative inexperience, I would say that some effects require the rope to be smooth and frictionless (eg - not hairy). Others require it to fall back into shape quickly (eg - so that a loop can quickly turn into a straight bit).

Sometimes thin rope is easier than thick (eg - There's a move in Mark Leveridge's Ring Competition where you throw a metal ring onto an already knotted loop of rope. It works better with my cheap Walmart clothes line than my expensive magician's cotton rope.)

Craig,
There are hundreds of rope tricks, and several correct answers. In my briefcase, I carry four kinds of rope, and there are over 10 rope tricks that I like to do. So my question to you is, what rope tricks do you do?
HAVE FUN
Al Angello

Cotton Clothesline from Walmart works great for C&R and Prof. Nightmare type routines.
In fact, it will work just fine for about 90-95% of all rope effects.
You really don't need to buy expensive rope.

Over the years, I'm sure I have gone through miles of rope, eight feet at a time. Nothing is better than plain ole cotton clothesline. For the last twenty-five years, I have been supplied by two famous magic shops: WalMart and Big Lots. The current price is about $.03/ft. I haven't used any since yesterday! Today hasn't started yet.

There was a time when I bought rope by the pound from the manufacturer in Georgia. It was cheaper then! (300' for $2.50) Life goes on. Over-spending is not a status symbol to some of us.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I use a soft nylon rope from Walmart for my Professor's Nightmare routine.
It works good for me.

Unless you have specific reason for doing so...use white.
To most people, ropes are white...unless you want them to instantly think gaff.

Use any kind of rope you like, just make sure you buy a very good quality scissors, so you look like a real magician cutting the rope with no stress.
I do not like to see a magician having a hard time to cut a rope, since it does not make sense (we have magic power).