I would like to incorporate snowstorm into my shows. I don't want to use a fan. It is a little too girly for my persona. Any ideas? I have seen it done once with a blower of some type coming from a box made to look like a present (very nice). What type of blowing device could work? Thanks in advance...

Choice 1; Go to a junk yard and get a Heater fan. At toys r us they sell small 12 volt battery's and chargers for the motorized riding cars. Put both into the right container for your set up and Presto....directed air flow for snowstorm.

Choice 2; Find an old yet QUIET vaccume cleaner that you can hook a hose to the exhaust port. Disquise same in some form and again you have directed air flow.


#1 Battery operated. no need for wires and plugs
#2 must be plugged in and you have wires across stage/performance area

Food for thought, hope it helps.

Use a bagpipe to blow the snow around and wear a kilt with no undys - that's manly

Watch for favorable weather! This is the right time of the year. March should work fine.

Bob

Magicwatcher - Those pipes would yield a little too much blow to be wearing a kilt with no undys.

But Eric - awesome idea... I'm liking the heater fan. Are you talking about the type of heater fan that goes in a car?

Kevin James makes snow animators, one of the models is a gift box. Check his site for the originals-the quality is great!


Day 7

Perhaps this can help you Quick Draw Cannon (With Foot Launch and DVD) by G Sparks??
You can use it as big finale.
It is available at magicproshop store....

Yep an auto heater fan. It is a small but powerful squarrel cage that works real well.

Thanks Eric - I bought a "blower motor" today from an auto part store (which apparently is the same thing that you are calling a heater fan), along with the 12 volt batter that you mentioned and recharger, and a toggle switch. I'm going to build a frame for it tomorrow if I have time. I think it is going to work great. I'll let you know how it turns out.

MY 2 cents Tony is that I've been using a fan for many years and can't recall a bad event form the audience standpoint... and certainly not from me.Logically I use a fan that has no flowers or alike printed on it. Good luck.

Okay - I built my box. It has a nice toggle switch coming out the side and everything. It puts out great air, but my first impression is that it is way too loud. It sounds like a train. I am sure it will be too loud even on stage with music for cover.

Unless y'all have some other ideas, I think Plan B is to use a fan or maybe two from a computer. My father-in-law has a few laying around. I'll experiment with those, and let you know if they put out enough air.

donrodrigo - my Plan C will be to just use a fan - altough I will have to find a fan that will somehow fit a fishing persona. Maybe I can make it look like a fishing net.

If y'all have any thoughts that could help, let me know...

Fishing persona - snowstorm ....

Hmm. I'd like to see this show.

Computer fans are no use, the air needs to be concentrated, as it is with a heater fan or a squirrel cage. It is very hard to find a fan like the one that you need which is quiet enough to be covered by the usual peaceful music used for Snowstorm.

Mark

Don't forget to ask Kevin James permission before making/using his idea !
http://www.kjmagic.com

Well MagicMarkDaniel is absolutely right. Computer fans don't blow much. I tested three. So, I have a noisy one (the heater fan / blower motor) that blows like crazy, and a quiet one (computer fan) that doesn't blow at all.

Eric - Have you actually used the heater fan blower in one of these? If so, how did you handle the noise?

Dear Tony,

Instead of trying to make one yourself, why not buy this from Kevin James?
Not only is it the right thing to do, you also get a very professional prop (with the right kind of fan)including a DVD with his routine and lot's of tips & advice.

Kind regards,
Rafael

El Rafael - Thank you for your advise. I'm thinking about the right next steps. Kevin James' web site is down. I'll respond to you after I have had a chance to see his web site. To my knowledge I don't know his routine. I have only seen one magician (David Laughlin) perform with a similar prop. I'm not sure if he used Kevin's routine or not. I have a routine in my head that is unique, or at least different than any that I have personally seen performed. Let me explore it a little more. I can tell you that I didn't know of the professional props existence until I began this thread. I can also tell you that I am concerned with professional ethics and I will do my best to do the right thing. Is this fair enough at this point?

Day 9

If you can take a magic item you've seen somewhere, tweak it and make it your own, for personal use, I say go for it. You'll learn a lot about building stuff and have fun in the process. Just don't go into the business of selling them.

Just my opinion.

Mark.

Not just opinion. If you build something to the size and/or design you need for your use in your show, you are within the guidelines. You cross them when you make the items in question to sell to others.

"Eric - Have you actually used the heater fan blower in one of these? If so, how did you handle the noise?"

I built mine into the table I use, and insulated the area around the motor. Ran tubing to the intake, and for the outflow. It is VERY quiet. There is only a small hole (2") on top of the table. You just have to keep at it until you find the right combo.

Thanks Eric - that is a great idea, insulation and an intake vent. I definitely noticed that air flow affected the noise level tremendously.

Mark & Eric - Thanks for your opinion about the ethics. I really enjoy building things. The most frustrating part of building things for me is when I have another magician asking me questions that imply I have ethical problems. I am really confusted about the ethics of building things. I have posted a thread in the right and wrong section to help sort some things out.

I live my life in a way that has high ethical standards, so this really is important to me. But I have learned some things in my Christian Faith that I think applies here. We tend to assume the most conservative opinion must be "most ethical" and right, but that is not always correct. With maturity, I now can recognize legalism (if you know what I mean). Legalists take personal convictions regarding grey areas of personal behavior and describe them as universal. I consider myself conservative, but not a legalist. I hold some convictions in grey areas that I would not apply to all other believers in the same way. I would like to apply this same wisdom here as well. But without any clear ethical documents from SAM or IBM this is very difficult. In Christianity, we at least have the Bible.

By the way - would this item be considered a utility device? For instance I built my own ball droper for silicone balls (like Fakini manipulation balls). Of course Fakini sells one that I have never seen for about $100. I showed my ball dropper (which is a modified golf ball dispenser) to some very ethical magicians whom I respect greatly. I was asking them about the ethics of creating a ball droper. They laughed and said utility devices don't count. I have purchased the Fakini balls, and if I want to drop them with my own metal hanger, or special ball droper, that is totally fine because it's just a utility device.

Well, this might be similar. This is a fan! I don't think Kevin James invented the fan. If he has a unique routine, I will respect that and avoid copying. But I have already purchased Snow Storm! I own the book, the gimick, and even the original hand fan. Now if I want to uprade the hand fan that I have purchased, and am willing to spend 100's of dollars, and go through the time, and trial & error (because I enjoy it) for my own personal use. I am really going to have to be convinced that this is wrong before I blindly follow someone who says this is wrong. Does this make sense? I'm asking sincerly.