Google and ye shall recieve.......

http://www.magic.org/store/product_info.php?products_id=5192

scott

ps. I never really turned this into a worker for myself, but I always liked the idea. In fact, tomorrow, I'm going to dig through my boxes and find this..

Be careful when messing with metals, guys... this stuff can kill you if you don't know what exactly what you are using. You simply CANNOT melt aluminum in your kitchen, lead yes, other metals, no. In order to be able to melt metal, it must have significant mass. If not it will simply burn away, so foil is out of the question. Aluminum has an incredibly fast conductivity to heat and a low melting temp, this makes it a fickle metal, most smiths avoid using it. If I held a 12" rod of aluminum and heated one end to red hot (just about melting), you wouldn't be able to touch the "cold" end of the rod... it's already about 300F. Try it with a 12" rod of steel and you're okay. Aluminum is also a LOT lighter than silver in weight.... pass the piece around and one of your marks will pick up on the gaff. My puddled stainless idea is better than even solder because the steel has a similar density and hardness that of a coin. Coins aren't silver anymore, it's actually nickel/zinc sandwiched around a copper core.

I used to make these out of musket balls when I worked colonial festivals. Must have been over 20 years ago.
Ray

I'm going to try some of these. I want to try melting my tin foil chunk with a lighter or dipping it in a heavy coat of paint. I really wanted to try to find something that I can make myself and be able to replenish when it wears out or breaks or gets lost or something along those lines. If all else fails though, I will go with nepulini's offer

To make a "blob" of metal...

could you use pewter?

sb

Yes, pewter is soft enough to melt on a stovetop. You really don't need a mold to form it on as all you're looking for is a natural organic looking blob anyway.

So all I need to do is get some pewter from the hardware store, put it in a tin can, and melt it on a stovetop?

That's one method. I would recommend you get a cheap used small saucepan at a flea market or goodwill store and throw it away after use.

Does Fakini, or anyone else, still make the blob of metal for Silver Extraction? That would do the trick.

Well, here it is. Custom made by hand, electro polished to a beautiful shine. I have a special hammer that I chiseled cocentric circles into that leaves "thumbprints" in the surface of the steel cube. The blob is actually a piece torch cut from 316L plate steel, then hammer forged into a special swage for that organic look.

Click here to view attached image.

I have to chime in here on some really bad ideas. Safety first guys, cool looking gimmicks 2nd. Someone suggested using a concrete surface to pour the molten metal, there was also mention of a wet rag. Not good ideas. Any molten metal will spatter when it comes into contact with moisture. If you have been working in metal for years and know what you are doing you might be able to get away with that, but I would NOT recommend the OP try it. And for the love of Houdini do NOT use any lead based materials. There is a reason why all those toys with lead paint got recalled.

Yup! Been trying to say that here for a while. Melting unknown metals can also cause deadly heavy metal fume fever (Google it). You'll get flu-like symptoms for a few days, then your lungs fill with fluid and you die. This is why I suggest folks buy my forged stainless "blob". DMueller will also know that putting anything remotely hot on concrete can cause the material to spall and deteriorate.

Thanks D!

Clear epoxy?

silver sculpty polymer clay?

Hmmm, I wonder how shiney it gets. Stainless can acheive up to and above grade 8 when polished properly.

Speaking of this type of effect - does anybody here perform "The Mint" as it is sold commercially? I've had it for a bit and have toyed with a few handlings and would really love to turn this into a polished routine.

Is that the name for this effect? I have made a few of these blobs and cubes, even a 1/4" thick square of 440 stainless (for magnetism) for this type of trick. My wife is always asking me "what's that for?" when I make props, so it would be nice to say "Oh this? This is the blankity-blank effect!"

Yes, It is called "The Mint"
http://themagicwarehouse.com/cgi-bin/fin......ord=mint

and here: http://www.thetrickery.com/full/Magic-Tr......6948.htm

Do you sell your props?

Neat idea and plot for a simple to do routine...
Mike Newman

Yes I sell props and gaffs. I am NOT a magician, I know no tricks or illusions. I do, however, have a great knowledge and experience in the sideshow acts and community for almost a decade now. I like making things out of metal. Usually I make sculptures and do some blacksmithing. I make few bucks on the side banging metal in my basement making props for performers though. Here's a little page of some of my work:

http://greatnippulini.com/sideshow.html

If you go to an A/C repair shop they often use silver solder. They also have the torches Mapp fuel versus propane to melt it in a blob.

They use the silver solder in the band instrument business too. You might be able to get some of that at a local music shop that works on horns for school kids.