Hello

I've heard many good and bad things about the TT; from "All you need is a TT" to Don't use anything as childish as a TT" (John Lovick, I think).

My question, having never used a TT, is the suitability of it to my brown skin tone.

To be clear. I don't NEED a TT, I just thought that it would be a nice thing to have and try out and then maybe I'll find an effect I like. Who knows? Also, I'm curious enough to at least want to play with one.

The problem is that I'm colored (half white / half black / half indian - long story) and my skin varies from light bronze to dark brown depending on the weather (seriously). As a magi, I find that a TT sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb even when white skinned magician's use it. How much worse for me??

P.S. Two of my local magic shops inform me that the TT is only available in "caucasion"

Thanks

Brown magic marker solves the problem.

It's a bit pricey, but this one comes with four different skin tones.

http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8174

You can check the skin tones by clicking here...

http://www.hanklee.org/thumbtip/thumbtipcolors.html

In the meantime, you might want to get any old cheap TT to practice with while you wait for the perfect customized one to come your way. Keep in mind that visibility of the TT is going to be directly related to both the effect and the specific handling of that effect. I can think of some great effects utilizing a TT where there's little to no chance of being caught, because the routining and the construction and the built-in cover system (there are secondary props that are a part of the effect) makes it just about impossible for the audience to get a look at your thumb, assuming they have a reason to be suspicious of it.

There are those who'll say you can wear a bright red TT and get away with it, but Gary Darwin cautions against taking that approach with a regular audience -- it's likely best to be saved for demonstrations for other magicians who are nervous about having a thumb apparently look an inch too long.

I'm fairly lucky in that I'm white and my skin tone matches my TT, but like you mentioned it's possible for the TT to stick out even in that situation. This is where basic TT techniques will be important to you, because if you don't use them, it won't matter if the colour perfectly chamouflages the TT.

Thank you Andrew

The old timers would use a tin thumb tip that wasn't even painted. Yes, tin. If you make the right moves with a thumb tip, no matter what color it is it shouldn't be noticed. (I'm not that good myself, though...)

Airship is right, I once saw a demonstration where a tt painted bright red was used and a tt crudely made from a clear tip of a plastic cigar tube was used. Both were used in front of a group of magicians and no one caught it. It is in the handling and positioning.

If you use the brown sharpie method, that is fine, but do it in parts and have a cloth or tissue ready to wipe excess so that you get a better skin tone match, much like applying stain to wood, you put it on, then wipe it off to the coloration you want.

Some sell different coloured TTs, eg http://www.lockfamilymagic.com They also sell a dvd by Duane Laflin about handling it. I've laernt a lot from ideas I've picked up and now use two TTs and a die-tube in routines. I've also got a palmo that I love using with silks or sponge balls.

I've never had anyone spot my TTs and I've got light skin yet my TTs are a darker pink or orange. If you keep your hands moving and the TT furthest away from the audience they don't catch on to how it's done.

Simple prop but it keeps the audience surprised. And no-one has ever said they'd seen it done badly on the film "Night at the Museum" except for magicians on this forum.

It is very important that you get good enough with the TT so it won't matter if it is bright red.

But it is also important to be comfortable with it so you can relax. If you are just getting started with the TT I would try out the brown magic marker method and keep looking around. I see darker tt's at magic shops sometimes.

I know they are made in a variety of colors because when I wanted my first, I was at a brick and mortar shop. I asked for a TT and they brought out a tray for me to find the size I wanted. They had skin tones ranging from pale (but not as pale as my skin) to very dark and the full range in between. I have not seen the same selection available online, but this tray had at least a dozen different shades represented. And different sizes for several of the shades.

My advice is to ask (call or e-mail) a shop you like. Tell them that you want a TT for a half white, half black, half Indian and see what they say. Odds are good that if you ask a couple of places you will end up with a TT that works for you.

-Patrick

Simple solution:

Find a TT that fits your needs. ( Some are deeper than others depending on what the routine is)

Next, get some fine sandpaper and sand the the TT all over except for the nail. This takes the shine away and makes it just a little rough. Next: "Lipstick". Find a color that matches your skin tone and dab the lipstick all over the TT.

(A walk through the cosmetic isle in any department or grocery store will give you hundreds of choices)

Work it in with your fingers and then just wipe it down with a paper towel or cloth. You'd be surprised how closely you can match your own skin color. Just experiment a little.

For those of us who are caucasian I performed the above procedure and used red lipstick. When you wipe it down well it leaves a hint of red color and because of the sanding the color is displaced (variegated) which ads to the realism.

I feel just a little more confident when the TT more closely matches my skin color.

Judging by your picture I don't think you'll have any problems at all. I have magician friends much darker than you that are using them in just the standard color.

Ron Jaxon

If I remember correctly, Al Flosso used a very bright, highly polished thumb tip-- even for lay audiences.... But that's if I remember correctly...

SEY

I'm also half black & half white and am a bit concerned about having my TT match my skin tone. I've been experimenting with coloring a Vernet. Someone suggested leaving it in a cup of tea to stain it darker. A few hours didn't make a difference. I've tried the crayola (non-washable) marker but that hasn't worked well. I'll try a sharpie to see if that is better. However, what motivated me to learn to use it is the bill switch done by Etienne Pradier. In this video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAjMFVAjaFU he does is bill switch at time marker 00:49. You never see his thumb. I have his DVD set and he does a marvelous job of switching a bill to the spec's named currency. He uses several TT for this. I may be worring about nothing and just need to perfect the technique. I've not been caught yet even though the color doesn't match.

Hmmm. I'm a white guy and understand the problem. I've used various TT's over the years. I found through experimentation, that the Jumbo Vernet, that I finally chose as the standard, is translucent. When it's on my thumb, and there is no silk in it, it stands out! I use it on my right thumb.

So, I hold the silk between the TT covered thumb and forefinger (imagine making the "perfect" gesture) and they are pointing right at you. The silk covers the TT. It is not seen, because the silk hangs over it. Then, after I've put a RED silk in the TT, and it's vanished, I can hold both hands open, fingers and thumbs pointing right at you. Keeping the hands moving, you cannot spot the TT from three feet away! I don't show that position for long, though. It's never failed.

My old buddy (a black guy), who was a magician, had the same TT as I did. We tried different silk colors, until he found a brown one that made the Vernet match his tone perfectly. Again, it's the translucency that affords the color match, with the silk inside. The TT is never seen in the beginning. That's the beauty of the Vernet.

Michael, does that help any? Try different color SILKS.

Doug

Then they are definitely doing something wrong!

Man that's a beautiful idea!!!

FWIW I have a thumb tip that is translucent and there for takes on the color of whater itsin it. (My red silk makes it "blush" a bit but its no big deal.) Its also a nice detailed, plastic molded model of a thumb.

Having said that I agree with others about "gilding the lilly here." I once heard a story that Slydini would perform with an unpainted metal tip just to prove that it doesn't matter. Thumb tips are wonderful in that they fall into the audience's "blind spot" (like the PK ring, another favorite of mine.) Unless you really call heat on it, no ones ever gonna notice it.

Depending on how you use the thumb tip the color can matter. If you want the tip to remain behind the scenes it can be covered by the prop you are using or it remains behind your hand. There is however a convincer (pointing the tip of the thumb directly at the audience) and for that the tip has to match closely.

My method for matching my skin tone involves Home Depot. The machine that they have for paint matching is a device with a roughly 1/2" diameter window that "reads" the color of what you wish to match. First look through magazines and newspapers with color print to find a tone that closely matches your own. This is a general skin color match. Next, you can use your own skin with the machine. Find a suitable location on your hand or arm of 1/2" that is colored evenly (no veins, hair, blemishes, etc.) and place that in the window of the machine.

The smallest amount they will mix is a 1/2 pint which is enough to last a lifetime and best of all, if it matches closely then the color breakdown is printed on a label so that you can have it mixed again. I did a 1/2 pint with a "Parade" photo that I matched and a 1/2 pint of my own skin color and I mixed the two until I had an acceptable balance. Give it a try, I have been more than pleased with the results.

P.S. When you paint you need to rough the surface of your tip mildly with a medium/fine grit sandpaper to improve the bond. When I paint I thin it to a relatively thin consistency (ask the Home Depot employee what is best to thin your paint with) and put the thumb tip on a stick and dipped it into the paint, let it drain as much as possible while held upside down, and then turned it upright and set it into a hole in an egg carton to dry.

Thanks guys for the ideas on a color matching silk and the innovative idea of using the HD color matching scan and paint. Very clever. I'll continue to use it in it's natural color. I just used it again last night and at about a 4' range it wasn't detected. If it get busted a time or two, I may go ahead with these great ideas.

Mr. Ash of Chicago did a cigarette vanish for me once with a RED tt. I didn't see a thing...