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afinemesh Inner circle Senseless gibberish that amounts to 2621 Posts |
Hey all,
I want to experiment with one inch balls other than the regular knit covered ones. I'm looking for something a little heavier and a surface with a little more grip. Can you guys share ideas and what's available out there? Thanks, Jorey
"I've always been mental, I'm sure of it" Boris Pocus
"Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny". . .Bruce Springsteen |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Go to the cups and balls museum. You will have to register for a username and password, but there is a lot of info there.
Meanwhile, think high bounce balls, Mike Rogers style baseballs, rubber balls from fly back paddles. Here's a hint. I know there are toy stores in your area. There are also Wal-Mart stores. Try going to those places.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
afinemesh Inner circle Senseless gibberish that amounts to 2621 Posts |
Thank you, Bill.
"I've always been mental, I'm sure of it" Boris Pocus
"Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny". . .Bruce Springsteen |
Donnie Buckley V.I.P. Cleveland, Ohio 1123 Posts |
Gripping surfaces are a catch 22 for me.
Like Fakini Manipulation Balls, I like the fact that they are easier to p**m and manipulate, but they also have the annoying habit of gripping to the cups when I'm doing Galloping Post or Elevator moves. I have a set of nice white Fakini balls for 3 Balls and a Net that I've tried for C&B, but I've come to prefer the knit covered ball just because more cup moves are possible. |
dcjames Special user 577 Posts |
Monkey fist balls are another option. I love them because they are a bit different and don't scurry away as quickly as their sweater-wearing cousins...
“Magic is very easy to do - poorly.”
Tommy Wonder The Books of Wonder Volume 2 |
Dale Houck Veteran user Dakota J Magic at Saint Cloud, FL 343 Posts |
Here's an image of some of the ones I'm using. My favorite balls are knit, but they've got that gold thread to help give them a better grip (in my opinion). They're the RNT2 1 1/8" Black Meteorite balls shown in the image for comparison purposes. The upper left are hard foam balls from Walmart designed for some type of toy "gun." The pom poms are a "shag" design instead of the usual plush design and that gives them a firmer and better grip. The wood balls and the plum colored balls are magnetic and have limited uses, but have some interesting possibilities as well.
http://www.dazustudios.com/images/balls.jpg
Magic is where you find it.....
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ray raymond Veteran user 329 Posts |
If you want to experiment with different types of balls I would recommend a pet store, like petsmart. They have balls of all different sizes textures, colors, etc.
for dogs, cats, or magic. |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Pet stores are a good source for load balls, but for the actual balls that you use in the C&B, they are not so good. Very few of the balls you find in pet stores, if any, are smaller than 1 1/2" in diameter.
If you have a "Party City" store in your area, they usually have a lot of good balls about 1" in diameter, which will work for most jumbo cups or even cups like the Sherwoods, Foxy III's, etc. Before major holidays, you can find balls with different colors, such as red and blue before July 4, red and green before Christmas, black and orange before Hallowe'en, etc. Oriental Trading Co. and Rhode Island Novelty have small balls that are suitable for C&B. Michael's and Hobby Lobby sometimes have cork balls of various diameters.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Josh Riel Inner circle of hell 1995 Posts |
I've had a hard time finding cork balls locally, but if you go to The Cork Store you can get them fairly inexpensively and in many sizes.
You can usually get many different types of rope or leather lace (If you want a ball with tack, leather is good). You may want to try your hand at making Monkey Fist balls. They are a fairly versatile ball and you can use any type of core; heavy, light, round, or square. You might even want to try a mouse ball, no wrap. There is something to be said for them, and they can also be good for a core. usually they are 7/8", but there are other sizes. Of course, bill has seen most balls out there so his advice is very good. There is gold mines in key chain racks.
Magic is doing improbable things with odd items that, under normal circumstances, would be unnessecary and quite often undesirable.
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Josh Riel Inner circle of hell 1995 Posts |
I'll also add, with Monkey Fist balls if you want them to be more square (But using a round core) find a rope or lace that is thicker. If you want less use a thinner cord.
More square seems to have much better grip and cling. That is just me though. I am not an expert at all. Thinner means more wraps, that can make them difficult to say the least. But in my opinion thinner cord with more wraps looks better. Opinions being what they are, take that with a grain of salt.
Magic is doing improbable things with odd items that, under normal circumstances, would be unnessecary and quite often undesirable.
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afinemesh Inner circle Senseless gibberish that amounts to 2621 Posts |
Thanks everyone for your input.
I purchased a set if leather wrapped monkey fist balls and I like the weight, but they are a bit small. I think they're one inch. Although, it's easier to sit three on top of one cup for display purposes. I do like the feel of a little more grip and you can "kick" them (because of their weight) a little harder. Cork balls (of course) taking a little more finesse when kicking. So many balls . . . . . .
"I've always been mental, I'm sure of it" Boris Pocus
"Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny". . .Bruce Springsteen |
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