Does anybody know what's better or easier to use, roughing spray or fluid?
thanks in advance

SOHartist

I have had good outcomes with Testor's Dull Kote. Mine comes from the plastic kit section of the local hobby store.

I know of at least two local dealers who buy from jobbers and put their own roughing fluid label on the cans.

It goes without saying that it is cheaper from the hobby store, so I won't say that.

A little goes a long way. Use too much and you will never be able to slide the roughed surfaces apart. I learned this from sad experience.

I don't know that I could be bothered brushing a fluid onto anything more than one or two cards.

There is a recipe for a roughing fluid in Routined Manipulation by Lewis Ganson. Those books were published nearly 50 years ago. You might find that it is a bit difficult to latch onto the ingredients in this day and age.

i don't know if it works but i heard somewhere that bad hairspray works. I have never tried it so i'm not sure if it works

Thanks guys, this really helps.

There is a recipe for roughing fluid in Chemical Magic by John Lippy, page 155. Also include how to apply the fluid.

But I haven't tried it yet.

Good Luck!

Budi Ha Ha

To actually answer your question, the spray is easier to use.

Bad hairspray has always produced bad results for me.

I use either the Testor Dull Cote #1260 or Krylon 1311 Matte Spray. Either one works very well. But use light coats and repeat if necessary.

I would think that hairspray, being water-soluble, would tend to get sticky in a humid environment. After all, if it weren't water-soluble, it would never wash out of your hair.

The only way I would use roughing fluid would be to apply it with an airbrush. And, if you are going to use an airbrush, why not just get a can of DullCote? Take it from me, use anything but the lightest touch with these spray products and you will warp the cards, making them unusable.

Amos McCormick

Thanks again, that helps alot more. Now that I have all these replies, I think I'll start to put them to good use.

SOHartist,
Spraying is absolutley the best method. Here are some tips.
How to avoid the cards lifting during spraying (which gets the roughing on the wrong side). Buy yourself a couple of 3/8" wood dowels. Lay your cards in rows and lay the dowel rods across the rows, at the center of the cards.
When spraying, use EVEN smooth passes, starting left to right with a slight overlap per pass.
First coat: Hold about 10" from cards on the first pass. Let dry for 3-5 minutes.
Second coat: hold the can a bit further back and a more rapid pass. This "dusts" the spray giving you a rougher finish. This method eliminates overcoating.
Sometimes a third pass is needed.
Hope this helps.
Chance Wolf

Another method is to use a strip of easy release masking tape, sticky side up, on your spraying surface. Give the cards an even coat of Krylon 1311.

When it seems that the roughed surfaces are getting smooth, polish the smooth surfaces of the cards with a silk. This will rejuvenate them. Eric Lewis suggests this in one of his books.

As I have been reviewing this thread, I remembered thattThere's another advantage of spraying on your roughing agent.

You can mask spray portions of the faces/backs of the cards. I have just remebered that somewhere I have a routine for a deck with bizarre patterns of roughed areas on face and back of the cards. As you handle the them, a range of different changes to the cards takes place, depending on where you're pressing the cards.

I'll have to find where it is and post. Adescription of the effect and drawings of the masks will make the previous mish mash a lot clearer.

I have a board with 1/2" strips of elestic. The elastic is stapled to the board at intervals that allow a card to be inserted under the elastic.

Then do as Chance suggests and you are ready to roll.

Ray,
Great idea! I have officially changed my method.
Chance

I bought some roughing spray in the winter (canadian winter that is), with the intent of making some invisible decks with a different setup than normal. Upon noticing the warning on the outside of the can, I went back to the magic store and bought some Invisble decks from them.

The Warning?

"This product contains agents that have been known to cause cancer in the state of California." I don't know why just in california, but it didn't set my mind at ease. I have now made some of my own decks, outside.

David.

I made it by stretching the elastic very tight and stapling it to either end of the board. Then I placed a card next to the first stappple and put another staple on the other side of the card for a good close fit.

51 or so additional staples and I was ready for prime time.

Of course the width opf the elastic is up to you.

Total cost: I think I spent a couple of bucks on the elastic; board was free (left over from a neighbor's siding project; and the staples were probably about $.20. Add a $5 can of Krylon 1311 and I can make a bunch of rough-smooth decks or cards.

If it didn't look so bad, I would try to upload a picture.

"Rough Stuff" by Aldini has a description of this technique which he calls "Super Roughing."