OK Bob, here's the scoop.

I went to a large (is there any other kind) Walmart neer Vacaville, California, and bought two kinds of rope:

1) mainstays home "Cotton Clothesline," 3/16" x 100'

2) Lehigh "Synthetic All Purpose Clothesline," same stats.

Lehigh also makes "Premium Quality, Plastic, and Solid Braid Poly," but the only one they had besides this one that I bought was the "Premium Quality," which I thought was more rather than less nylon.

Are one of these the one you meant, or yet another?

ATPG

After checking the trunk, the Lehigh is the one I have nearly 2 dozen hanks of this week. I use it a lot. Since I only use it once and give it away, it works fine. The size has just never really been a factor to the audience. Vendors will tell you it matters. But they are rarely measuring things from the audience's view. They have another interest. If I thought for a moment that it mattered to the audience, I would change. I haven't changed my rope routine in over thirty years. It appears to be working well for me. It wins contests and gets bookings. I certainly don't mind investing in my show, but I don't put just spending in the same category. It is a magic show, not a hardware show.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Hey Bob, I took your advice and got the rope you mentioned at my local Walmart. It does handle very nicely. My main difficulty is figuring out the best way to bind the ends. I've used Elmers, rubber cement and even PVC bonder, but they all have their drawbacks. Just wondering what you use.

Laffski

Abbott's is a good supplier of rope. The can sell a how spool. They have 2 sizes. This is where I by my rope for C & R effects.

I find the stuff at Wal-Mart and such have paint on them and sometime wire or nylon running thru the center.

You can use the fraying to your advantage, I seen an English magician Paul Daniels fray the ends of his Professor Nitemare rope and it looked very good on stage.

With magician rope use Elmers Glue. Just dip it into the bottle and hang it over a chair to let dry, you can from a nice end. After it is dry, trim off with a razor blade.

Nylon can be melted. You have to be quick or the material will turn black.

Bill

If you need ropes for effects like Professor's Nightmare, Jumping Knot, or Tabary's rope routine, you can make your own rope like I have done. Go to store's that deal with children's crafts and purchase a knitting ring (an old children's knitting effect). You can knit rope with string, small cord, acrylic thread, etc. You can also knit together different colours such as required for Jumping Knot. It takes some time, but then again, it becomes YOUR ROPE, that you are using. Cheers......

Laffski,

I hope you enjoy the rope and especially the price. I use tons of it.

It would be wonderful if I had some elegant answer for you about how I prepare the ends, but the truth is, I do nothing. At the end of the routine, I either give it to the volunteers (break up the set of three) or put a rubber band on the bundle and toss them into a gloves to dove and move on with a dove production.

Sorry, but when your name is Bob, fancy just comes hard.

Just Bob

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I also use a lot of rope, and will probably sound very cheap, but I get macrame cord, in a hundred yard spook for about 2 dollars, I use that for all the cut and restored routines, I do a tabary type routine that doesn't require cutting, the rope I use for that is huge, about an inch and a quarter, sorry I can't remember where I got it, except, I did a google search for magicians rope and found it online, the cost was 20 dollars for 25 feet, but was enought for several of the ropes I need for that routine, and I sold 2 of them, so mine ended up being free.

The magician's rope for cut_restored is fairly well covered here already, tape the ends or whip them like a good scout. But, Like Dennis said you may want a different rope for other effects. I use nylon rock climbers rope for ring and rope, toss a knot, and juggling type rope tricks since it is heavy but very supple and often comes in multicolored patterns. Find it at a good camping/backpacking outfitters and get several 4 to 6 foot lengths. You get a good choice of different diameters. Melt the ends together with a lighter.

One way to avoid the blackened ends is to hold the rope under the flame of a match. The radiated heat will do the job with less risk of actually burning the rope.

(It also works on nylon guitar strings to create a ball on the end to prevent slippage, that's where I learned it first)

Things change. When they do, we have to adjust accordingly. Perhaps years ago I reported on The Magic Café that my source of "magicians' rope" was WalMart. That was true. I have used hundreds of dollars worth of WalMart rope over the last three decades.

However, things change. This month, I noticed that the rope I use and recommend is no longer available there. The replacement is smaller in diameter and much darker in color. As a consumer, I am on a search again myself. I do not use or recommend the current offering at WalMart. Cotton braided rope may be a going away thing in the USA. The brightness of the white is critical on stage. The darker color appears much smaller and is just not appropriate for our needs.

I felt it was only fair to correct my recommendation when the product changed. WalMart is still a great place to shop. They just quit being my rope supplier.

Enjoy your rope magic.

Bob
Magic By Sander

Some one tell me what the Tabary type routine is? I would like to find out about it and get it.
mike

I buy my rope from magicwarehouse.com 50 feet for $10, it is good quality and I am pleased with it.

Elite Ropes or Japanese Ropes

I have the rope from FUN inc and the Elite rope from Camirand. Both are worth it.

What is the purpose of coring braided rope?

Now Hear This! Now Hear This! Cheap rope is back!

I can't tell how much fun that was for an old cowboy sailer. In the Navy, we weren't allowed to say "rope" because they called it "line". I was ranch raised. There wasn't a piece of "line" on the place. (The "place" was 52 sections. That's 33,280 acres!) There was a lot of rope!

The new source is Big Lots. The price is $2.99 for 100 feet. The product is cat. No. 71001, cotton clothesline 7/32". It feels and looks exactly like what I used in the 60s. If you can beat $.03/foot, go right ahead! For me, that is less than a quarter a show. I won't have to raise my price!

Enjoy!

Bob
Magic By Sander

er.......surely that would raise MORE questions

Andy

Bob and all,

Try the dollar general type stores. I purchased 50 foot hanks for 1 dollar of white cotton 1/4" clothes line. The color was bright white and looks good/ handles well (one has to core it, but if cut in 6-8 ft lengths this is easy enough). The 1/2" white cotton "magicians rope" is nice for shows on platform/stage and looks really good/ handles well too.

My thinking is to use the cheaper stuff (clothes line) if you give it away or cut it up alot. The thing I do is buy the cheap for practice, rehearsal, and experimentation. I have some lengths of the pretty, expensive stuff laying around for practicing knots and P.N./ring moves (but always cut up the cheap stuff). I don't particularly feel I need to practice the action of cutting the rope with the scissors (kind of like spitting on the floor-I never miss).

This topic is sort of like asking what the best cards are-Bikes,Hoyels,Bee,Aviator.....What one likes and is willing to spend is always an issue. I enjoy hearing the other opinions though, so now I have ideas for other things to try and places to look. Thanks everyone.

Coring: It makes the rope more supple (limp). There are two advantages in that. One, it is easier to manipulate; and, two, you can use a larger diameter rope and stiffness won't limit you. That is, the larger rope looks bigger than it feels.

End treatment: I use braided rope. After the core is removed, I tuck the cut ends into the core area. I use a toothpick with one point broken off. Tuck with the blunt end, then as the void gets full, use the point to make more room. Tuck in about 1/4 to 1/2 in (depending on rope diameter). When finished, roll the rope between fingers (or under your hand on a table) to make it round and a consistent diameter. It will look like the rope just ends--with no treatment--but you can easily feel the hard "nub" at each end so you know exactly where it is in your hand without looking.

Gluing gives a similar feel, but doesn't look as good. Whipping is just...well, painful! lol

Both Ron & Tim mentioned it, so I'll third it, get the Fun inc. rope from Denny.
S.