In case anyone might be interested. Made this sponge dove for a gag, didn't come out too bad

Click here to view attached image.

Nice job!! You should have a LOT of fun with that one.

Looks nice!

Looks like a dove.

I'm assuming you've used other types of hollow props before. What would you say the benefits to this foam are?
Am I correct that this foam does not compress as flat as the other type of dove but it expands quickly and holds its shape better?

thank you

May I ask what you used to color the beak and eyes, and how that is working out since you made it? Is it colorfast?

Thank you for the feedback everyone. I made this especially as a gag production item. As you correctly point Jay, sponge/foam does not compress as flat as the hollow rubber props, so for something like the birdcage it will probably not work. However, the main benefit of the sponge is that it 'pops out' in the blink of an eye into its original form, which is much better for the production I have in mind.

Michael, the eyes are not painted, its actually a little black plastic eye from a toy mouse glued to a round piece of red felt I experimented and could not paint a realistic looking eye on sponge, but this works much better. The beak is painted with the fabric paint you buy at arts and hobby shops, and it doesn't come off at all. Once it dries its permanent!

Thanks.

Great job!

Hope you didn't use a hot wire cutter.

This was not done with hot wire, I think it will probably melt the sponge and make it hard on the cut edges. I used salon scissors (the type used to cut hair - they cut smooth and don't 'bite' into sponge like normal scissors) to cut the basic shape. Then it gets soaked in water and frozen, and once it is solid the edges are filed down nice and smooth

I really like the way it looks. Nice.

Had an interesting recent experience. At a gala stage show, a dove act included a bit with a latex dove. I've seen this dove, and it looks great. On stage, however, the lighting gave the dove a yellowish tinge, and from the audience's point of view, it looked more like a rubber ducky than a dove (reducing the impact of the dove-to-snowstorm effect).

Have you tried this foam dove under your show lights yet?

John

I can imagine having it look like a rubber ducky instead of a dove will greatly diminish the impact

I have not tried it out under stage lights yet, should be able to in the next few weeks. Will see if I can get a picture then. Theoretically it shouldn't be a problem, as it is made from white (uncoloured) sponge and not painted white like a latex dove. Will let you know!

Nice work. I like it.

This is an awesome idea. Mostly, because a friend of mine who collects and paints miniatures just gave me a whole bag of high quality foam chunks (scraps, he uses the foam to store his miniatures) and I had many ideas for them but couldn't figure out how to cut them. The freezing idea is perfect!

You can have a lot of fun experimenting with it! You will be amazed at all the things you can make out of sponge

Oh I have a doughnut, dove, banana, and a few others lined up lol.

Well done!

If anyone is looking to buy a pre-made one, instead of making their own, look for sponge doves made by Goshman (maybe by others, too), or a magic effect called a "Dove Wand".

- Donald

Since we're on the subject, I'm wondering if you can paint these props, or at least dye them, assuming the sponge you started with was white?

Thanks for the tip Donald! I was unaware of sponge doves available, only knew of the latex ones.

I use fabric paint available at arts and craft stores to colour the sponge. It takes a while to dry on the sponge though but once its dry it sticks! Also, for the banana I used a yellow sponge to begin with, and used coloured permanent markers (sharpies) to do the green and black on the ends.

Here's a link that shows some of the Goshman sponge products:

http://www.magiclegends.com/magicbygosh.html

BTW, Dan Garrett had been making and selling sponge items to magicians for years. Sponge bananas, carrots, pickles, teeth, eggs, snowballs, hearts, etc.

http://www.dangarrettmagic.com/magic-for-magicians-only.html

You can also buy them through some magic dealers.

And I've also seen sponge donuts before. Oscar Munoz performs with them, and sells them.

And there are a large number of sponge products available from Peachey Keene, as well.

http://www.peacheykeene.com/prop%20catolog.htm (scroll down for links)

- Donald