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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Monkey's Paw, Monkey's Fist, whatever. Jim Riser's are made of leather.
One excellent idea that has been used by some of the greats is to take a wine bottle cork and slice it into three pieces at the beginning of the routine. Of course, you have that something extra you need. If you are going to be authentic in a Renaissance Festival context, you should be using cork balls. And they should be "about the size of a nutmeg." In fact, the French word for the ball used in the routine is "muscade," which means "nutmeg."
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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snedglow New user Pine Grove, PA 94 Posts |
The knit balls are great. I use three green knit balls and adapted the trick so that instead of showing three lemons in their place in the end of the routine, I have three limes, instead.
Three green balls ... three limes. It works well!
-Randy
[email]rsnedden@closeupmagic.org[/email] ~~~~~ “Chance is but the pseudonym of God for those particular cases which He does not choose to subscribe to openly with His own signature ... ” |
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Mr. Muggle Special user 999 Posts |
The knit balls are usually too light and just look prop-ish (at least to me).
Try something different. I just did a show for some mechanic's and I used large snap on sockets and 3/4" nuts. It just goes to show you that just about anything will work if you work at it. MM
"Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it because you're not really looking. You don't really want to know the secret... You want to be fooled." - The Prestige (2006)
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Erik Anderson Regular user Des Moines, Iowa 171 Posts |
I use a set of Roger’s baseballs that I've dyed with a dark brown oil based leather dye. They go very nicely with the tarnished brass cups I use. The whole thing ends up with a very old but elegant look.
Erik "Aces" Anderson
"I never let my schooling get in the way of my education." ~ Mark Twain http://www.acesanderson.com |
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Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
There is not much wrong with taking a paper napkin and rolling it up into a ball when you do the trick with a coffee cup.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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shane_delon Regular user 114 Posts |
FYI, Denny and Lees also sell nice monkey fist balls, but they are a bit pricey. I made my own from a set of 5/8th inch knitted cork balls as the core and thin strips of dark suede leather. They go great with the Johnson cups, are heavy, but also don't make noise as they are suede.
Does anyone know where to get JUST cork balls that I could use for a core - without the knit? |
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Pete Biro 1933 - 2018 18558 Posts |
Dean Dill got a set of my Johnny Paul cups today and using 2 inch sponge balls makes it a 100% killer.
STAY TOONED... @ www.pete-biro.com
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jbohn Regular user Minneapoils, MN 102 Posts |
So far, I've only used the pom-poms, but they work fairly well. I'm looking at getting some larger balls, though, because they would be more visible to an audience. So many choices...
Jeremiah |
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DwightPA Regular user Dwight Powell 113 Posts |
Might mention that Charlie Miller used rolled up borrowed dollar bills with coffee cups for his impromptu routine. 'Course he only borrowed 3.
Dwight |
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Mr. Muggle Special user 999 Posts |
And if you use a magnetic ring, most coffee cups will act like a chop cup and grab the bill through the side wall. You can even steal the bill quietly with this method.
Unless of course someone took out the magnetic strip or if your using a $1 bill. MM
"Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it because you're not really looking. You don't really want to know the secret... You want to be fooled." - The Prestige (2006)
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Magic.J.Manuel Special user I have danced upon 663 Posts |
I agree with Bill that Jim Risers leather wrapped balls look the best. I still use crochet balls in Red, White, and Blue. You can't be too patriotic these days and I have the same color final loads.
Nothing would get done at all, if man waited so long that no one could find fault with it.
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Larry Barnowsky Inner circle Cooperstown, NY where bats are made from 4770 Posts |
I use the usual knit balls but I avoid red or green. White or yellow are preferable. About 10 percent of the male population has some form of color blindness and it's usually red green color perception weakness. By choosing red or green you are limiting the number of people who can see and enjoy your performance. A multicolored ball that has red in it is fine. Check out http://www.toledo-bend.com/colorblind/Ishihara.html
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shane_delon Regular user 114 Posts |
Just because someone is red-green color-blind I don't think that means they can't see red or green, but I'm not sure what they see. They can still see the objects though so it wouldn't make sense to use say a red ball on a green mat or vice-versa, as I would think that would be like using a red ball on a red mat or green ball on a green mat for most people.
I almost always use red sponge balls so I hope that people can see them ok. Even if you're colorblind it seems like it'd contrast with your hand. If you have a dark or a red mat and copper or brass cups I think white is a nice contrast. I'm not sure yellow and brass would look right together, but copper or aluminum cups with yellow and a dark mat would probably look ok. |
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Larry Barnowsky Inner circle Cooperstown, NY where bats are made from 4770 Posts |
People with red green color blindness see red or green as a muted color. It doesn't stand out to them. They can distinguish red from green if the colors are bright like a freshly painted fire hydrant or the green in a Crayola crayon. They also see these colors better if there is more light shining on the object. We all have light sensors in out retina called cones and they come in 3 flavors: red, green, and blue. People with red green color blindness have a limited number of the red and green cones. It takes more light stimulation for them to see those colors. The typical red balls used for cups and balls are a muted red compared to bright red paint or blood. The color blind person will see the ball depending on what is in the background but it will not be as easy to follow. Colors that contain red such as purple are also hard to see. To a colorblind person they may look blue or even black.
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shane_delon Regular user 114 Posts |
You learn something new everyday. It figures that they make so many streetlights and signs red and green.
Do you think people would look at me like I'm an idiot if I told them they didn't have enough red eye cones? What am I talking about, they usually look at me like I'm an idiot anyway. sd |
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WoodRat Loyal user California 233 Posts |
I have made several sets of balls using the monkey fist knot. My favorites are made of parachute cord wrapped around a glass marble. Nice weight, custom size and they don't roll far. I use them for more than the cups and balls.
I am one of those people "blessed" with partial color-blindness. My wife absolutely cringes when I dress up for a dinner party, and I am no longer allowed to go shopping for my own clothes. What I see is a very dull red, and many times I will describe something as blue, when it is actually (so I am told) purple! On the other hand, I think I have a better eye than most for differences in texture and shading. I can often see things others overlook. Give a little, take a little. Oh, and when I'm behind the wheel, don't worry about the traffic signals, They can be deciphered by the positions of the lights!
Learn something new everyday.
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Dragunsfyre New user Robert 71 Posts |
The toy section of Dollar Tree carries some pretty nifty 1" balls which are colorful. I'm currently using a set of orange basketballs. They're soft, have very little bounce and don't 'talk'. If you look around, they also sell a 1 1/2" and a 2" basketball which match pretty closely for interim and final loads.
They also have soccer balls, baseball's (not the Mike Rogers type) along with a few others and a buck for 6 to 8 balls ain't a bad price. (The 'ain't' is for the Grammar Host from Alabama). Just as an afterthought, I've also found some pretty neat final loads at places like Hobby Lobby, Michaels and A.C. Moore's arts & crafts shops. Hobby Lobby carries a line of small (1") bears and rabbits (Easter is coming, you know) and, in the doll section, a bag of 8 very small top hats for about $1.99. A little velcro in the hat and on the critter's head and you have a final load of a critter with something missing, followed by the kicker load of the top hat, making the critter a magic bear or bunny. Makes a pretty cheap give-away that kids (and some young ladies) will remember.
It's not what you look like when you're doing what you're doing;
it's what you're doing when you're doing what you look like you're doing. |
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gshorn New user Dalllas TX 5 Posts |
I believe it's Alexander DeCova who suggests the no-bounce balls from a bounce / no-bounce set. They are easy to handle, come in 2 size, and, of course, don't bounce. In fact, the don't roll so much either.
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Han Solo New user 60 Posts |
I really like the balls that come with the alluminum cups on penguin magic. They are red knit balls. very easy to handle.
Kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit!-Elmer Fudd
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Ollie1235 Special user England 533 Posts |
I use little balls that you use for crafts etc.
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