Dear friends in magic,

I have a hard time getting the melting knot in Daryl‘s Rope Routine right.
Not the tying of the knot itself, but stopping it from dissolving prematurely.

I‘m using the BTC-3 rope which is great for all other parts of the routine, but for this special part it seems to be „too slick“.
When using another rope (which is a little bit stiffer and a touch more rough) then there is no problem presenting the knot letting it hang down from one end, but the rest of the routine favors the BTC-3 so I really would like to stick with it.

Are there any hints you could give me?

BTW - Daryl calls it the Pretzel knot - in Mark Wilson‘s CCiM it is called Melting Knot

Kind Regards from Germany

Chris

Sounds like you just have to find the correct tension (or sweet point) to put on the knot after creating it without dissolving the knot completely.

If you want to use none real magician's rope that has been used for over as long as I have been alive, then you need to put in the extra effort for you choices.

You proved to yourself that it works, so it is just making it work for the product you selected.

Dear Bill,

you’re probably right...
After repeated repetition of the move there seems to form some kind of „micro-fray“ on the outside the BTC-3 and I‘m not sure if the rehearsal itself of this slight erosion of the
surface helped to keep the knot stable more often.

I‘ll follow your advice and get accustomed to the ropes behavior, since I‘m very pleased with its handling in the rest of the routine (as stated above).

Thanks for your support

Chris

Guten Tag, Chris!

This is difficult to describe, but, I'll try...

After tying the "knot", twist the rope just enough to maintain a slight pressure to keep the (apparent) knot.

I've used this "knot" for 50 years. It's also good with a silk. My friend TOMSONI (the late Johnny Thompson) used it with a silk.

Guten Abend Dick
and good evening to the rest of the community...

So if it could be done with a silk, then there should be no problem with a rope.
After fumbling again with it today, I realize that besides the right amount of twist the swiftness of the presentation and thus the presentation movement itself is crucial to the survival of the knot.

I‘ll keep on trying...

Kind Regards from Germany

Chris

Chris,
I, too, experience exactly what you are. You are correct about the right amount of twist in the rope. You have to really twist it. I have also found to make the pretzel knot a little larger than shown on the video before I make it dissolve. When the knot gets too small, that is when it falls apart.
Don

Reviving this thread because I've been having the same problem and found what for me is a great solution. The rope I like is bright white, nice and thick, and, unfortunately for this knot, pretty slippery. I couldn't get the friction holding the twist together to hold long enough to be convincing no matter how much twisted the darn thing. BUT, I recently found Wayne Kawamoto's "Easy Rope Magic For Beginners and Kids -- How to Tie and Vanish a Knot" YT video (not linking, but it's easy to find). Great looking, convincing knot, super easy to do once you learn it, and SOLID until you're ready to make it go away. Plus, you can dissolve it in your fist the way Daryl did his, or better (I think), blow on it while you snap the middle of the rope towards the spec and it'll vanish in a way that sets you up perfectly for going into Daryl's appearing knot, which is next in his routine, and that knot can appear with what looks an awful lot like that last flick you did to make the (other but similar looking) knot vanish. It's not only easier (at least with my rope) I think it's actually a better knot to pair with the appearing know Daryl used.

I have been having a hard time with Daryl's "pretzel knot" too. I found Chefalo's vanishing knot in Abbott's Encyclopedia and may switch to that. It is very visual, they can see 2 overhand knots clearly tied, yet it still easily vanishes. But I do like the "melting" of the pretzel knot. I can sort of get the pretzel, but on my best day maybe... 20% of the time (so far). Not very good odds ha ha ????

I am thinking of changing the middle of the routine a bit, because I do not like the finicky handling on the pretzel knot, and the appearing knot always looks a bit hokey to me - even Daryl's performance of it.