Hi everyone,

I recently got interested in escapology, especially in big stunts and mediumnistic effects. I got "Rope, chain and box escapes" by Grant and "31 rope ties and chain releases" by Hull (2 absolute great books by the way) and I wanted to try these escapes, but I don't have any suitable ropes right now.

Are there special brands to recommend? Should I anyway order from a magic store or can I find suitable ropes for escapes in my local hardware store? What do you personally use?

Thanks in advance!

Artemis

I typically go the to local hardware store, pick up a roll of nylon core poly cover rope. I measure out the amount that I'll need as I need it off of that roll and remove the nylon core. It comes in a variety of colors, is very strong and (once you remove the core) very flexible. It's also familiar enough to your audience that it doesn't seem like something you bought at a magic shop.

I recommend a woven nylon rope. Polyester tends to cut you, and give worse abrasions. Length and diameter of the rope depend on what you want to do.

It'd be a good idea to work for a while, with someone who knows it well. You'll learn a lot more than what's in the books. Those two books are excellent, but you also need to learn how to deal with just a piece of rope, and no trickery.

Okay so nylon rope and then remove the core. Thanks!

@Harley, if you know someone in Germany, preferably around Cologne, let me know... I just moved here so I don't have the contacts yet.

In sure Harley would be glad to fly there and do a seminar if you made it into a 2 day class with 25 people.
If not, there are several knowledgeable people in England who you could pay for an afternoon.

Depends how committed you are. It could well be worth it to spend a few hundreds euros to jump ahead in measurement of (literally ) years.

I performed there a lot, but it was 15 years ago. My contacts are kaput.

You don't need to remove the core...that's magician-think. A problem with taking a magical approach (as opposed to a stunt approach) is that you're always looking for a way to be tricky. This gets in the way of learning real and necessary skills.

Each kind of rope has advantages and disadvantages, different ways to be used. It'll be like having different kinds of friends, and you'll accumulate a number of them. Some are stiff, some flexible. Some are man-made fibers, some are natural. You don't want, for example, to use a man-made fiber for anything with fire. It will melt into your skin, which hurts. A lot. But you don't want to use a natural fiber like sisal, for a rope tie. The strands that stick out from the rope will shred your skin, and eat into your flesh. A lot of poly ropes will chew you up, too.

1/2" diameter is good for some things, like the Kellar Tie. 3/8" is wonderful for other things. 5/8" might be best for full-body, but you might like 1/2 better. Polyester is good for some things. Sisal for others. For just-plain tying, I'd go with nylon.

Last count, I was somewhere around 40,000 rope escapes, of different sorts, almost none using tricky ties. I'm still learning, every time.

Experiment.

Also, find someone to practice with. You might get 40 or 50 ties into a practice session. You'll probably get into a sort-of competition as you practice, trying to outsmart each other. You'll get a different sense of it, when you're both tying and getting out...the ways of the rope, the body mechanics. And you'll learn a lot, that doesn't come from the books.

@Jay Leslie, do you have names in England to recommend? Maybe by MP. I'd be interested, I'm relatively free in March so I could come to the UK.

@Harley Newman, wow that is advice, thanks!! I'll note that for the ropes.


Well I'd love to find someone with experience in escapology around there or only someone to practice with... I guess I'll find someone who shares the passion with time. But how?