Does anyone use these? I think they're great! Especially for a silk from a rolled bill effect. I like these even better than the rainbow streamers. The only problem I have is... even the smallest diamond silks do not fit into my TT. Can anyone recommend a better tt to use? Many say I need a Japanese vinyl TT.

Ryan

I have a diamond cut and use a regular Vinyl
TT & a plastic TT, I don't know if it was made in Japan or not, I just bought it at the magic shop..

My Diamond cut silk takes up the same amount of space as a regular TT silk, and I have no problem at all... I don't know how long you have been using a TT and I don't want to offend you if you are aware of this already, but a lot of times Magicians just starting out will try to get a TT to fit ALL THE WAY ON to their thumb.. your TT should ideally stop just before the 1st knuckle.. this allows more room in the TT for silks, cigarettes, etc... yes, this makes your thumb look abnormally long, but with proper handling it should not matter..

As I said before, if you have been a magician
for awhile and I am just pointing out the obvious to you, then I apologise..
I hope this helped
Tom

Time to take back what I said.. I played around with the TT types when I got home and can now see what you are talking about..
The hard plastic type TT had a tendancy to be pushed off of the end of my T**mb when I used it. But the Vinyl TT worked fine..

Due to the fact that the texture of the vinyl gripped my T**mb well enough to not allow it to be pushed off by the pressure of the silk inside.. so yes, go with the vinyl and make sure it has a decent fit.. if it's too large, it will not work..
Later
Tom

hello friends,

People have commented elsewhere in the Café that diamond-cut 9-inch silks work best and can be used with standard TTs.

I am sure this varies from situation to situation with so many variables, but I did want to let you know that others have been able to accomplish the effect you are after with their everyday TT.

all my best to you,

alleycat

I use the Diamond Cut Silk that is meant to mimic an 18" silk and it fits into the tip quite well. I just use the cheap, hard plastic tips made by "Fun Inc". I pack the silk well into the bottom and up the side, so that much of the silk makes contact with the pad of the thumb. If you continue to have trouble, try a king-size Vernet.

There are diamond cut silks that have wide hems and I think that it defeats the purpose of using a specially-cut silk. The one that I use has a small rolled hem.

Alan,

Please tell me how you keep your silks straight & nice looking. I've had bad experiences with an iron!

Here's how I store my silks. I lay them neatly on top of each other, making sure there's no wrinkles at a corner. Then sandwich them between 2 pieces of cardboard. Then clip the cardboard pieces with one of those magnetic clips from an office supply. Then hang the whole deal on the side of a file cabinet until needed.

Paul

I don't bother to iron silks that are going to be in and out of a gimmick in which they are compressed. I spread the silks on a table so that deep wrinkles will relax. I want the silks to have a fluffy appearance. Ironing actually makes the wrinkles, that appear after ironing, more prominent.

Silks that will be pulled out of change bags, and other apparatus that are easy on the silks, are ironed each day that they are used. When doing multiple shows in a day, extra sets of silks are brought. They're folded and rolled inside a sheet of printer paper, which is held with a rubberband.

Hi,

Diamond cut silks and diagonal silks in combination with TT are better for productions than for vanishes.

Yours faithfully

Dan Kirsch

MagicSmith sells such diamond silks.

Is there any other place to buy than magicsmith?

Thanks

http://themagicwarehouse.com/supplies2.html#si1703

The diamond 18" are $2.50 ea

This is the kind of measurement mistake you don't want to make with diamond cut silks. It will cost you money and not do the job. This is a 12" diamond cut silk. It just looks like an 18" square silk and takes the space of a 9" square silk. An 18" diamond cut silk looks like a 24" square silk but will not fit into a TT. It is also higher priced than a 12" diamond cut silk.

Enjoy your silk magic.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Hi Magicguy 88,
I used to have the same concern about the silk fitting into my tt. I have since seen Dan Garret demonstrate that silk and other objects can fit into a tt better if you make sure that a portion of the object is on top of your nail. Not only will your tt be sure not to fall off, but it will hold a larger silk!

You can get dimond silks over at http://www.silkmagic.biz . The 12 inch looks like an 18" and the 9" looks like a 12".

My guess is that the 18" at magicsmith, is actually as 12" diamond, since an 18" diamond would looks like 24".

Jay Scott Berry sells really nice 12" diamond cut silks

There appears to be some misinformation around but it seems like Bob Sanders has cleared it up.

I have recently bought (from one of the sites mentioned here, I won't say which until I hear back from them!) some 18" diamond silks which, it states on their website, are "ideal for a standard thumbtip."

Utter nonsense! I can cram one into my TT only with no hope of it going on my thumb!

I'm waiting to see how they respond to my polite email regarding this!

Ross,

I was told that James Adamson posted somewhere on The Café a table of silk measurements that I give as a handout in my silk lectures. It will be a big help on this type problem and knowing what substitutions can be made for load capacity when you want or need to make changes in a silk load. The chart works for any weight of silk (momme) so long as they are all the same. The most common silks used in professional magic are 5 momme.

On sizes, I don't want to believe that any magic dealer sets out to cheat you. Many dealers simply aren't very knowledgeable about silk and silk measurements. Most would still measure them for you and let you make the decision. Silks are never measured diagonally. Measure the straight hemmed edges.

Enjoy!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

THanks Bob - I have seen your chart at the top of this section and I will refer to it in future.

I don't really believe that the dealer in question set out to cheat me: he's quite well-established in this field and seems like a decent bloke. However...

On the website it clearly states that the 18" diamond-cut silks fit into a standard thumbtip. So I ordered a couple, and they just don't! When I took up the issue with him, he immediately offered a refund (fair enough) but also added that he himself has no trouble fitting one into a standard TT. I'm stumped: it just doesn't fit, at least not with ANY room for my thumb (and my thumbs are normal!) Two magician friends of mine also tried without success, so it wasn't down to poor technique on my part.

Strange...

Ross,

Maybe it's real magic! In my lectures I show how I get away with putting a 24" square silk and a dove harness in a TT. But I confess it is a trick just to make magicians do a double take. Lucy's sister lives in France so we will get there again someday. Perhaps I can show you that then. Then you can question why the dealer can't vanish a 24" silk in his TT! LOL

The 12" Diamond Cut is the one that looks like an 18" silk. It will fit a Vernet TT. I can't get an 18" Diamond Cut silk into one either. If you learn how, teach me!

Take Care!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander