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Red Shadow Inner circle 1788 Posts |
Hi,
I have a set of super-soft sponge balls, that I need to color in for my routine. I need to know the best way of going about this, so that the sponge remains soft and squash-able. Any tips on what paint to use and how to do it? Steve |
dcjames Special user 577 Posts |
Hi Steve -
There are many 'fabric paints' that claim to leave the original article soft and pliable although I am not certain that they will work on sponges. I believe adhesion may be an issue. Something along the lines of this product may be a possibility: http://www.simplyspray.com/ Not sure what your ultimate goal is color-wise and hope this helps. Best, dc
“Magic is very easy to do - poorly.”
Tommy Wonder The Books of Wonder Volume 2 |
Tom Fenton Inner circle Leeds, UK (but I'm Scottish) 1477 Posts |
Perhaps using dye would be better than using paint?
"But there isn't a door"
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magicians Inner circle Teacher and Legend 2898 Posts |
Be careful of dye. Years ago, I had difficulty with the dye-lots of Goshman sponges. I needed identical shades of color for my Diminishing sponge ball effect.
My buddy Pete white was dye-ing his own silks, so I had him make a batch of identical sponge colors so all of the 4 sizes I needed, matched. They looked great, but after the first performance, I looked in my pocket and the lining of the pocket was red. Then, I checked the inside of my pants and the pants lining was red, my underwear and even my socks were all red, all from one or two sponge balls in my pocket. The dye kept "bleeding" many many years, I tried rinsing it out, but the sink was always red water. I used to sell some sets to magicians I didn't like, just to play a prank or two. --------- You must contact Steve Goshman to find out what dye to use. Or, color the ball, but then you must coat the outside which will make it like an m&m, soft inside and hard shell. I would try marker pen, a color fast type or permanent marker which comes in several colors. Let it dry and check for color bleeding by testing it on a white cloth. It still may bleed when you sweat.
Illusionist, Illusionist consulting, product development, stage consultant, seasoned performer for over 35 years. Specializing in original effects. Highly opinionated, usually correct, and not afraid of jealous critics. I've been a puppet, a pirate, a pawn and a King. Free lance gynecologist.
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Red Shadow Inner circle 1788 Posts |
Permanent markers is a great idea. It will still fade off, but for a few shows it will be fine. I want to colour a jumbo red sponge ball to white though and they don't make white permanent markers as far as I know.
Thanks for your input guys, keep the suggestions coming! |
magicians Inner circle Teacher and Legend 2898 Posts |
Look into Bizarros color change ball. He may have some in white.
Another thought, try some flower shop sprays, where they tint rose petals with a spray. Might be delicate enough a color for the sponge.
Illusionist, Illusionist consulting, product development, stage consultant, seasoned performer for over 35 years. Specializing in original effects. Highly opinionated, usually correct, and not afraid of jealous critics. I've been a puppet, a pirate, a pawn and a King. Free lance gynecologist.
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Thetruthteller New user 93 Posts |
You really can't dye something white. To make a textile white the colour generally has to be removed through a bleaching process. I seriously doubt that this would work on a sponge ball.
If you want a white sponge ball you most likely will have to cut one yourself out of white foam or contact Goshman's and see if they can make up a batch of white balls for you. BTW I have a pair of vintage red socks, probably from the turn of the last century. they still bleed red when washed. Red can be a very unstable colour. |
tabman Inner circle USA 5946 Posts |
Sponge balls are super cheap. Why not just buy a bunch and start experimenting. Then you'd be the expert on it. Keep us posted. I have a large bag of red sponge balls and some bleach in the other room so I'll go try that now.
I dipped a couple of balls partially in the bleach and so far (five minutes) not much color change but it looks like the sponge is partially decomposing. I'll know more later. I left my balls on the window sill to dry.
...Your professional woodworking and "tender" loving care in the products you make, make the wait worthwhile. Thanks for all you do...
http://Sefalaljia.com |
Red Shadow Inner circle 1788 Posts |
I cannot find white sponge. I've searched all over. There was a source on eBay for car sponges, but they were only 1cm deep. Not of any use.
Does anybody have Goshmans's e-mail? |
tabman Inner circle USA 5946 Posts |
Nah, the bleaching process doesn't give acceptable results. The bleach left a troubling looking yellowish "wart" on my test balls.
Good luck!! -=tabman
...Your professional woodworking and "tender" loving care in the products you make, make the wait worthwhile. Thanks for all you do...
http://Sefalaljia.com |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-01-03 11:21, ku7uk3 wrote: There is absolutely no way to color a sponge that has already been dyed red white. You would need to remove all the dye from it, and, trust me on this, it would require a chemical that would really eat away at the sponge. You would be better off getting a large piece of undyed sponge and using it instead. You might be able to get Goshman to make you an undyed ball. Here is the rule, which applies to both silks and sponge balls. You can dye an object a darker color, but not a lighter one. The resulting color will be a combination of both colors. The instructions on most dyes tell you to use a rinse that contains vinegar to fix the color. I had great success dyeing red sponge balls maroon when I needed to match the colors of several different lots of sponge. I rinsed them very thoroughly and never had any bleedover. I used "Rit" dye. Quote:
On 2010-01-03 17:29, ku7uk3 wrote: You probably didn't know what to look for. Look for polyurethane foam padding. It is naturally white. It's basically the same material Goshman uses for sponge balls. You can get it in sheets up to about 6 inches thick.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
jazzy snazzy Inner circle run off by a mob of Villagers wielding 2109 Posts |
Good fabric stores usually have it.
It would be nice if Goshman could make some white ones. There seems to be a call for them.
"The secret of life is to look good from a distance."
-Charles Schulz |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Goshman makes up to four inch balls in red, blue, black, green and yellow. I think the absence of the white ball may be due to the fact that white foam has a tendency to turn yellow over time.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
tabman Inner circle USA 5946 Posts |
The red ball I poured bleach on the other day seems to be rotting and its turning yellow.
-=tab
...Your professional woodworking and "tender" loving care in the products you make, make the wait worthwhile. Thanks for all you do...
http://Sefalaljia.com |
formfoam New user 75 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-01-04 17:16, tabman wrote: Already close to the white. Steve! I have some grades white filter foam, from samples, the manufacturer has sent me. thickness 5 centimeters I think that about two inch. If it is necessary to you. I can cut out manual some pieces. Custom Sponge Carvings. Welcome to PM! Yuris. Posted: Jan 5, 2010 4:40am I am re-reading the above, sorry, material is not the super soft. and likely will turn yellow with time. Especially on the sun it always occurs. Bill is correct. |
Eddie Torres Special user New York City 692 Posts |
There are Sponge snowballs out there on the market, they're all white. There are also sponge eyeballs, you can remove the eyeball portion fairly easily on those with a small amount of nail polish remover and scratch it off. Then use white liquid shoe polish to temporarily whiten them. These require a little over 12 hours to dry. Don't soak them.
Eddie Posted: Jan 5, 2010 1:01pm There I go jumping to conclusions without fully reading. You need a jumbo... ok. Head into a Toys R Us and find a product called Splash Water balls or something to that effect. You might have trouble finding it in the middle of winter but they do have them at some major Toy shops. These are covered with a colorful fabric but if you remove it there is a nice large white sponge ball under it. Eddie
Eddie Ivan Torres
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-01-05 04:40, formfoam wrote: Yuris is the go to guy for custom foam products. He does some incredible stuff. Some of his items are patented. If you need special foam work done, and you want it done correctly, contact Yuris. He will do what you need, and save you a lot of time and frustration.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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