So, I've seriously neglected thumb tips. I remember as a small child, getting a magic kit and the thumb tip being the lamest item in the box.. Simply because I thought it looked fake/cheesy and always thought "what could this possibly be good for?" So as it turns out.. I'm reading Tarbell's Course Vol.1 right now and Thumb Tips are playing a pretty good roll in the first couple of lessons. It definitely has me interested in using a thumb tip as I see it's capabilities now. I strongly under-estimated it's use. I'm looking on tannens.com (which is the only site I really use) and there's just so many to choose from. Different sizes, types, etc.. Any tips for that would definitely help. I'm not really sure what size my thumb is. I need one that isn't plastic such as a children's magic kit, aha. My parents smoke and I will definitely be making their burning cigarette's disappear quite often, I know that Tarbell's course says that a Thumb Tip is metal with a flesh-colored paint, but that was almost 90 years ago. Are all or most thumb tips still metal? Are the other materials capable of putting a cigarette out without damage? Is there a way that I can measure my thumb and try to find which one will best suite me? Is there a company out there that makes very realistic thumb tips? I wouldn't even mind going to a company in person to have them examine my skin and get one made as close to my complexion as possible. Any advice or tips are greatly appreciated, thanks!

There's a good thread here: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......orum=113

The hard plastic ones you describe have their uses. I like the Vernet soft, but also use the hard ones.

Most are plastic or rubber, but there are still metal ones out there, especially for certain things. For vanishing a cigarette with a plastic TT you can line it with a small piece of aluminum foil.

Your best bet is to find a shop and go check them out in person if you can.

Also use Google and do lots of searching. There are some cool things to find out there.

I use a soft rubber one for everything, even the lit cigarette, it goes into the tip and your finger goes in right after cutting off the air so it goes out almost instantly. I have never had a problem with a lit cugarette using a rubber one, as to sizing, the rubber ones cn be moulded to the shape you need after being in hot water for a few minutes and then put your thumb in and plunge your hand into cold water to set it. I have huge hands and I can never get a proper fit,even using this method so mine just sort of jams onto the end of my thumb, no one has ever noticed, as you keep it out of sight most of the time anyway.

I've just recently rediscovered the TT. I love it. I have a plastic vernet one. I want to get a soft rubber one when I get the chance too. I love these little things. So much that you can do with them.

You can also put a piece of tin foil on the bottom of a non-metal tip.

There are several books and DVDs on thumb tips if you want to go further.

I can't imagine being without one...

The plastic TTs have their uses.
If you will perform a B*** S*****, the plastic TT has less friction and be easier to slide.

I exclusively use the Vernet hard plastic. It has easier access and slip, with no friction.

Take Theadore's advice - don't buy a thumb tip online. You don't know what you're getting. Go to a magic shop, or even better go to a magic convention. Dealers there will have tons of thumb tips. Try them on until you find the one that's just right for you. There are jumbo tips, extra long tips, light, dark, soft, hard .... too many choices to just order unseen.

Jim

My first TT cost $.25! (1946)Abbott's was having a sale! It was about an inch and a half long. I used it for YEARS. It was metal.

Best to go to a shop if at all possible (sizing). DON'T BE CONCERNED ABOUT "COLOR". After mine was a year old there was no "flesh" paint left. It was bare metal (aluminum)
Al Baker used to demo in his shop with an unpainted one, Other dealers have used TTs painted bright RED.

Darwin (Las Vegas has a booklet with many ideas (handling, effects, etc) Relatively inexpensive,

I vanish LIT MATCHES in my VERNET (hard plastic) and they last and last and last. (Put a tiny bit of aluminum foil in bottom OR in emergency a damp bit of paper napkin.

When you find one you like and feel comfortable with--buy several extras. (Magic manufacturers are known for going out of business!)

PS Re Sizing. Thumb should go "in" about half way.

Hope this is helpful!

Dick Oslund,
Sneaky, Underhanded, Devious & Surreptitious Itinerant Mountebanc

Dick gave some good advice.
TTs are pretty cheap. Even the better ones.

Thanks for all the great replies. After posting this, I googled more about thumb tips and saw a post on this exact forum back in 2004, someone asking the same question and it must have had 50 replies of people saying that the guy was just unskilled, bad at sleight of hand or just in general an idiot for needing one that "looks real" In my opinion, no matter how good you are, there's always a very small chance of someone from some angle seeing a small flash of something. If I'm table hopping, I definitely would not want someone from across the room to yell and saw "There's some bright neon green thing on his thumb!" Having a neon colored TT on purpose just for a personal laugh in my opinion isn't the smartest thing to do. I'd much rather cover my butt with a flesh colored one so that if someone does happen to see it from across the room, they wont notice it due to the distance. You guys have been very kind to me so far and you guys have really made me love this site, I'll be using it for as long as it's open or as long as I'm alive.

Hi Zephury...

I read your first post. You appear to be a courteous young man with a serious interest! You've already "found" and I'm sure will continue to "find" other people willing to help--mainly because of your attitude!

Gary Meador )(Darwin) wrote the TT book about ten or so years ago. It may be out of print.

BTW! Al Baker didn't use an unpainted metal TT for a gag. He did it to emphasize that, properly handled, it's still "invisible"!

Al also said: "Don't run, if you aren't being chased!"

As noted, I am impressed by your courtesy If you like, I'll email you the routine which I used for about five years in high schools. It's the basic production and vanish of a small silk (I used 12" 4 momme then). It runs about 30 seconds, With one of the new long VERNETs, I still use it for walkaround gigs with an 18" half silk. I'll need an email address as I don't know how to send it via PM. (Hey, I'm 82! I am not a computer maven!)

Dick Oslund
Sneaky, Underhanded, Devious & Surreptitious Itinerant Mountebanc

TTs are pretty cheap, so I ended up buying about 15 of them online just so I could find the one that I liked best. Turns out it all depends on the use! My favorites were a Vernet soft and a DiFata that was pretty similar, though slightly transparent. The two videos I think you will really benefit from at first are Patrick Page's Secret Sessions DVD on Thumb Tips and the L&L World's Greatest Magic video on the same subject.

Get a flesh colored one you like for building confidence. Take a tip you don't like, paint it black or red or something like that and use it to practice when you are in front of a mirror or use a video camera. That way you get used to working with it so it is invisible, but the one you really use is going to be flesh colored to help with your confidence.

And anything from Mr. Oslund I've seen so far on the Café has been worth the time to read and think about. The value of experience is very evident in his posts.

-Patrick

Painting a tip red to practice angles and build confidence is a great idea!

And I also recommend going to a magic shop. My local one helped me pick out one that fit and showed me how to use it with silks.

Thank you! I PMed you.

Get a TT with as close a match as possible within reason. "Green neon TT's" and their ilk require one to use awkward gestures and unnatural body movements to make them invisible. I can't think of one advantage to having a "Green neon TT" save for a magician's gag or a lecture on how to perform TT magic in the manner of a spastic Orchestra conductor with degenerative arthritis of the hands.

I prefer the Japanese tips myself.

Do they still make the old fashion metal thumb tips?
all I have ever found were the plastic ones. thanks!

Http://hottrix.com/Thumbs-UpSoftforHDvideomagic
CHECK THIS ONE OUT. very soft but very realistic... but you really do not need something ultra realistic unless you are just sooooo close... or on high def camera???

The Tipnician by Bob Chesbro is a good book on the thumb tip if you can find it. Hardbound and well done.