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thomhaha Regular user northfield IL 162 Posts |
I decided to try making a hat coil from a roll of toilet paper. I cut the roll using a band saw with a fine-toothed blade. I tried two different rolls, one into five coils the other into four. The width of the four is the better cut.
With all, I got a fairly clean cut for the first half of the roll, but once past the roll the saw “gummed up”. This created a frayed edge in the second half. Consequently, the coil does not unroll by itself. I can pull the paper (so it is usable with something like a square-circle) but it will not drop (it won’t fall from a hat). On the last cut, the roll was turned as it passed into the blade. This cut was a bit cleaner, but still not smooth enough to permit free fall. I am going to try cheaper paper from the Dollar Store. Any other suggestions are appreciated. |
brody Inner circle Omaha 1313 Posts |
How do you mean "gummed up"? Have you tried wrapping the roll with a heavier paper to keep the paper from rippling, etc? Typing paper might work.
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Mark Boody Illusionist Inner circle 1366 Posts |
Try putting the TP in the freezer. This may help by making it "stiffer" and easier to cut.
Mark
Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible. Frank L. Gaines
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TheRaven Special user 597 Posts |
I don't know much about band saws - are the blade teeth like a rip saw or like a cross-cut saw? Would that make a difference? I would think you would want rip style where the teeth are all in alignment vs cross-cut where every other tooth angles the opposite.
How thin is the blade? Any chance you could use the backside of the blade to cut through the paper like a knife vs a saw? Brody may be on to something. Perhaps the second half rips out because it doesn't have cardboard backing up the paper to compress into. Maybe a back shell of cardboard would make the second half as smooth as the first half. |
TheRaven Special user 597 Posts |
Quote:
On 2014-01-21 18:00, Mark Boody Illusionist wrote: Also a good tip for hemorrhoids... |
thomhaha Regular user northfield IL 162 Posts |
Thanks for the suggestions. Let's see if I can answer questions being asked.
The better word may hav ebeen "binding", and it was located mostly in the bottom outside qudrant. The fine toothed blade is like a rip saw. It is pretty thin blade. So far identified variables to consider for the next trial: direction of roll in relation to saw direction using back side of blade wrapping roll in a stiffer paper (typing paper, brown paper) different kinds of tp ("cheaper and less fluffy" may cut easier) freezing the roll before cutting back "shell" to help hold form Other ideas appreciated. I'll post again when I have the opportunity to play at the band saw. |
Dan Ford Special user Illinois 753 Posts |
You could try putting the band saw blade in with the teeth pointing up instead of down.
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martini Special user delta, pennsylvania 548 Posts |
Greetings Thomhaha;
Back in the days when magicians used a lot of hat coils, D. Robbins in New York and Abbott's were the two main suppliers. Duke Stern told many moons ago, that the hat coils were the end cuts from butchers paper. That was why the Abbott hat coils were so strong. The D. Robbins coils were produced in a paper mill in New Jersey and were adding machine paper stock that was rolled in wide rolls and then cut down. If you live near a paper company, take a hat coil over to them and show that what you are looking for. If they do not have something like it, they may know where you can get it. The paper companies have special cutters that cut cleanly without a jagged edge. As far as I know, nobody uses toilet paper for coils. Hope this helps some all the Best Marty |
thomhaha Regular user northfield IL 162 Posts |
Thank you Marty. That may be an option worth exploring.
I recall reading a vaudevillian using a hacksaw to cut rolls of toilet paper to use at hat coils. It seems a worthwhile experiment for a cheap DIY alternative to purchasing hat coils. |
Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
Hat coils were/are actually from the "Ticker Tape" days. This was a communication device that mainly gave stock market information. Do a search as they are still available. It is very expensive, most likely because paper is very expensive these days and ticker tape machines are more of a novelty then a common machine. http://stocktickercompany.com/store/stor......w_detail
I don't know why you choose toilet paper, as it is not the best solution for easily unwinding. I suggest you try using adding machine paper tape. Today they come on a plastic center which can be removed after cutting. |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
I just did a little Googling and found this site.
http://www.price-paper.com/?page_id=19 Look under Food & Bakery and scroll to white butcher paper. They mention custom size rolls. I'm not sure if that means length or width, but it might be worth a call. At any rate, I don't think toilet paper is the right type of paper. All hat coils I've ever seen were a different type and butcher paper is the only readily available type that comes in roll diameters even close to these. If you have a good band saw with a feed sled, you may be able to cut a larger roll into hat coil discs.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
brody Inner circle Omaha 1313 Posts |
I would also think that teletype rolls would be suitable paper. But, don't know. Still would have to be cut down.
http://www.quickship.com/pm-perfection-teletype-rolls-white |
thomhaha Regular user northfield IL 162 Posts |
Had some time today for experimentation.
1) small toothed, crosscut blade worked best 2) rolling the TP roll into the blade produced a smoother cut. 3) Cheaper paper is better; fluffier paper leaves lots of floating fluff. 4) That said, the cheap rolls we had were smaller than the fluffy rolls and so the resultant “bundle” at the end was smaller. 5) Similarly, the cheap rolls where not as wide – so we got three coils from them, but could get four from the wider rolls 6) placing TP in freezer had no effect. (Have no experience to comment on usefulness of frozen TP on hemorrhoids). 7) made a “shell” from manila folder; did not seem to improve cutting the TP, and actually provided more resistance 8) on a whim, also tried cutting a roll of paper towels. This did not work well: it seems to catch at the serrations between sheets Was able to get a very nice “fall” from all of these cuts. However, the resultant bundle is much smaller than what a traditional hat coil produces, and since it is tissue it compresses more. Consequently, may be less useful for concealing an additional load. On the other hand, since I got 4 rolls for $1, and each made 3 coils, using more coils per show is very cheap. |
Terry Holley Inner circle 1805 Posts |
Adding machine tape (rolls) from office stores work well as hat coils. Put them in the freezer for a day and then pop out the plastic core.
http://www.staples.com/Staples-Adding-Ma......t_531178
Co-author with illusionist Andre' Kole of "Astrology and Psychic Phenomena."
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
No, he is determined to use toilet paper, seems he read an old vaudevillian say so. So it must be true. Let the man alone he knows what he wants.
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LFoxx Regular user 107 Posts |
According to Billy McComb someone pre WWII used to make hat coils with toilet paper: http://www.stevensmagic.com/1995/billy-m......t-coils/
However I don't think 1930's toilet paper is the "super soft, triple quilted, double ply" stuff we have now and probably was more suitable for a coil back then. For a cheap DIY hat coil use old VHS tape, buy them at the Goodwill for about a dollar a tape and you've got one big coil or two smaller ones. |
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