The picture on the Penguin site IS the Ammar one, the angel looking thing is Michaels logo. And his name is on it. If you already know the effect, refills are only $7.00. Which is pretty good. I think $12 with instructions.
And I think they ship for free.

ACE

Just a quicky, but I have just bought some of Michael Ammars wax in a tub but it feels very solid. How do I first get it out of the tub and secondly make it softer to use for card on cieling? (wood and trees, etc...)

TrevK

Trevk:
Use a little spoon to scoop it out, and rub it between your fingers.
on another note:

I just bought some of that stuff from Michaels the first poster talked about.

It was so soft and sticky! I opened my little secret box with my magic store card on ceiling wax, and it was hard as a rock compared to the new stuff.

thanks for the tip!

ACE

After doing the card on ceilng for perhaps .. more than say.. 3 or 5 hundred times, I hit a problem. The card would not stick, and I'd be left with.. at best, a load of cards in my hand, with rubber bands round them. At worst - cards all over the shop. With nothing on the ceiling.

After years of success, all of a sudden, I had two in a row non-workers. I was actually becoming scared of another failure.

I checked the ceilings, checked the cards, checked all I thought could be at fault, including the throw.
I just figured last week - that wax balls form a skin. Let me explain. I have my normal kit I use every week, when I work, and I always stick the container down my sock, so the wax gets good and ready for the performance. I get through about 5 or six balls a week, so my Number One tin is always refreshed with new balls. I also keep a spare set in another tin, in case I can't find the original tin. So.. I'd been using the spare tin which had the old wax balls in it. They didn't feel soft, or tacky to the touch, but after rollng them between the finger and thumb for a few seconds, they appeared to come back to life - softer, and sticky!

A quick roll between the finger and thumb before the attachment is the answer.. did it 3 times today.. loved it again!

So, moral is. keep your balls massaged reguarly!

I've tried making my own, but I find the Ammar wax to be the most reliably consistent. I've tried the cheaper variety, but it's just too hard.

I'd actually forgotten all about the card on ceiling up till I started working regularly again two years ago, and it really is an all time killer diller closer.
You can't really top it, and it's always heart warming to walk to the next table with a huge round of applause still going on!

DCB

I found that Ammars wax is too solid for use in colder temperatures and have followed the advice above and gone for Tacky Wax. Fantastic stuff. Works everytime and taken all the guess work out of the effect.

Indeed I found that Ammars wax is a bit too hard. Maybe I have left mine too long unused?

You nailed it, feifei.