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DerekMerdinyan Inner circle 1030 Posts |
I had a little extra time, I thought I would give you guys a little something for the new year. In my show I use a drop box through out the show (even after the manipulation act.) I find that it is easier sometimes to drop everything into a drop box and carry that home rather then continuously placing things back into a case.
This is good for both people who perform in homes and on stage. I do it because for the most part, I am a one man show. Go to your local Bed Bath and Beyond or other home decor store and look for a hanging laundry basket. Basically what it is is a bag with two straps on the top. It comes with a wooden frame which folds out into an X shape. You then hang the bag inside the frame. It folds totally flat, very light weight. It will cost you 7-8 dollars. It is 3-3.5 feet tall. You can use that, however, it doesn't look that great. So I take it a step further. You will also need a cheep bed sheet. A small bed... (twin size I think?) You can get one of those for around $5. I took it and sewed two of the sheet to create a large fabric tube. There are two ways to do it, one way, you will get a wide short tube, the other way you would get a thinner taller tube. You are going for the first one. You don't have to sew it up, but it helps in setup. If you don't sew it up, you could safety pin the ends together. Ok so you got your two main pieces. Stand the laundry bag up and take the tube of fabric and put it around the laundry bag. Rise it up and tuck the ends of the fabric ring into the laundry bag (so they just hang there. When you do this it will form a little cover over the opening of the bag (inside of the bag). This allows you to place things in it and you are able to leave it on the top to easily retrieve it again. You could also just place it under the folds inside the bag and it is covered and if audience members come up to help you, they won't inadvertently see any of the stuff you put away. There are two things other things I have done to this drop box. 1). I sewed some weights into one of the ends of the fabric ring to help hold the tube inside of the bag. 2). I purchased some cheep plastic wheels (50 cents each) and attached one to each corner of the bottom of the support for easy transport. After the show, I can just pick up the whole thing, fold it flat together (the support). This closes the bag and I can carry it out like that. You can also take off the cover (fabric tube) and stick it in the bag for transport. Hope you guys get some use out of this, it has been very helpful to me in the past. If you have any questions or comments on this, please let me know. I will try to find some pictures to help you guys better visualize this if you don't know what I am talking about. Have a Wonderful and Productive New Year! Derek Merdinyan |
Magic Enhancer Inner circle Robert Haas 1805 Posts |
Thank you for the tip. Different people have different budgets. Remember, if you are a professional, you'll get paid as such.
Haas
Robert Haas
Magic Enhancer Quality magic products for the working professional. www.MagicEnhancer.com |
ufo Inner circle Phoenix, Arizona 1185 Posts |
Thanks for the idea!
"What's your drug?" she asked. "Hope" he said, "The most addicting one of all."
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carbone1853 Loyal user RI USA 239 Posts |
There is something similar at arts and crafts stores. They are like cloth or mesh “boxes” or tubes. The fold or compress flat and can be sprung or twisted open to form a ridged/semi-ridged opened top container. The come in different shapes and sizes. The one I have is a black mesh tube with a black spring wrapped around it. It can be compressed flat and has Velcro tabs to hold it flat when not in use. Tt is 10 inches in diameter and 2 feet high. Looks nice, easy to carry, gets the job done and cost about 8 dollars.
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hugmagic Inner circle 7655 Posts |
Nice idea but as a packing nut I find a problem with the legs as I would still have to fold them.
There are collaspible laundry hampers or trash cans. They can have mesh over them or they can have tyvec type fabric. Slip a flash cloth around it and you are done. BTW, at dollar stores you can often find the mesh laundry hampers for a buck. They also work well to preinflate balloons for a balloon act. Richard
Richard E. Hughes, Hughes Magic Inc., 352 N. Prospect St., Ravenna, OH 44266 (330)296-4023
www.hughesmagic.com email-hugmagic@raex.com Write direct as I will be turning off my PM's. |
DerekMerdinyan Inner circle 1030 Posts |
Yes, I think the laundry hampers were what I was trying to say... I am going be making more of these soon, I will have to go check out the dollar store.
Derek Merdinyan |
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