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Christopher Moro Special user 793 Posts |
Good news. It turns out that Frank Radke has 1 1/4" balls in his stock. It's not a size that he puts in his catalogue or sends out to dealers, so it is hard to find. I was able to contact him thanks to Bill Palmer, Steve from Magic Pitch, and Bill Sutter, who all chimed in with Frank's contact info. Based on advice, I am also going to look into 1 1/8" balls since I have small hands and the 1 1/4" size is my absolute max (it's actually a bit difficult to do some cup moves). Frank doesn't make these, though he plans to in the near future.
FYI for anyone interested, Frank is in the process of a big move to another town and will probably be unreachable soon until the move is complete. If you want to reach him for anything, now is the time. I just got off the phone with him and he is a real gentleman. |
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Mobius303 Inner circle Lakewood, Ohio 1309 Posts |
He is one of a kind.
Glad you got in touch with him. |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24314 Posts |
"I love it when a plan comes together."
Hannibal Smith -- A-Team.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Christopher Moro Special user 793 Posts |
Ditto.
Posted: Mar 24, 2006 2:30am On a small tangent...I have to say, I'm impressed at the thought that some of you out there do C&B with 1 3/8" balls. This is the size Whit Haydn sells on School for Scoundrels. You must have Curtis Kam-sized hands to work with those! |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24314 Posts |
It's just that every load is a final load.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Christopher Moro Special user 793 Posts |
LOL. Or use olives for the final loads and confuse everyone.
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cfrye Special user Portland, Oregon, USA 940 Posts |
I just ordered sample packs of the 7/8" and 1" silicone rubber balls from McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/). They have no minimum order.
I'll let everyone know what I discover. Curt |
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Dave V Inner circle Las Vegas, NV 4824 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-03-24 02:30, Christopher Moro wrote: Not really. I find them even easier to handle than the smaller ones. Just cradling one in the crook of my third finger, using my little finger as a "shelf" allows me to keep a very open look to my hand that I can't do with smaller balls. It also helps to use the same hand to pick up an object like a wand to further strengthen the illusion that your hand is otherwise empty. Click here for an exposed view of what I mean. I made this to explain how to close "windows" between your fingers by managing angles.
No trees were killed in the making of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
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Christopher Moro Special user 793 Posts |
That does look good, Dave. Is that a 1 1/8" ball or a 1 3/8"? If it's a 1 3/8", your hands are way larger than mine. A slightly smaller, 1 1/4" ball requires my little finger, ring finger, and half of my middle finger to conceal. -- The main challenge for me in not so much in concealing a larger ball - because I agree, the larger, the less clenched the hand is, and therefore, the more natural it looks - but rather, in doing other moves, like loading.
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Dave V Inner circle Las Vegas, NV 4824 Posts |
The ball in the pic is a Monkey Fist I made myself. The dimensions vary depending on where you measure, but it's right around 1 1/4"
By actual comparison, it's the same size or a tiny bit larger than Gazzo's Soccer balls. Holding the cup by the thumb and two fingers places the ball exactly where I want it and loading is nearly automatic. If you can make it so the third finger just contacts the rim of the cup, the load is half done already. Placing the cup down completes the load as the ball is pushed out of your fingers by the cup itself.
No trees were killed in the making of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
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Christopher Moro Special user 793 Posts |
Thanks, Dave: I PM'd you. I didn't want to go into detail on technique in an open forum.
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cfrye Special user Portland, Oregon, USA 940 Posts |
My order of silicone rubber balls arrived from McMaster-Carr. I bought one each of:
7/8" 8945K33 11.67 per Pack of 10 1" 8945K35 14.67 per Pack of 10 The balls are essentially the same as the neon bouncing balls (Item Number: IN-12/518) that you'd get from the Oriental Trading Company (www.orientaltrading.com), but I like the McMaster-Carr balls a little better. First, they're slightly, but perceptably, heavier than the OTC balls. Second, they're an off-white instead of neon yellow, which means they show up well on dark-colored cups and cloth without shining like a beacon should you accidentally flash them while you're palming. So, are they worth the extra money? For most magicians, probably not. I think they're worth it for me. Curt |
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Dave V Inner circle Las Vegas, NV 4824 Posts |
Two questions:
Are they "Hi Bounce" balls like you find in gumball machines? Do they have that awful seam around them like the kid balls?
No trees were killed in the making of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
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cfrye Special user Portland, Oregon, USA 940 Posts |
They are similar to the high bounce balls, but substantially less lively. There is a seam, but I wouldn't call it "awful" on most of the balls. There is one where there's some extra material, but I can trim it off with a carpet knife.
One thing I do like is that even though the McMaster-Carr balls aren't slick, they don't adhere to my hand the way the Oriental Trading Company balls can. Even so, I'll probably have my wife crochet covers for them. Curt |
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Christopher Moro Special user 793 Posts |
Thanks for sharing your info, Curt. So, these balls sound like they are really more like rubber balls than silicone balls. More like toy balls than Fakini Balls. -- I know Frank Radke makes 1" fakini balls. Have you tried these and how would you compare them to the ones from McMaster-Carr?
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Kent Wong Inner circle Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2458 Posts |
There is a magic company called DP Magic. I believe they are Japanese. I just purchased a set of white silicone multiplying balls (4 balls and a s*****) for only $14.95 Canadian. That's about $11.00 U.S. The quality and texture of the balls is very nice and the size is 1 3/4". The only downside is that you can see a little seam around each of the balls where the molds originally came together.
I had never heard of this company before and, when I saw the box on the shelf, I automatically assumed they would be a cheap plastic set. I was pleasantly surprised. This may be what you were looking for. Kent
"Believing is Seeing"
<BR>______________________ <BR> <BR>www.kentwongmagic.com |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24314 Posts |
Those are larger than what he was looking for.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Dave V Inner circle Las Vegas, NV 4824 Posts |
Waay larger. I've been having a nice PM conversation with Christopher including an exchange of photos and videos. The balls he has now are too large (Three of them nearly get stuck in a Super Animal. Now that's large!) so he's now looking for something 1 1/4 or less.
No trees were killed in the making of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
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cfrye Special user Portland, Oregon, USA 940 Posts |
The McMaster-Carr balls are silicone rubber balls.
I have a set of 7/8" Fakini manipulation balls and have found that they adhere to my hands. That's one of the aspects that makes them ideal for standard billiard ball moves, but I don't like it when I do the cups and balls. I much prefer a less adhesive surface, such as the McMaster-Carr silicone balls or a ball with a crocheted cover. If you're looking for balls of an intermediate size, check the 1" knit balls from Morrissey Magic, online at http://www.morrisseymagic.com/hand_knit_balls.htm . Curt |
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Christopher Moro Special user 793 Posts |
Been away for a while & just returned. Thanks Dave & Bill for clarifying the size I was looking for. 1 1/4" or probably 1 1/8". I may try out the ones from McMaster if anything just to check which size is most suitable. -- On another note, regardless of stage or close-up C&B, I actually prefer a ball that is more on the tacky side, Curt. So we differ.
Thanks everyone for your help and input. I'll let everyone know what I end up with... Posted: May 9, 2006 2:52am The McMaster silicone ball color is now listed as "translucent white" instead of off-white. |
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