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Pokie-Poke Special user Bensalem, PA 883 Posts |
Having never used a wand, I was wondering,
1) How many of you use wands on the street? 2) Is the wand you use on the street different for any reason? (bigger, different color, ect...) 3) What are the dimensions of your wand? (did I say that??) 4) And lastly (until the next question) What tricks do you do with them, or tricks that are improved whith there use?
www.pokie-poke.com
The Adventure cont... |
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RiffRaff Special user 671 Posts |
Hey Pokie:
I used to live in Bensalem/Andalusia. I miss the soft pretzels & cheeze steaks (I have a particular weakness for cheeze steak hoagies). Regarding the wand: Street performers of old called the wand a 'thumper' because they struck it against objects in order to make noise. The noise was used to gather and keep the tip. Though I've never performed it on the street, the flip stick is very strong. This effect doesn't require a wand, however. Some performers have used a knife, a comb, etc. |
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Cole New user Calgary 63 Posts |
A wand with brass tips is very nice if you are performing a cup and ball effect on the street. It also is a lot more durable than the wooden wands.
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RandomEffects Veteran user Boston, MA 323 Posts |
I always use the wand!
Not only does it say what kind of street performer you are, it also is the greatest single piece of misdirection that was ever given to magicians and those that do magic. Case closed. Mat |
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kingsnqueens New user Oklahoma 77 Posts |
Hello Pokie-poke,
I must agree with Mat. The wand's not only a universal symbol of the magician, but it is also one of the best tools of misdirection. (folks can't reason that a hand holding a wand, can have a ball, card, etc. palmed in it!) I can't imagine doing Cups & Balls without a wand. Even if it's really a pen. In the writings of the older works of magic it was reccomended that your wand's measure should be taken from the crook of the arm to the finger tips. They must have loved doing flip-stick like I do! Oh yeah!, not only is the wand good for making noise to draw attention, but a sharpe rap on the nuckles of the drunkend lout discourges their desires to play with the props. I hope this helps. After all it is one of the tools of the trade, so go out and buy a good one (not a cheap plastic one), a GOOD one. Before you know it you'll be doing wand spins, and flips with the best of them. I remember a youngster tell me, "If I could do a wand spin I'd buy one". I still wonder if he has mastered the spin without a wand? Forgive me, I'm just having fun. Have an Abracadabra Day! ..... Manyfingers |
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Al Kazam the Magic Man Inner circle Living in Perth Western Australia 1042 Posts |
I use a wand all the time too. I sometimes use it myself and often I give it out to kids who pretend to be Harry Potter and wave it at my different props, and then I can give them the credit for doing the magic.
I give it to the kids for a change bag routine, disappearing silk from TT, and a c&r rope trick. They seem to have a lot of fun with it. When I do a Svengali deck routine with a spec, I use it to tap the deck and different things which seems to have a good effect. JoJo
Magic guy in Perth Australia
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Andrew E. Miller Inner circle Southern California 1428 Posts |
The only time I would use a wand is if I were doing cups and balls, which I don't like.
Andrew |
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Cacoal New user Lewiston NY 70 Posts |
I've got to agree with that the wand is one of the magician's most sacred tools. Not only is it great for misdirection, I have a heck of a time making the classic palm look natural without it. It also has a history of being the source of a magicians power. Even if I don't have a wand I often use my "magic" car keys as a wand which gives me a legit reason to reach into my pocket to ditch the palmed object or tt and end the effect completly clean. http://www.roykueppers.com is a great souce for well made magic props including wands.
Anyway, that's my 2 cents Jason |
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Danny Hustle Inner circle Boston, MA USA 2393 Posts |
For the street performer the wand is your most important tool. It is not a showy stick that you claim has great powers.
It is a tool. I actually don’t even use a wand. I use a “thumper”. My character would not use something called a wand. A wand is something that would be used by puck glinting through the woods, you see what I’m trying to say here? My thumper calls attention. I bang it on my table, I point with it, I emphasize with it: it is an instrument of attention; if anything, it is an exclamation point! I also use it as cover and to make my hand look natural when it is doing something that would look awkward otherwise. It is a tool - it is not a mystical container for fairy dust. If I were a sideshow talker, it would be my bamboo cane. The funny thing is, to me, it is much more magical in it’s appearance than it is to my audience. That’s because the audience has no idea the magic I do using it and for me that is the point. Best, Dan- "MT is one of the reasons we started this board! I’m so sick of posts being deleted without any reason given, and by unknown people at that." - Steve Brooks Sep 7, 2001 8:38pm ©1999-2014 Daniel Denney all rights reserved. |
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Kozmo V.I.P. 5473 Posts |
I use a wand all the time.... "Hey man, don't walk away from my show... Hey you?... Hey, I'm from NY, I have a stick..... smell this.... Now you know what happened to the last man who walked away....."
:) I'm soooo bad! gazzo.... I mean kozmo |
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MOTO42 Loyal user Whitehouse Texas 225 Posts |
I'm thinking of getting two wands:
One "normal" wand that is a standard, straight wand and a black crowbar with chromed tips. (I just have a thing for crowbars)
"One man's miracle is another man's warm-up"
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Pokie-Poke Special user Bensalem, PA 883 Posts |
Hay Moto42, so long as you don't lend your
"wand" to tedb up there!! I think a thumper is more my style, but in a ren fair setting I can still call it a wand. I have spent so much time not using a wand it will take some time to work some of this out. Thanks for all the help. Also what is this wand spin, is it a type of trick, or am I going back to juggling? (not that I mind)
www.pokie-poke.com
The Adventure cont... |
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MagiUlysses Special user Kansas City 504 Posts |
Greetings and Salutations Poke,
The wand spin is going back to juggling, but Ammar uses a spin to cover a "disappearance" in his cups and balls routine. For what it's worth, the wand I've used most came from a craft store, five 12-inch long, 1/2-inch round dowels to a pack for something like $3 (US). Right now I'm working with a 14-inch long, 5/8-inch diameter "wand" cut from a longer chunk of hardwood dowel from some hardware/lumber store. I haven't worked with spins long enough, but until now, the heavier the "wand" the easier it is for me to spin. Later, Joe in KC Make magic happen, live a great adventure! |
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Magicusa Elite user 478 Posts |
Cacoal is right, the wand is one of the magician's most sacred tools. It's great for misdirection.
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Decomposed Eternal Order High Desert 12059 Posts |
Has anyone ever seen the Wonder Wand (Daytona and Hocus have them)? This utility wand produces a silk, quarter, egg to card etc?
Pricey and I'd like to see if it's worth it prior to purchase. Thanks Wayne
ClICK HERE for HOW TO MAKE TRANSITION FROM MAGICIAN TO MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER WORLD NEW BOOK!
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Pete Biro 1933 - 2018 18558 Posts |
Charlie Miller's favorite wand was the white cardboard tube that comes with hangars from the dry cleaners. Perfect size, and the price is right.
Most of the time I use a bamboo wand made for me by the late Emile Clifton, WWII heroic airman. For certain cups and balls routines I use an antique Opium Pipe (with antique engraved cups).
STAY TOONED... @ www.pete-biro.com
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
I roll my own. (or have them rolled for me).
9/16" diameter and 13" long. I use canarywood which is sort of an orangey-yellow. I make them heavier for street-type-work. No special tips. Just a stick that can take (and give?) a beating. Sometimes I rest it on top of a specky's fist if they're holding a coin or ball, etc. This helps keep them from opening their hand. I also slip cards underneath it if it's a bit windy. Obviously for cups and balls. I even use it to make the magic happen in the Ambitious card routine at times. Sometimes the signed card doesn't seem to come up until you spin the wand over the deck and give it a tap. It's great to have around just to practice your wand spins while blah, blah'ing to the specys. The size was suggested to me by Andrew Pinard because that's what he wanted me to make for him and I ended up liking that size for outdoors. For a close-up venue, I like a smaller diameter. Frank
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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Whiterabbit Loyal user Kevin Mc Lean 278 Posts |
I use a ten or twelve inch piece of brushed aluminium rod (from a craft store) and use black electrician's heatshrink cut back for the body.
A fairly interesting point made by Peter Marruci (I think ?) was that the tips of a wand should distinct and the body bland so that the audience follows the tips. Oh, and learn to do a strike vanish with the wand - it's so cool, built for the Cups and Balls and a great way of making gratuities vanish.
May your fingers never lose their deftness,
May your tongue always lead them down the garden path... Regards, Whiterabbit |
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Tspall Regular user Lumberton, NC 147 Posts |
I've started using a wand more and more and it's one of the best things to have. It's been helpful for misdirection and adds a nice touch to an effect.
Mine is approx. 12 1/2 inches, light colored wood (I don't know what type. It was given to me.) and has a kind of handle at one end, similar to the wands in the Harry Potter movies. I've a couple of others on my "To Buy" list, along with plans to use some dowel rods and make a few custom ones of my own. (You an see some of it in my avatar to the left) |
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BroDavid Inner circle America’s North Coast, Ohio 3176 Posts |
I mostly work barehanded and have rarely used a wand as anything other than as drumstick to bang on things to drum up noise when I thought it necessary to attract attention.
And I usually have something better to do with my hands than to just "hold a stick and wave it around a bit"., which is what I thought was all that wand was good for. Even after seeing it used by Gazzo on his cups and balls video, I only saw limited value to it. But having just seen the Vernon wand spin (which having only heard of for many years, I assumed ws too much link juggling to learn)which is so simple, yet mesmerizing, and gerat cover for the ball vanish that I will now be using it regularly with the new cups and balls routine that I am working on. BroDavid
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
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