Hi Ronnie,

I made the pouch (waiste servante, gibeciére, whatever) that I was wearing as I made what has become known as the Monkey's Fist balls. Of note, the pouch I was wearing is identical to the pouches shown in Cellini's DVD -- "The Art of Street Performance" because I made those too. At one time Cellini and I were going to market some custom made items for magicians. At this point, I'm not sure what the future will hold in that regard.

Thank you very much for your kind words regarding my act. It was and always is an honor to perform for fellow magicians. What an awesome weekend, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

all the best,

Eric

I use the crocheted balls. They are light therefore they do not talk! They also won't roll very far. I only use heavy objects for final loads. There is too much chance of talk with many cups and balls moves. Tip off move for instance.
Baseball are good too. I would like to try the monkey fists.

I've tried using wood balls. It's really hard but if you can do it well without making them talk then it looks good.

A friend at the Blackpool convention (UK) said US dealer was selling "clones" of Mike Rogers Mini baseballs - only not quite so miniature - he reckoned about one and a quarter inches in size.

The dealer was possibly Bob Little...can anyone confirm this?

Brendan

What would you suggest to use to make the monkey ball thing knot doodad with a chop cup feature? That is something that I might look into if someone could help me because I can't yet do the monkey tie. Thanks

Ok I just had an idea. What if you put marbles in the middle of the knot and a ball bearing it the chop ball? I don't have the material, but if somebody wants to try this out with me and see what you get.

The Monkey Paw Chop Cup ball has been done by a number of magicians who post here on the Café. The steel ball bearing idea has been used and usually proves too heavy to be held by the Chop Cup gimmick. The four balls that I am now using have one-inch steel ball bearings at the core. They don’t work in any of my chop cups due to a combination of thickish leather lace for the tied covering and the weight of the ball.

I have used silicone balls for the center to the Paw. One silicone ball was drilled and a gimmick put into the hole before the Paw knot was tied around it. It made a very workable Chop Cup ball.

I call my balls "Testicles from a Rhesis Monkey" and they are "covered to keep 'em warm in the winter."

I say, "I use 1.5 sets" (3)

Also, if you get the Stevens video on cups and balls you will find out almost all you need to know.

The Johnny Paul routine, with sponge balls is maybe the most overlooked, fantastic routine of all time for intimate settings.

Blatant Plug: I still have some sets for sale, as does Stevens Magic.

Most likely it was overlooked for so long because until you started manufacturing your marvelous recreations of Johnny's cups they were totally unobtainable, thus making much of the routine nearly impossible to do.

Many years ago I found an odd little aluminium set in England (therefore made of al-you-miny-um) that work for the Paul routine. but this is the only set I have run across that were shaped correctly.

Pete & Payne,
I agree with you both. I had always heard the adage about not using collapsible <sponge> balls for the cups and balls because everyone would think the compressibility was what allowed the magic to happen. The Johnny Paul routine on the Stevens tape changed my mind. I'm not sure I would incorporate so many hand-to-hand cup tosses as he did, but he sure drove home the fact(!) that the cups and his hands were empty. If I didn't see it I would have predicted that it wouldn't work due to reflections and angles and so forth. That routine was a surprise "hit" for me on that tape.

I *almost* want to PayPal Pete for a set of those cups right now. Pete- what's your MagicCafe price on a set of those babies? Also, do they come with a bag and a set of the correct size/texture balls?

Cordially,
tr

Paypal is fine. No bags no balls. The standard Goshman 1.5-inch do it. Retail $155, TODAY $125 plus postage (5 bux).

Pete-
Done! See my PayPal message...
What a guy!
Cordially,
tr

I like using super soft sponge balls, because with cotton, when putting them under the cups, the cups seem to pop up so the spectators know the ball is still under. With the sponge balls...they are very squishy and flexible.

I have an original set of Mendosa cups and balls with the "Chopped cup". The balls that came with it were beautifully knit with a tight weave. Over the years they have worn out and I have tried to replace them. All the balls I find today are crap with loose weave!! Does ANYONE still make a nice set of tightly woven ones? A dealer told me that those original ones came from India and dealers here have tried to shut them out of the market and refuse to import them. Is this true? Joe Keppel

If you contact a local sewing shop, you can probably get someone to crochet you covers for your balls. Make sure to ask them to use a cotton cover rather than a wool cover as the cotton cover will give you a better finish and handling.

Bye for now

Harold

Hello,
Joe - I believe your informants are incorrect. I was in touch with Mr. Mendoza recently and he informed me that the tightly crocheted balls were produced by a lady in Texas and they are no longer available from her.

Also, I have read somewhere - I thought here, but now can't find the reference - about a "Muscade" style ball. Supposedly it is referred to in C. Lang Neil's "Modern Conjurer" but I have searched that reference with no luck. Does anyone have any info or sources on a "muscade" style ball <or knot??>. I know that muscade is a term for a nutmeg, which may have been used as a "ball" for the C&B by earlier performers. Not sure what the current muscade concept is...

Also, I read with interest the posts by Mr. Murphy and Mr. Evans concerning the Monkey's Fist knots. Have been interested in this idea for awhile myself, but have not successfully made a leather monkey's fist knot that I would want to use in a performance. Here is another link on the knot which may be of some use:

http://131.230.57.1/knots/m_fista.htm

This tying seems a bit different from the directions given at the link in Mr. Murphy's post...

Do you folks use more than three turns in each direction when wrapping the knot around another object as opposed to just tying an empty knot? It seems that the leather laces can get twisted as the knot is tied and tightened. The use of parachute or other nylon cord would obviate the problem. Nylon would also be readily washable and perhaps more durable, I would think, plus the ends can be sealed with heat.

Finally, you can get the Tayade style balls from, among others, Tom Frank at Seattle Magic: 206 622-2757

Thanks in advance for any help on muscades and tying the monkey's fist knot.

Regards,
tr

Inspired by Martin Lewis, I'm experimenting right now with chop cup/cups and balls with small foam lemons I got at a craft store. One has been converted into a chop lemon that I can use with an old lemonade container. My goal, with lots and lots of practice, is to use real lemons as penultimate loads then go to a final load of lemonade. "When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade."

I'm still taking baby steps with cups and balls, but I'll get there some day. My creativity out-paces my skill sometime.

I, Like Ronnie,am using the pom poms as per the Tommy Wonder routine. I have about four sets now, Blue, light blue, orange, and now Hot pink. They are really awesome and durable. I will be making smaller sets for three cup routines as well.

Making the bigger pom pom for the bag attachment is a chore and a half--but worth it.

OK, for years, I used crochetted balls, but they tended to wear out (get dirty or covered in pils). Then I switched to rubber balls. These worked well (I painted them to get the colors I needed), but then I discovered the mini-baseballs. I highly recommend these. The best ones are made by Auke at http://www.cupsandballs.nl However, the price will be beyond the budgets of most casual magicians. If you're a pro, these are the best. He will customise everything, and even make your cups. Highly recommended!

However, if you're on a budget and want to use miniature baseballs, you can get 1-1/8" balls from Jedinat Zaubershop. They can do minimal customisation, and their products can be viewed at http://www.jedinat-zaubershop.de/shop/sh......d400.htm

Bye for now

Harold

The van Dokkum cups are nothing short of wonderful. I have a set of his stainless steel jumbo cups. They will probably last a lifetime.

For completed monkey's fist balls, check out James Riser's web site http://www.jamesriser.com

His jumbo cups are also quite nice.

I use the crochet balls