I have found that very new bikes work fine for fanning without much need for powder at all. Of course, the more you work with them, the more you may need the use for the powder for your fanning.

Wow. It's great to see this topic and the other one on card manips roamed all over the place discussion-wise! I enjoyed all of the posts.

Just a thought here...experimentation seems to be the core thought here. There are many opinions on the kinds of cards and the use of powder and even the staging of the moves, but plowing your own ground seems to be the wisdom to come away with. Who knows...really struggle with these issues and future posts may reference your videos repeatedly!

Another tip I can give is to try manipulation lotion. It makes card handing easier. And try investing in some manipulation cards. I like Peter Marvey's the best. Try extra minutes of practing by sitting down watching television or when working your computer. I even practice card manipulation in bed as I fall to sleep.

Does anyone have any recepies or help with manipulation lotion/cream?

There is a solution which is roseewater and a few other substances. It's in the stage manipulation forum somewhere, perhaps do a search.