This afternoon my wife and I were at a local bed and bath accessories store looking for a bedspread. While she was talking with the saleslady, I migrated over to the "accessories" section and found some of the coolest-looking soon-to-be Chop Cups I have ever seen.

The one I selected was heavy brass with a lip - about 8-10 ounces. The surface is patterned in raised dots, and it has an antique finish. The sticker on the bottom says "Veratex" and "Dots Solid Patina". It looks like it would be perfect for a Renaissance festival or similar venue.

Next time you are looking for something different, check out your local bed and bath shops for some interesting props.

Amos McCormick

Thanks Amos! Great idea....

Amosmc,

Who are you going to have spin the insert and gimmick the bowl/pot you picked up. If you are a spinner. Please let me know, I have a few hundred cups that are perfect, but I need the inside done professionally.

Thanks,

I was going to experiment with putting the m***** in the bottom of the cup, filling it with epoxy to just above the height of the m*****, and touching up the bottom with spray paint of a similar color. If not, I should be able to cut a round brass disc the proper size, and glue it in, above the m*****. This should match the cup with little work.

Amos McCormick

Last night I took a couple of tiny rare earth m****** I had bought a long time ago at Radio Shack and glued them into the bottom of the cup with cyanoacrylate adhesive. The m****** are a little more than 1/8" in diameter, and the "hold" seems to be perfect for what I am trying to do. Although I haven't poured the epoxy into the bottom yet, the performance seems to be ideal.

Amos McCormick

I poured the epoxy this weekend, and the cup works GREAT! Because the epoxy is clear, you can still see the color from the bottom of the cup. The epoxy is also just a bit uneven, so it conceals the m***** without doing anything else to it!

After pouring the epoxy up to the level of the first m***** (only about 1/8"), I tested it with the balls I am planning to use. There wasn't quite enough attraction, so I added a second m*****, tested it, poured another layer of epoxy, and it was perfect.

If the glossy surface of the epoxy bothers you, hit it with a shot of a clear, flat spray lacquer.

Amos McCormick

If the epoxy is clear, how come the m******* don't show? And where does one get such a good quality m*****? (I have searched and searched to no avail...)

The cup is antique brass in color. The color of the cup bottom, the tiny size of the m*****, and the way the epoxy reflects the light render the m***** invisible. If you are unconfortable with this , you could hit it with a shot of antique brass spray paint.

The m*****s I used are from Radio Shack and are tiny (1/8" or so in diameter). Our local store still carries them. I had them stuck to the side of my toolbox for years before I found a use for them.

Look at this link:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?ca......=64-1895

Since the m***** is small, the field is concentrated near the center of the cup, and the ball can be dislodged by shaking, rather than slamming it onto the table, much like the Nielsen Chop Tea Cup.

Amos McCormick

The ORIGINAL cups, made by Chop Chop (Al Wheatley) were bamboo drinking cups with the mag***s glued in and plastic wood to cover 'em.

There is hardly anything NEW...

Pete,

I've glued myself to things before, but I've always been fortunate enough to avoid the plastic wood covering...

...oh, I thought "mag***s" meant "magicians"...

;)

Amos McCormick

Anyone ever tried gimmicking the ball with a stronger magnet, yeah I said it, magnet, what ya gonna do about it? Then using a thin shiming material in the bottom of the cup.

My biggest problem with Chop cups are the thickness and heavyness in the bottom. Technically examinable, and not that people would WANT to examine it, but it would make it a nicer piece to handle.

Ron Wilson had great success with a paper coffee cup and just used a cardboard matching insert. I used a clear drinking glass covered with the paper used in hotels, then did the vanish of the glass for a finish. The M**N***C device was just taped to the inside of the paper and at the end just crumbled up.

A few years ago I was working the camel cigarette smoking lounge at one of our local outdoor concert venues. They had a cool habit (no pun) of putting neat little advertising things all around the place. One of these on all the tables were these little fold-flat paper fezes, with all the camel logo stuff. They had little cord tassels on top, too! They were not very sturdy, so I soldered a brass insert complete with chop gimmick and glued the fez over it. It worked great and I still have it here amongst the stuff.

So Amos... after 3 years, how's that Chop cup holding up?

~michael

Still doing well. One of the better "brain events" I've ever had. The magnet strength is perfect for the Chop Cup.

It's not too hard to gimmick a regular paper cup by cutting an insert from another cup and gluing it in on top of the magnet. Looks good and I like the idea of the innocent paper cup. Finding the right magnet with the proper attraction is the hard part but it just takes a bit of trial and error to get it right. One of those rainy day projects. Lee Valley Tools has rare earth magnets in a variety of sizes.

Use a "hot" chopped ball or other suitable object and one of the snack size Pringles Potato Crisp cans. The bottom is metal and the sides are cardboard. Plus you can use the reseal lid to enable you to carry loose items.

Julie

Mini Pringle can, great idea, just have to figure out how to gaff the chips

I'll let you in on a secret...I use two baby red potatos for final loads.

Julie

I thought about the Pringle's can thing, but didn't know about the rare earth... um, "thingies" before.