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Desmanthus
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Frankfort, MI
51 Posts

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As an impoverished college student I don't really have the money I would need to shell out to get a decent dancing cane. Does anyone have any ideas on how one could be built? Smile
Sincerely Yours,
Desmanthus

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, for with strange aeons even death may die."
H.P. Lovecraft
RiffClown
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Yorktown, Virginia (Previously Germany)
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If you know the method, the local hardware store or hobby shop might be a good place to start for the "do-it-yourselfer".

If you don't know the method, dancing canes they can be found for just a little more than a large pizza. It may be cheaper in the long run to buy and get something you like, rather than attempt to create and not get it quite right.
Rob "Riff, the Magical Clown" Eubank aka RiffClown
<BR>http://www.riffclown.com
<BR>Magic is not the method, but the presentation.
Telemus
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Everett WA
128 Posts

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I have a "Creekmore deluxe" it cost about.. well it was "a lot". But I use a very cheap breakdown. It has been repaired with electrical tape at the joint 3 times because the ferrule split. I had to cut off about 1/4 of an inch to get it correct. As Mr. Eubank has stated, they do not have to be expensive. It's all in how you use it. When it's done right... well, people love it.

Telemus
Illusionist
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Earth
121 Posts

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Rob is on the money. If you know the method you could practically manufacture these things yourself. If you don't know the method... it isn't going to cost an arm or a leg. Smile
Sid Mayer
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Santa Fe, NM
656 Posts

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I have seen the dancing cane done quite effectively with a tightly rolled sheet of newspaper. It's all a matter of weight, balance and attachment point. If you know how the cane works you can make one from a wide variety of lighter weight materials. Who says it has to be a cane?

Sid
All the world's a stage ... and everybody on it is overacting.
makeupguy
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Start with a piece of shower rod cover.. find a knob and ferrule from a heavier cane.. cut it off and put it in the ends..

paint the whole thing black and you have a good start.. even better.. paint it white and stain it with a stain/shellac.... who says that a magician's cane needs to be black.. they show up better on stage not black.
kaytracy
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Central California
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Nice bamboo plant poles in the local garden center for about a buck, if there is none growing nearby. Add the gimmick and away you go.
k
Kay and Tory
www.Bizarremagick.com
haywire
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Philadelphia
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I made a dancing cane myself from pvc pipe from home depot.

My backdrop is black so I used thin black t****d. Drill a hole in the cane, feed the t****d through, weight it so that the thread retracts into the cane. (I used a bolt myself.) On the end you will hold, place something to stop it from shooting all the way into the hole.

So when you want to use it you can pull the t****d out, when done the t****d should slide back down into the cane.

Decorate the cane however you like. I placed a clear acrylic plastic ball on the top of mine, it looks very magical. The entire cane is worlds above the quality of commercial ones, and only cost about 10 bucks max.

Hope this helps.

Steven

The whole thing
JackScratch
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Am I the only one who has seen that new toy on the market that is pretty much just a dancing cane?
Shrubsole
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Kent, England
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That's a good idea on the retracting t****d you have there Haywire!

You are thinking like a magician! Smile

I made one when I was about 10 years old and found out that making the thing is only the first stage. Practice making it look right and appealing took much longer!
Winner of the Dumbringer Award for total incompetence. (All years)
Shrubsole
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Kent, England
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Quote:
On 2006-01-04 13:49, JackScratch wrote:
Am I the only one who has seen that new toy on the market that is pretty much just a dancing cane?


Do you know of a web page where it is advertised?
Winner of the Dumbringer Award for total incompetence. (All years)
magician211
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Key West, FL
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I do the dancing cane myself.. I was featured in the Linking Ring Youth Forum about it too. David Mann made the best canes I ever saw. He has discontinued them now. If he makes more I suggest that. It's the one I use in my act. It's nice and only $40. Also if you find a cane I recommend his dvd on the dancing cane. It's called Dancing Cane 101. It's well worth the money! Also I have seen those toys. They are like wand-sized things. The weight is off though.

Christian
"Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination." Gene Wilder
ChristopherD
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St. Louis
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Haywire...

I agree with shrubsole... that retractable t****d is a great idea. I wonder if there would be a way to rig that up to a "vanishing" cane like Fantasio's.

Very good thinking
Christopher David
JackScratch
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Might want to hold off on that purchase. I saw a comercial the other day for a kids toy, it was a dancing cane. Advertised on television, sold at your finer retail outlets.
Frank Simpson
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SW Montana
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Hopefully this "toy" will meet the same fate as the "Trik-Stik" which showed up in the early 80s. The manufacturers took a beating on it.
michaelrice
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Ireland
257 Posts

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Quote:
On 2006-01-04 13:11, haywire wrote:
I made a dancing cane myself from pvc pipe from home depot.

My backdrop is black so I used thin black t****d. Drill a hole in the cane, feed the t****d through, weight it so that the thread retracts into the cane. (I used a bolt myself.) On the end you will hold, place something to stop it from shooting all the way into the hole.

So when you want to use it you can pull the t****d out, when done the t****d should slide back down into the cane.

Decorate the cane however you like. I placed a clear acrylic plastic ball on the top of mine, it looks very magical. The entire cane is worlds above the quality of commercial ones, and only cost about 10 bucks max.

Hope this helps.

Steven

The whole thing


Sounds interesting. What is the control like with a retracting th...d compared to a standard cane? Do you have any pictures or videos of it?



Mike
JackScratch
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Quote:
On 2006-02-08 10:18, Frank Simpson wrote:
Hopefully this "toy" will meet the same fate as the "Trik-Stik" which showed up in the early 80s. The manufacturers took a beating on it.


Hard to say, it was advertised kind of like a frisbee. Like some sort of dance game activity thing. It might catch on.
Frank Simpson
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SW Montana
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I suppose time will tell. Although last time that was the same angle they tried to market it.
doublelift
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If you want a super-light cane try rolling 1/16 balsa. You may need to form it wet, let it dry then bond it together. Add the tips and some finish work. You could add the internal slide thread before finishing. Losander used to and may still sell dancing wands made from balsa. They were fabulous to see. Lighter weight seems to change the performace speed to a more magical level.
doublelift
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Quote:
On 2006-01-07 22:50, magician211 wrote:
I do the dancing cane myself.. I was featured in the Linking Ring Youth Forum about it too. David Mann made the best canes I ever saw. He has discontinued them now. If he makes more I suggest that. It's the one I use in my act. It's nice and only $40. Also if you find a cane I recommend his dvd on the dancing cane. It's called Dancing Cane 101. It's well worth the money! Also I have seen those toys. They are like wand-sized things. The weight is off though.

Christian


I bought one of those at the 2004 IBM convention. It is nice but I never had much luck learning it. I always thought it was top-heavy but they claimed they were prebalanced correctly. I wonder if the DVD is still for sale?
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