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Mindboggler New user 13 Posts 
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Ive heard a few things just hoping to get some help as far as what is typically or classically used before another 20 yrs goes by
! water, white wine, lemon and XXXX works but I don't know the last ingredient glycerin maybe 2 chalk + 70% rubbing alcohol 3 hairspray |
Inviso Regular user 131 Posts
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Golden Touch unscented spray
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GJo Special user 603 Posts
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Used sparingly on places where it counts (fingertips, insides of fingers, center of palm), GripShield works well. It’s available on Amazon and is marketed to pole dancers. It’s a liquid that’s not sticky when dry. It feels a bit like gymnastics chalk, but it does not show on one’s hands like chalk.
Dr. Michael Rubinstein’s formula of rose water, glycerine and alcohol works well if used in a tiny amount. Not a fan of Chamberlain’s Golden Touch. It gums up cards and smells like grandma in 1972. I have not seen the unscented version. I like O’Keefe’s Working Hands applied in a small amount and allowed to dry for a half hour before handling cards. I don’t like it for coins because it inhibits sliding when moving a hidden coin. For cards, I also like SortKwik, again applied sparingly and only where it’s needed for a little extra tackiness. |
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magicmind Inner circle South 3771 Posts
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Quote:
On Jan 7, 2025, GJo wrote: I feel the same about this "Not a fan of Chamberlain’s Golden Touch. It gums up cards and smells like grandma in 1972. I have not seen the unscented version." and when I read that you put into word what I could not, I almost spit out my coffee laughing. I am going to try this Gripshield kit. I wish not to smell like roses or a grandma! 
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Chessmann Inner circle 4173 Posts
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If you haven't done so already, search the Cafe. There are lots of topics over the years that discuss products.
Bottom line is that you'll have to try one after the other till you find what works best for you. Everyone's skin is different, and what works for one won't work as well - or work too well! - for another.
My ex-cat was named "Muffin". "Vomit" would be a better name for her. AKA "The Evil Ball of Fur".
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GJo Special user 603 Posts
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@magicmind, GripShield really does work well. Use sparingly.
Report back with your impressions, please. |
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Chessmann Inner circle 4173 Posts
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The best item I have ever used for coins (and it only works with coins), is a product called "Pro Grip". It is made for those who bowl, helping them get a good grip on the ball.
It comes in a small jar, and at a small price. Just a dab in the right places will do ya 
I've always suspected that Pro Grip was put in a different container and marketed to magicians a few years back as Octopalm...but I've never owned Octopalm, so that's just pure conjecture.
My ex-cat was named "Muffin". "Vomit" would be a better name for her. AKA "The Evil Ball of Fur".
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Mindboggler New user 13 Posts
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One more thing real quick has anyone ever made the Tarbell stage props ....it would be cool to see the super dove vanish but like even the Tarbell thumb tip he sent in the mail would be cool to see I can't be the only one who's been on this kick to see vintage props ...some on eBay but not really
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Tom G Inner circle SW Michigan 2913 Posts
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I know years ago Octopalm was compared to a hair product called Gorilla Snot. No idea if they are the same. I wish Chamberlain's had a scent free version, not even on their website. It works great for me...but the smell.
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spudster85 Loyal user Northern Kentucky 280 Posts
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Quote:
On Jan 29, 2025, Tom G wrote: I never heard of Gorilla Snot being called a hair product, but there was a substance of that name that I sold when I worked in a major music store chain. It was used for drummers to put on their sticks and prevent them from dropping them. My father used it on his banjo picks as well. It basically acts like a glue. And I remember it being heat sensitive, as one plays their instruments and heat up, the stickier it got. I don't think I would use it for magic use, as it would make a mess of everything. Also, it looks pretty much like its name implies. I have been trying "Magician's Choice, Emerald Formula" I am still trying to determine the correct amount to work. https://murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=49541 I also saw that Steve Dala has his version of Golden Touch available. I have been thinking about giving it a try. https://nightflightdeck.com/product/plat......d-spray/ |
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GJo Special user 603 Posts
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I recently went back to try the formula of vegetable glycerin and water. Some recommend 1:1. I’m trying 1:2.
Dr. Rubinstein recommends rose water and a little alcohol. I’m finding the 1:2 glycerine and water mixture is working well. Just three drops, worked well into the areas where you need it. Allow sufficient time for the skin to absorb it so cards don’t get sticky. |
Michael Rubinstein V.I.P. 4839 Posts
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Just a small correction: I used to use an animal moisturizer, but they stopped making it. Roth used rose water and glycerine (a secret he got from Ricky Jay), so I ended up trying that but my hands were still dry. So I bought a commercial rosewater/glycerine product (Heritage store from Amazon), and added additional glycerine on parts of my hands I needed to get more sticky (fingertips or palms).
Contrary, sometimes in the hot weather my palms would get too sticky (not any more, but when I was younger). I used to carry a dish cloth that was wet on one side. I would clean my hands with the wet side then dry them, so the stickiness went away. I especially needed that during lectures in a small room crowded with people, or a show in a room like the Castle close-up room (I remember asking them to put the thermostat to 68 degrees which helped).
Conviction Prediction 2.0 is now out! Inquire for ordering information at rubinsteindvm@aol.com
Promo: https://youtu.be/PvhQbAVeQKM?si=oXOHGoT-awykN1G2 |
sethb Inner circle The Jersey Shore 2916 Posts
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Quote:
On Jan 29, 2025, Michael Rubinstein wrote: . . . Roth used rose water and glycerine (a secret he got from Ricky Jay), so I ended up trying that but my hands were still dry. So I bought a commercial rosewater/glycerine product (Heritage store from Amazon), and added additional glycerine on parts of my hands I needed to get more sticky (fingertips or palms). I'm not sure where Ricky Jay got the glycerine tip from, but it also appears on pages 29-30 in John Booth's book, "Forging Ahead in Magic," which was published in 1939, so it's been around for awhile. Booth's fine book is still relevant and is available for $8 from Lybrary.com as a PDF file; the hardcover version is $20 from the Advanced Book Exchange (ABE), a good used-book website. I found that just one or two drops of glycerine on the thumb pads and fingertips does the job for me, and without making a mess. It takes a few minutes to dry or be absorbed, and then you're good to go for at least 30-45 minutes. SETH
"Watch the Professor!!" -- Al Flosso (1895-1976)
"The better you are, the closer they watch" -- Darwin Ortiz, STRONG MAGIC |
Chris Inner circle lybrary.com 1206 Posts
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Glycerine is an old method typesetters used to keep their fingers in good condition. I have reprinted a section of an article from 1891 from "The Printing World" in my book "The Cardsharp and His Book". It describes the proper application and use of glycerine to keep your hands in good order.
Lybrary.com preserving magic one book at a time.
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sethb Inner circle The Jersey Shore 2916 Posts
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Chris, now I'm curious -- was the glycerine used just to keep the typesetters' hands supple?
Or was it a way to keep ink from being absorbed into the skin? Was it used to prevent possible scrapes and cuts from the metal type, or was it something else? Inquiring minds want to know!! SETH
"Watch the Professor!!" -- Al Flosso (1895-1976)
"The better you are, the closer they watch" -- Darwin Ortiz, STRONG MAGIC |
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Chris Inner circle lybrary.com 1206 Posts
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Just like magicians, manual typesetters need their fingers and hands in perfect condition. Glycerin is used to keep their skin supple so that they can easily grab and assemble metal types.
Lybrary.com preserving magic one book at a time.
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sethb Inner circle The Jersey Shore 2916 Posts
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OK, thanks for the info! SETH
"Watch the Professor!!" -- Al Flosso (1895-1976)
"The better you are, the closer they watch" -- Darwin Ortiz, STRONG MAGIC |
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sethb Inner circle The Jersey Shore 2916 Posts
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Incidentally -- in his "Forging Ahead" book, John Booth said he was told about glycerine by another magician named Miaco. Booth didn't take credit for the idea, which as Chris has noted, was also previously used in other similar ways. SETH
"Watch the Professor!!" -- Al Flosso (1895-1976)
"The better you are, the closer they watch" -- Darwin Ortiz, STRONG MAGIC |
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Tom G Inner circle SW Michigan 2913 Posts
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GJo I looked up Grip Shield and it appears it's for sweaty hands. It has some of the same ingredients as deodorants.
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GJo Special user 603 Posts
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Quote:
On Feb 2, 2025, Tom G wrote: It’s marketed that way, yes. It works on moist or dry hands. The point is it’s not sticky and won’t leave a sticky/gummy residue on cards or coins. |
| The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Trick coin trickery » » Best Hand lotion for coins and cards (9 Likes) | |
Posted: Jan 7, 2025 11:03 am 
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