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The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Ever so sleightly » » Cups & Balls: Polished Cups or Tarnished? (0 Likes) Printer Friendly Version

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leefoley3
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Hi everyone,

Just curious as to what you prefer when it comes to the appearance of your cups. Do you prefer them polished or do you like to let them tarnish? Again I'm just curious.

If you would like to explain why, please do.


Personally, I have never polished my set of cups (they're brass, by the way) because I want them to look as old as possible. I've had them for almost 2 years now. The patter I'm working on will be along the lines that the cups once belonged to my great, great grandfather and they have been handed down over the years. I want the audience to believe that the magic truly lies in the cups.

I realize that this has nothing to do with my query but just thought I share my opinion and would like to hears from you guys.

Looking forward to your replies. Thanks, Lee.
In December of '06 I was diagnosed with a very rare cancer, Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans. One in a million people worldwide are diagnosed with this type of cancer annually. Sarcomas account for 1% of all cancers. Knowledge is power!
Michael Baker
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I like your analogy. I do a similar thing with a few other props to make that kind of story more credible.

As for my cups, I just like the way a set looks and feels and smells when it has developed a beautiful patina.
~michael baker
The Magic Company
Jim Wilder
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I never saw a more beautiful set of cups than the battered, bruised, and tarnished set that Jim Cellini performed with when I saw him.

As well, my opinion of the "credibility" of the props is shared. It gives an extra gem of interest in many cases.
geemack
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Greg McNeil Peoria,Illinois
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My routines are presented sort of casually, so I like a medium patina on my brass and copper cups. I occasionally wash them with regular dish soap and water. This keeps the patina smooth and even. It seems to prevent the flat finish and fingerprints, and still leaves them natural looking and suitable for my style.

Greg
leefoley3
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Thanks for the input guys. Anyone else care to comment? There's gotta be someone out there that loves to see them shine!!

Thanks again. Smile
Lee
In December of '06 I was diagnosed with a very rare cancer, Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans. One in a million people worldwide are diagnosed with this type of cancer annually. Sarcomas account for 1% of all cancers. Knowledge is power!
cstreet_1986
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This post seems redundant, but I personally haven't even thought about it. I don't polish my cups, yet I am using cheap cups.

Chris
Bill Palmer
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It depends on the cups. I seldom polish mine, but some seem to look better shiny. Even my tarnished ones have a glow. Take a look at the Stubby cups and the Charlie Miller cups on the cups and balls museum web site.
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Pete Biro
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1933 - 2018
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Copper, tarnished patini
Brass, polished
Nickle, polished
STAY TOONED... @ www.pete-biro.com
swatchel-omi
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I like copper cups tarnished.

Everything else I like to see clean and shiny.

Joe
Jonathan Townsend
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I kind of like the coffee cups clean, the ice cream cups clean and the pewter cups clean.

Not a whole lot of drinking cups look good dirty or tarnished.

However, if you are presenting your cups as antique and mysterious vessels, there are additional options. Smile
...to all the coins I've dropped here
drwilson
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A patina on copper looks very classy, but on brass for some reason people call it "tarnish" and they don't like it. I'd rather practice than polish, so I perform with copper Gazzo cups now.

I would think (and I'd love to find out) that the patina on, say, the engraved silver Sherwood cups would look great, heavy on the deep engraving and worn off a bit on the high parts, kind of like the look of Navajo jewelry using old silver coins.

Yours,

Paul
Werner G. Seitz
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That *polish* or not polish has bothered me for a long time.. (I have Paul Fox copper cups, once bought from Ken Brooke)

My view always was, a coppercup should *look* like a coppercup, meaning aged and not polished..

A good friend of mine -one of the very best C&B workers ever - had quite the oposite opinion..
I stuck to mine..

BUT, then I saw John Carney on a video doing his C&B routine (as expected very well), but the cups looked awkfull, really awkfull...
They looked like mine...dark, aged aso..

From that time on, I decided, if and when I would do the C&B again, I'll always polish my cups to the highest degree..
(I don't do them currently, would have to investigate a lot of practise and work,to do 'em as I want them to be done, I do the Benson Bowl instead, which is less confusing to the specs, does even involve them a bit more also.)

Lately, I took them and polished them, just to se how they would look..

They looked GREAT...but the next day, they already started to get dark...

So, IOW, it is a lot of work..one has to polish the stuff each and every day (or before a show)..

Not very exiting, but today, IMHO, they should be polished instead of looking naturally aged...
Learn a few things well.....this life is not long enough to do everything.....

( Words of wisdom from Albert Goshman ...it paid off for him - it might
as well for YOU!!!- My own magic is styled after that motto... Smile )
MinnesotaChef
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A little kitchen hint: Line the bottm of a plastic or glass tub or bucket with Aluminium foil. pour in Boiling water and Baking Soda ( About1/4 cup per 2 Quarts boiling water) Drop in copper, brass. or silver article. The tarnish will come off and attach itself to the foil, a little buffing with a cloth will produce a quality shine. This work on just about any tarnishable metal.
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Bill Palmer
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I knew that worked on silver, but I wasn't aware that it would work on brass and copper. Thanks for the hint!

Johnny Ace Palmer (no relation) polishes his cups before every show. It's part of his ritual. If you keep them polished, it's not too hard to do. It's when they really get dirty that it becomes difficult.
"The Swatter"

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My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups."

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Back-BrKR
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I recently purchased a set of (Magic Makers) Cups & Balls for an amazing price. I had done my homework and found out that Magic Makers made the so called Penguin Cups. So I figured why not buy them at the better price. Although I've already purchased the brass set I am also considering purchasing the copper set after reading this forum. Do you guys recommend the copper over the brass? This is the set I purchased – http://www.magicmakersinc.com/brasscb5lg.

As far as the wear and tear of Cups & Balls (either brass or copper) is it normal to have dents or a few minor scratches on a set of Cups & Balls? I ask because after attempting the cup through cup penetration the bottom cup slipped and hit the carpet then hit my chair. This gave one of the cups a minor but noticeable (to my eyes) dent. Now, I feel that I have ruined on of my cups. I am rather upset at myself for this because I try to take good care of my things. This might be because I never really had many toys as a child (it took 4 years of therapy just to be able to say that) & now I try to value what I have. Sorry didn’t mean for this to turn into a couch trip. Smile

-Cheers Smile
Bill Palmer
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The magic makers cups and the penguin cups actually cost exactly the same. It just depends on where you get them. The retail price of these cups is around $99.00. You can get the Penguin cups from a couple of other dealers as well. They used to give them away if you bought a certain amount of merchandise.

Generally speaking, the quality of these cups is variable. Both sets in question are made in China. They are basically copies of a Paul Fox set.

Don't worry about dinging up your cups. That's why we have a first set of cups to learn on.

If you want to learn more about these things, do the following.

First, go to http://www.cupsandballsmuseum.com and look at the collection there. You will have an idea of the gamut of things available.

Then do a search on "Penguin," here on the Café, and get an idea of how their products are viewed.

There is a lot of information about cups in this part of the Magic Café, as well.
"The Swatter"

Founder of CODBAMMC

My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups."

www.cupsandballsmuseum.com
Back-BrKR
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Quote:
On 2004-09-11 03:00, Back-BrKR asked (in a nutshell):

Do you guys recommend the copper over the brass?

As far as the wear and tear of Cups & Balls (either brass or copper) is it normal to have dents or a few minor scratches on a set of Cups & Balls?

-Cheers Smile



Bill, Thanks for the link. I've been to that site before but couldn't find the answer the question(s) I listed above. As for the penguin products I just use them as a reference. I had a pretty bad experience purchasing from them (a set of Cups & Balls). They might have a good deals but there Customer Service for defective sales is horrid. Fortunately, I have been lucky in finding the exact same product elsewhere and for cheaper ($45 - Brass Cups & Balls)...lucky me. Smile

Even if a I were to purchase a more expensive set of cups is it common to develop minor dents/scratches or was I too careless?

:cheers:
Bill Palmer
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You were lucky about that price. Wholesale on those is $48.00, unless you buy dozens of sets. I have a feeling you got those off ebay from a fellow in Utah.

But cups develop dents and scratches over time. That's one of the reasons that I have the Sherwood copper cups. I know that if I practiced with the silver ones or the gold ones, I would ding them up pretty quickly. The copper ones will dent, but it won't hurt me as badly. Those Stubby cups at the museum and the P&L copper cups have lots of minor dents in the bottoms. So don't feel bad about a minor dent. Dents can sometimes be removed if they are in a place where they can be reached. People who repair horns at musical instrument shops can often work wonders on a dented cup.

Steel cups are the least likely to dent. The RNT II Stainless Steel Monti cups run about $200 a set, and they are built like a truck!

So don't feel bad about denting a cup. We all do it. Anyone who says he has never dented a cup is either lying, or he hasn't practiced enough!
"The Swatter"

Founder of CODBAMMC

My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups."

www.cupsandballsmuseum.com
Steve Dela
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I use a set of Solid Steel cups so they are always shiney!
I feel that shiney silver coloured cups look best on a black close up pad.
When I use my Johnson Cups (which is very rare) I like them tarnished and they look best on a poker green pad.

In Magic
Steve Dela
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Bill Palmer
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Are your steel cups stainless or chromed? Stainless steel cups can corrode under very rare conditions, but it is not likely to happen, unless you work in an area where there is a lot of acid in the atmosphere.

I have seen stainless steel firearms that corroded because they were mistreated. This is not likely to happen to a set of cups, though.
"The Swatter"

Founder of CODBAMMC

My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups."

www.cupsandballsmuseum.com
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