Scarf through mic stand

Hello t11,

My friend borrowed me some of his DVDs and in the Easy to master thread miracles volume 1 there are some effects, like the one in the title, that use *a gimmick* ( I don't write it here because it may count as exposure ). I know what gimmick it is, I just don't know where to find one. I had one which was from a sports shop, but it was cheap plastic and made a lot of sound when used. Any ideas??

EDIT: Also, should I blend the color of the *gimmick* with the color of the scarf, or use an invisible alternative?
 
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Aug 2, 2011
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California
Michael Ammar used and recommended The Swedish Reel, and said it was fast, invisible, and quiet. You can find one doing a google search. I warn you: it is PRICEY!
 
Now that the mistery is solved ( it's a reel ) i need to ask some questions. If i buy an ordinary reel which i feel that works for me, should i replace the string with an invisible one or use a scarf that is the same color as the string?
 
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Dec 18, 2007
1,610
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Northampton, MA - USA
The fact that it works with a reel already left me with the impression that it is working with any kind of thread/rope. How do I retract sewing thread at the speed of light is the question.

I really hate to be the grump, but. . .

Get yourself some of those funky old things called BOOKS. In this case I'd start with Rice's Encyclopedia of Silk Magic, which will give you far more insight when it comes to things you can do with pretty silk hanks and streamers than you probably would want to know, but like all encyclopedias, it's there on your shelf and available for referencing anytime you have a question pertaining to that particular topic. There are, believe it or not, similar tomes covering string & thread magic, which would be the secondary area I'd look into, along with the two or three out there on using Reels & Pulls.

Your question here is what set me off on this little "lecture" because it tends to prove the fact that you don't study and more specific to the issue here, you don't study the effect. If you knew how to look at each effect that appeals to you, and if you have the proper foundation behind you when it comes to what, as a novice to magic, you need under your belt; well, you would be able to see how to replicate such bits using what you have. That's not saying that it would be "lightning fast" such as you have with a mechanical aid -- it won't! But you can still create a penetration that's nice. . . you can even tie the silk to the stand and have it melt through with a slight tug, amongst other things; most of which is in that first book I mentioned, a book that used to be required reading for magic new comers.

The other reason I've singled out this post is how it suggests the idea of one's not being willing to do any footwork; it's easier after all, to ask questions rather than crack a book open. . . and yes, I emphasize books in that you'll get far more from them and usually for less of an investment, than you can get from the typical DVD. Too, you aren't subject to loosing access to that data just because Microsoft forces us into yet another "up-grade" to the OS... I have dozens of old floppies (and real floppies) that cannot be used and yet, they are packed with awesome material. . . this is why shelving and books are my best friends.

For you and all others with such basic questions, get a book! If you know it's a trick using Silks & Threads then you know what kind of books you need. Then again, you could probably add up that this is an older effect that could probably be found in an older resources such as The Tarbell Course in Magic. . .

. . . you just never know what you can find in a book, do you?
 
Craig, I am sorry that I didn't have the patience to read your entire post. I stopped at "The other reason..." because I told you and other on this forum many times. I am from Romania. Here they don't sell enough NORMAL books. MAGIC BOOKS on the other hand, are even harder to find. If I want to buy myself a fancy gimmick or a book or a DVD I have to order it from the US where google sends me to. I don't want to order from US every time I want to learn new stuff. That's why I ask on the forums. I really do know how important the old books are to someone who want's to learn magic, but what can I do? I also don't want to order a bunch of books that someone recommended me only to find very few effects that I will really do. Even if I want to become a very good magician and know many effects and be able to manage audiences and deceive them, I do not want to make magic my main job so I don't mind if I don't own a book that I could make out of it alone an entire show.
 
Dec 18, 2007
1,610
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Northampton, MA - USA
Ady01. . . my memory is horrid so I may not connect you to things though I do have some recollection to your tale now that I've read through this post. My point is still valid however, books will be your best bet all the way around; you will get far more material from a book (especially the older ones) than you can dream of getting when it comes to today's video niche. When it comes to "bibles" such as the Encyclopedia I mentioned, you can't go wrong; there are hundreds of effects in such a book and you'll more than likely use more than a dozen of them. This is especially true for someone that's showing an interest in a silk effect and will most likely wish to expand on such material in order to create a routine if not a full act. Similarly, the resources for thread work are going to give you information that you will ultimately use; maybe not the week you get the book but eventually you'll see ways to use more than 90% of the techniques and resources such a book offers.

I'm confused when it comes to your situation on getting books & materials in that you can order via Europe or Asia just as easily as you can the U.S. or Canada. Speaking of Canada, here is an awesome resource for you (everyone) that's based in Canada; Hades Publications produces hundreds of "rare" and rarely spoken of books and manuscripts that have more or less been forgotten -- replaced by material pooped out by young writers of today's era, many of whom never research the material they put out or else they'd give citations to most of these books.

The big reason I'm plugging this company so strongly is that most of the books they offer are dirt cheap (most are less than $25.00). Another viable resource, especially for someone in your position Ady, is lybrary.com in that 99% of what they offer is in eBook form . . . and yes, we're talking about yesteryear as well as current era titles. This would mean no postage & handling costs nor custom's headaches.

When it comes to your argument of not wanting to get a book from which you might find one or two tricks that you "like" think about something for a second; the average effect that you purchase from a retail site is going to cost between $35.00 and $65.00, the same basic price range for the typical book that's going to give you at least a dozen or so effects (the older the text the more effects you tend to get) and so, if you find 3 or 4 effects that you like and will use the per trick cost drops to around $12.00 + construction materials which are rarely more than another $5.00 to $10.00. The moral of the story being, you always get much more for much less when you have text & resource books.

Another thing I'll "leak" to everyone. . . I'm working on a project with the folks at Wiki that will give magic enthusiasts an amazing sense of secure access to methods, technology and historic data. There are two sites and all going well, they will officially be up and running in around November of this year (and I'll certainly post links and details here). The sites are not "expose" type sites though one of them does explain the workings of certain pieces, but only to a very limited level.

I bring this up because it will be such a boon to people in Ady's situation. It is something I've tried to get numerous forums to commit to but for whatever reason, they've elected to not do such. I'm just grateful that we've found sponsors that can help make this a reality. More will follow!
 
Dec 18, 2007
1,610
14
64
Northampton, MA - USA
Look at fishing supplies. . . there is a cheap and simple reel that retails for around $6.00 that's used in certain fishing techniques.

There you have it, the cheapest and easiest to get hold of reels on the market.
 
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