Billiard Ball manipulation: Where to go? What to get?

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

I've joked about billiard ball/multiplying ball magic on the forums a few times, primarilly because it's not something you would normally see and Mark Wilson's Complete Course on Magic has a small section with a routine and some basic sleights with billiards.

That and the linking rings are noisy for practice and I'm looking for something thats much quieter at the moment. That and I'm a bit of a fan of unused/underused/weirder magic.

The thing I'm wondering is where exactly one should start and look for billiards, gimmicks and resources?

Mark Wilson's seems to be good to start as far as a resource goes. And from what I have researched (mostly on the "green" site), Levant's Billiard Ball DVDs?

The big problem seems to be what to utilize as your prop. Apparently, you can't grab just any old billiards because of size, weight, hand size, and hand strength. I'm probably going to a billiards shop soon and seeing if they have smaller billiard balls.
I have heard there are wooden ones that are painted with lacquer (they weigh less and make a *clack* sound like billiards do) along with a gimmick (think Fakini balls), but a good quality set seems to be rather expensive just to start .

You do have the cheap plastic balls plus gimmick, which can vary in size and price, but from experience, they are VERY slick and unreliable outside of practice. There are plastic and silicone balls, but then you start veering away from billiards because of their look.

If you are starting to look at billiard/ball manipulation magic, what would be the proper props to start with? Resources worth looking at/avoiding?

 

[ID4]

Resources

Jeff Mcbride World Class Manipulation

Basics Of Expert Billiard Ball And Thimble Manipulation by Brad Burt

 

[RealityOne]

Mark Wilson's routine is pretty good except for the fact that he points. That is a good routine to start with.

Levant's DVDs are AMAZING. It has everything you need.

Now, most of the really good stuff is out of print. Jim Steinmeyer's The Magic of Alan Wakeling has an amazing routine (the one I use). It is around the same price as Levent's DVDs on Amazon. Roy Benson by Starlight (written by Todd Karr) also has great material.

You can't do the effect with regular billiard balls. They are impossible to handle because they are too slippery. You need the silicon balls. The wood ones are probably workable, but silicon is much better. Also, you need the gimmick that comes with magician's billiard balls. Don't get the plastic ones. I bought a set and they are not worth the $3 I spent on them.

As for balls, the Fakini balls are the best. I'm not sure if they are making them any more. The Mirage balls look similar.

You probably want the 2 inch size to start off with (that is what I use). They are perfect for parlor type and small stage performances. The three inch size are workable (and in some ways easier) and great if you intend to do stage.