theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

How to choose a thumbtip?

Start simple, buy a standard Vernet tip (one size fits all. . . usually)

If you have exceptionally small, slender fingers & thumb you might need to inquire about a better fitting device. . . I think Vernet offers smaller and larger sizes now. If not, try a "Sixth Finger" gimmick. You can do most everything with that, that can be done with a TT and chances are strong that you'll fool magic bums with it because it's such a rarely used device.

There are people that make custom fit TTs as well as Rubber, Plastic & Metal ones but it is rare you'll ever need anything other than the Vernet. I've been doing this stuff since the early 1960s and use the Vernet gimmick far more than the more expensive rubber one's I've been given in that they get exceptionally dirty really fast and over time, get darker, no longer matching my Lilly white Dutch-Irish flesh. . . there's times when the contrast is just too much (though, when properly worked, you really can wear a bright red TT and no one will notice; I've seen it done and it's mind blowing.)

Hope that answers your question
 
Thank you for your answer. I ordered a few different thumb tips because they are really cheap and I want one that fits me. Right now I am really scared to use a thumb tip because... you know... when you know the secret you can't "unsee" the thumb tip. Anyway, I was like this when I started bending spoons too, but then i realised that people really CAN'T SEE the damn thing. ^_^
 
I really hate stepping into conversations where props and uses this openly discussed. Really, I can switch browsers so that I'm not logged into the site, then see everything on the forum except for the Pressure area.

So, I'm going to private message some advice about what is seen, unseen and forgotten.
 
AndrewJ said:
I really hate stepping into conversations where props and uses this openly discussed. Really, I can switch browsers so that I'm not logged into the site, then see everything on the forum except for the Pressure area.

So, I'm going to private message some advice about what is seen, unseen and forgotten.
Click to expand...

I'll lay money on it, that you won't find many bar tenders with 3-5 years experience who aren't very familiar with a Thumb Tip, Folding Coin and at least a half-dozen low end card tricks alongside a myriad of bar betchya routines. It's just not that big a secret; the secrets come into play when it comes to your ability to use these things and create a magical end result, it has very little to do with knowledge of the method.

I have watched guys work with a thumb tip that was deliberately painted safety-vest orange and yet no one saw it. I think it was Terry Lunceford that used to stack tips about 5 deep during a sponge routine and yet no one ever saw the extra long thumb. . . not even Vernon! In other words our anal-retentiveness when it comes to such things is really unwarranted. The problem of "exposure" happens, when the self-professed magician refuses to learn how to properly work with the device and other principles associated with the craft. When we are satisfied with the basic explanation of a method, then we will never become an actual magician; we will forever remain a mediocre hack with an ego. On the other hand, when we choose to take something as old and basic as a thumb tip and study its history, the myriad of ways it can be used, the various designs and how they can be exploited, etc. If we learn how to work with it as we might a thimble and do so confidently, then we really are on the path towards being what it is we think we are -- a Magician -- one that can create the truly miraculous using the simplest of methods and free from the fear that someone in the audience might be aware of the very gimmick we are employing.

The public has a very short memory when it comes to our methods. Granted, there's that redneck idiot that has to be the center of attention and even when not drunk, loves to ruin the fun for everyone in the room trying to enjoy the magic, but they are few and very far between. . . not to mention highly inaccurate in the long run in the majority of cases. But the level by which magician's have become so outrageously concerned about "exposure" is way over the top; the more we scream and squirm over it, the more people will do it and shove it into our face. Then there's the fact that we are the one's that tend to watch the majority of what's out there either before we complain about it or shortly after someone has told us about it and of course, we run right over to check it out . . . someone does it or those sites wouldn't get the hits they see; same goes with the pirated materials issue. . . and it's not just the novices doing it, so let's all get a bit more honest with things.
 
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