MAGICIAN’S

DIY
Tips & Tricks
Compiled by
Chris Wasshuber
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Copyright © 2012 by Lybrary.com – http://www.lybrary.com

Contributors: Jack Poulter, Wilhelm Eberhard, Chuck Smith, Bruce Kalver, Jeff
Stone, Robert Kaldy-Karo, Scott Xavier.

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 Note
This document suggests for some tips the use of flammable
and/or toxic materials. We have tried to make the
descriptions clear to avoid any harm or injury. Always use
caution and common sense when using unfamiliar
components and materials. When in doubt don’t try them
out. The author and publisher do not assume any
responsibility or liability if you use these tips and harm
yourself, a third party or destroy property.
 Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 6
For Cards................................................................................................................ 8
What is the best over the counter replacement for roughing fluid? ... 8
What is a cheap source for magician’s wax?............................................. 8
What is Science Friction really? .................................................................... 9
What is a cheap source for fanning powder? ............................................ 9
How do I remove partially or fully the coating of playing cards? ........ 9
How to glue playing cards together?........................................................... 9
How do I split cards? ......................................................................................10
How do I glue split cards together?............................................................10
How do I mark cards? .................................................................................... 11
How do I check if a deck of cards is marked? ......................................... 11
How do I make my own belly strippers? ................................................... 11
What is a good daub?.....................................................................................12
How do I turn a cardbox into a switching and ditching device?..........12
How do I make my own gaffed cards? ......................................................12
Non-Card Stuff.....................................................................................................14
Where to get cheap slush powder?.............................................................14
How can I quickly make a flash paper substitute? .................................14
How to create a burning paste?...................................................................14
How to create a fire flash? ............................................................................14
What is the cheapest appearing rod?.........................................................14
How can I make my own sponge balls? .................................................... 15
How do I keep my cardboard props better looking and longer
lasting?............................................................................................................... 15
How can I make loaded dice? ...................................................................... 15
What is a good and simple soap bubble formula? .................................. 15
How do I best clean my Aluminum apparatus? .......................................16
How do I best clean my Copper and Brass apparatus?.........................16
How do I wipe marker stains from my hands?........................................16
How do I remove a drawing from a balloon? ...........................................16
How can I build illusions and other stage props on the cheap?.......... 17
What is a cheap reel replacement?............................................................. 17
How can I make my own pull?..................................................................... 17
How can I prevent my rope ends from fraying?...................................... 17
How to attach magnets to rope ends? .......................................................18
Where can I buy these stretchy rubber or silicon sheets? ...................18
Where can I get newspaper that tears easily? ........................................18
How to store and transport silks without having them all wrinkly? ...18
How to make a sponge ball holder? ...........................................................19
How to make your gimmicks flesh color? .................................................19

4
 How can I make paper money flat and crisp? .........................................19
Where can I find a fine invisible wire? .......................................................19
How to make a Nylon thread less visible on stage? ...............................19
How can I avoid dropping my manipulation balls? .................................19
What is the best DIY thumb writer? .......................................................... 20
How can I build a self igniting something?.............................................. 20
How to make billiard balls less slippery?.................................................. 20
What is a good hand lotion to prevent dry hands?................................ 20
How do I keep my coins clean and shiny?............................................... 20
Magic First Aid Kit ...............................................................................................21
Suggested Reading............................................................................................ 22
Where To Go From Here?................................................................................. 23

5
 Introduction
I was raised with a DIY attitude. When I was a boy we were poor by most people’s
standards. We had no car no TV and my brother and I slept in bunk beds in a tiny
room together. My parents taught us to do all kinds of things ourselves. We
collected berries in the forest to make jam. We looked for mushrooms to dry and
eat later in a soup or fry and eat fresh. We kept any scrap of paper and cardboard
to use later to make our own toys or presents for family and friends. We collected
sticks and pine cones and other products of the forest to bring home and build
Christmas ornaments or toys for us to play with. I even learned to knit from my
mother. My father taught us the use of drills, saws and hammers. I have
incredible fond memories of building kites and then letting them fly together.

It is worth to stay a little longer with the kites. The one kite that almost became a
part of the family was Pauli – yes, we gave him a name. He had personality. He
was made from three rigid wooden rods tied together at the center to form a
hexagon. The outside rim was created with a string connecting all rod ends. Over
this framework we put a waxed sturdy piece of packing paper. To blow life into
this kite we attached two little low voltage lamps for the eyes and a battery holder
for two AA batteries. The lamps were connected to the batteries and everything
was fixed to the wooden rods. We flew the kite in the evening and the lamps, the
glowing eyes, looked down on me and seemed to say: “Thanks for giving me eyes.
Now I can see the world from up here.” It was marvelous.

The skills we learned were later applied to build our own storage boxes, toys and
magic props. Probably my biggest DIY project was a so called ‘soap box car’, even
though it was not built from a soap box. It was an intricate wooden framework
over which a fabric was tightened to create a sleek light weight car. It took me
more than a year to build. I only raced it once, but the real lesson and fun was in
building it.

It is not a surprise to me that after all this DIY home education I became an
engineer. Even though I later reinvented myself as an entrepreneur and business
man, I still remain at heart an engineer. I love to build things and tinker around.
This of course extends to magic. There is a lot of money that can be saved if you
are willing to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. You do not need to
have your own workshop to make your own magic gaffs or to replace an
expensive dealer item with something from your hardware store. The right
knowledge and a bit of time is often all you need. I never had my own workshop.
Most of my cutting was done on a box or on stairs or on my knees over a trash
can. I don’t have any drill presses or table saws either. But that has never stopped
me from building things.

In this collection I have compiled bits and pieces, tips and tricks for the magician
that will save you money, time or tell you how to do things you always wondered
how they are done. I have tried to give credit where possible, but I am afraid that

6
for most tips I can’t credit anybody. These have been handed down from one
magician to another, altered changed and updated as they were passed on. If you
know the originator please email me. And if you have any tips to add please
contact me, too.

I would like to collectively say thank you to every DIY magician who directly or
indirectly has contributed to this collection. In particular I would like to single
out my mentor Robert Kaldy-Karo, who is a bit of a MacGyver of magic. Give him
a handful of ‘stuff’ and he will immediately find a dozen magic uses for them.

Chris Wasshuber

wasshuber@lybrary.com

7
 For Cards
What is the best over the counter replacement for
roughing fluid?
In general any clear matte spray coating is worth testing. The ones magicians
have used successfully in the past are: Krylon Matte 1311 spray and Testors matte
finish spray. These can be bought in most art supply stores, home improvement
stores or online. You will have to experiment a little on how much to spray on.
Remember it is always easier to add another layer than to remove coating from a
card.

Probably even cheaper is an unscented hairspray that you borrow from your wife
or girlfriend or find in cheap drugstores or dollar stores.

For effects using roughing fluid check the ‘Card Mysteries employing Diachylon’
section in Encyclopedia of Card Tricks. Diachylon is a lead oxide plaster that is
transparent and acts as adhesive. Today it is best replaced with roughing fluid,
wax or some other form of non-permanent adhesive. Already Hofzinser used
Diachylon in his card magic.

Also check out the Plasti Dip Spray Clear discussed under ‘What is Science
Friction really?’ further below.

What is a cheap source for magician’s wax?

Bees wax, Blu-Tack or Toilet Bowl Wax (the wax seal that is used to seat a toilet).
Take a bees wax candle, light it, and melt wax into a little tin container or some
other small box or receptacle. Some art stores do sell sheets of bees wax. Blu-Tack
is reusable adhesive putty. Also remember that sometimes a double sided tape
can do the same job a pellet of wax does.

Scott Xavier suggests tacky wax available from Hobby Lobby. It is the most sticky
stuff he uses and ideal for card on the ceiling.

New adhesives are being released regularly. Keep your eyes open for new things
to try.

A method used by the late Ted Lesley is a clear Labello lip balsam. An even
simpler substitute is spit. The advantage with lip balsam is that it does not dry
out as fast as spit, sweat or other bodily fluids.

8
What is Science Friction really?

The product sold under the brand name of Science Friction at quite an expensive
price is simply a ‘clear synthetic rubber spray’. The most popular brand in the US
for this type of material is ‘Plasti Dip Spray Clear’. At the time of this writing sold
at a mere $6.90 at Amazon.com and other stores. This rubberizing spray can be
used in similar ways as a roughing spray but only one side of a pair of cards has to
be treated (not both cards as with a classic roughing spray). Even better is to treat
only certain areas of a card and not the entire surface.

The Pasti Dip Spray rubberizes the card and allows any card it touches to adhere
and stay in perfect alignment with the treated card. It is clear and relatively
smooth to the touch and thus very hard to detect. It can also be removed by
rubbing on a corner until the coating starts to roll up at which point it can be
peeled off.

The first published use of such a rubberizing spray was by Kenton Knepper in
Kenton’s Sorcerer Series #2 (2002): Kontrol Kard.

What is a cheap source for fanning powder?

Fanning powder is Zinc Stearate. Some pharmacies sell it. Soaping a deck is an
alternative to fanning powder. Use a Cashmere Bouquet soap. The biggest issue is
that the fragrance of the soap might not be the smell you want for your deck. I
have also heard that people got good results with Talcum powder like in baby
powder. Here again you will most likely have fragrance issues. And Talcum tends
to adsorb moisture and starts to clump which is not what you want.

How do I remove partially or fully the coating of

playing cards?
To fully remove the coating it is best to use some solvent like acetone. For partial
removal or only to slightly roughen the coating use steel wool grade 0000, the
finest grade available, or green Scotch-Brite rubbing pads. Also an abrasive eraser
does work well. You might ask, why remove the coating? There are a number of
reasons to remove the coating of playing cards: to print on them, to glue them
together, to affix rub on transfers, labels or stickers, or to subtly mark cards.

How to glue playing cards together?

One way is to remove the coating (see item above) and then use any glue that
works for cardboard. But removing the coating is a task that can be avoided by
using the right glue. Super Glue works well. Double sided tape works great. The
best, but not the cheapest solution, is to use the Xyron Creative Station with their
permanent adhesive. This machine will coat a card edge to edge with adhesive

9
that bonds playing cards very nicely. A Xyron Creative Station costs $60 and a
permanent adhesive cartridge $18.

How do I split cards?

Entire books and DVDs have been made on that subject, but briefly here are three
techniques:

1. Wet splitting: Soak a card in warm water. Peel the two cardboard layers
apart. Press dry between two sheets of kitchen towel under a heavy book.
This method has two primary disadvantages. The water will change the
spring of the cardboard and the inner dark layer of a card can easily stain
the outside of the card. However, this method is very easy to do.
Alternatively one can split cards over steam from a boiling pot of water.
2. Dry splitting: Tap a corner of the card on the table until it frays. Use
your nail to pry apart the top or bottom layer. Then slowly with the card
flat on the table pull the layers apart. This dry splitting method requires
some practice. Some use a pen or the table edge to help curl one layer away
from the other. A good description can be found in Expert Card Technique
by Jean Hugard and Fred Braue under the heading ‘peeling cards.’
3. Abrasion: Take a flat belt sander and sand away half the card. For best
results create a jig that can hold the card and protect one half of the card
from being sanded away.

How do I glue split cards together?

Different types of glues are commonly used:

1. Elmer’s Rubber Cement: This glue results in a pretty soft card. The card
will have lost its characteristic snap.
2. Permanent UHU glue stick (shows purple at first)
3. Spray adhesive
4. Dry Mount Tissue (DMT): You will need a hot iron besides the DMT. This
is generally considered the best method to glue split cards. It results in
cards with the same characteristic snap and spring as regular cards. One of
the best works written on DMT is The Gaff Factory by Craig Matsuoka.

To achieve perfect alignment of the two card halves you are planning to glue
together do the following. Stick one of the half cards to the table with blue tack,
wax or other temporary adhesive. Stick the other half to a glass panel (or other
translucent material). Now you can see whether the halves are aligned before
lowering the top half on the bottom half and, thanks to the temporary adhesive,
the halves will stay flat and not move while you join and press them together.

10
How do I mark cards?

There are many ways to mark cards but two easy methods are scratch-out and
block-out.

1. Scratch-out: Take a sharp knife, for example a box cutter, and scratch off
with the tip of the knife parts of the back design of a card, turning a
colored part into a white area.
2. Block-out: Take a permanent marker, for example a red Sharpie, and add
to the back design of a red backed card. Most back designs, for example
the common Bicycle back, show an intricate design where you can find
many white spots and areas to paint over. Navy Blue Sharpies typically
match Blue Bicycle cards very well. But it is best to buy all red and blue
shades available and experiment yourself.

Coming up with your own marking system is not that hard. Often it is enough to
mark certain cards, like the four aces, or all the red cards (think “Out of this
World”). For a full system that allows you to recognize all 52 cards from the back
it is best to encode the suit and value separately. Find an area on the card where
you can create three alterations (unaltered is for the fourth suit). Find a second
area where you can code the value. If you want to be even bolder you can write
the card value as a number letter combination on the back, as in 2C for the Two-
of-Clubs. You will have to find a suitable spot on the back design to do that but it
makes reading the cards a lot easier, because no system has to be learned.

There are many other ways to mark cards from juicing to punching to luminous
readers. Perhaps you find your own unique way to mark cards.

How do I check if a deck of cards is marked?

The quickest test is to riffle the cards from both ends and to look for ‘jumping
spots’ on the back. If block-out or scratch-out work has been used this riffle test
will reveal it.

How do I make my own belly strippers?

First you need to decide which cards you want to be able to strip out from the
deck. Let’s assume these are the four aces. Take an Emory board and polish away
a little bit of the edges close to the corners on the long sides of each Ace.
Essentially you are creating a card that is wider in the middle and narrower on
the top and bottom – the card has a ‘belly’. Then take the rest of the cards and
polish away a bit in the middle from both long edges. You are creating the reverse
shape – an hour glass shape – where the cards are narrower in the middle and
standard width on the top and bottom. If you now shuffle the Aces into the rest of
the deck they will be slightly protruding on the long edges allowing you to strip
them out during a cut. Exactly how much you need to polish away is a matter of

11
preference and skill. The more skillful you are the less work do you have to put
into the cards.

What is a good daub?

Daub is a colored powder that is secretly put onto cards to mark them during a
game. It also has obvious magic purposes where you could mark a selected card
to later find it in a shuffled deck. Flesh colored makeup sticks or pads make a
very good daub. If you are married most likely your wife will have more of this
stuff than you’ll ever need. Or as Jean Hugard and Fred Braue recommend in
Expert Card Technique, use water color in the silver shade. Pretty much any
pigment can be used as daub. Experimentation is your best friend.

How do I turn a cardbox into a switching and ditching

device?
Take a look at Jeff Stone’s Prometheus box from his Gemstones DVD. In brief,
you essentially insert a ‘false bottom’ into a cardbox. You cut one of the large top
or bottom panels from a second cardbox and insert it in between the cellophane
and a regular cardbox. This creates a little pocket where you can ditch or switch
out bits of cards and small flat objects. For detailed instructions please refer to
the DVD.

How do I make my own gaffed cards?

Well, this warrants its own publication. I have extensively experimented and
written on that subject. As a starter read my online article How To Make Your
Own Playing Cards. I have also written a six part series on this subject in MUM
starting with the January 2011 issue. At some point I might decide to write a
separate book about it. Here is just a very brief introduction to it:

1. Splitting and gluing: The traditional way to make your own gaffs is to
split cards and then glue different layers back together. This is ideal to
create double backers and double facers, but can also be extended to more
elaborate gaffs.

2. Rub on transfers: Often this is used for marking purposes (see Ted
Lesley marking system). I have also heard that at some point card symbols
and other graphic elements of cards have been made available on rub on
transfers. These could be used to rub on a blank card for example to create
a gaff. But in general this method has very limited use primarily due to the
lack of a good variety of transfers useful to magicians. It also has the
tendency to rub off after moderate use.

3. Labels and stickers: Desktop printers can nicely print out all kinds of
labels. If you find one that has the size of a playing card or larger you can

12
print a card on the label and then stick the label on the face of a card. For
certain special cards this is perfectly fine. Of course, these cards would
hardly pass as regular cards.

4. Printing cards: The holy grail in gaff making is to print your own
cards. Printing gives you the largest design space, because you can print
pretty much anything that comes to mind. It also allows one to make more
gaffs than just a handful. One way is to take a blank card (either double
blank or just blank face), remove the coating with acetone, print on the
card and then coat it to get a smooth surface. To print on a single card you
will need to use a carrier sheet to which you fix the card with non-
permanent adhesive, because most desktop printers cannot feed a single
card – it is too small. The carrier sheet avoids that problem. However, the
much better method is to start with a blank playing card cardboard sheet,
print on it the same way you print on any other sheet of paper, coat the
sheet and then cut it to size. The trick is to know where to buy the blank
playing card cardboard and where to get a clear coat that produces a slick
playing card. The details can be found in my article referenced above.

13
 Non-Card Stuff
Where to get cheap slush powder?

Slush powder is a super-absorbent polymer with a variety of uses. One place to

get it from is from diapers. Cut open an unused baby diaper and you will be able
to harvest slush powder. If you have diaper wearing babies at home, or perhaps
friends with babies, I am sure you can redirect one or two diapers for your magic
purposes – a clean one. Another place to look for is with agricultural supply
stores. Slush powder is used for water retention. Putting slush powder on the
ground will allow more of the rain to be captured than by the soil alone. The slush
powder will then over time release the water prolonging the effect of the rain.

How can I quickly make a flash paper substitute?

Take toilet paper and put some WD-40 on it. WD-40 is a lubricant that comes in
spray cans and is very flammable. However, be aware that this stinks quite badly.

How to create a burning paste?

Use Pattex glue. Smear it thick on a fire resistant substrate. Burns extremely well
and produces only a small amount of smoke. This is ideal if you want to have fire
climb up a pole where it ignites a flash or some other effect. (Many of the fire tips
come directly from Robert Kaldy-Karo who as a fire brigade captain knows fire
better than anybody else I know.)

How to create a fire flash?

Mix Pattex glue with the heads of matches and/or scrape off the material from
match heads. This mixture of Pattex glue and strike heads of matches allows you
to create flashes of various sizes. Always make sure your flammable material sits
on fire resistant material. You don’t want to burn down the house.

What is the cheapest appearing rod?

Go to your nearest hardware store and get a ‘fluorescent light fixture cover.’
These are long clear plastic tubes with a slit running all its length. These covers or
protectors are there to prevent glass shards spilling all over in the event of the
lamp bursting. Open the plastic tube at the slit and roll it up in the perpendicular
direction into a small tight bundle. When you let go of this bundle the plastic
immediately goes back to its original long-rod shape. That is the principle of the
appearing rod illusion. You will have to paint the clear plastic to make it look
more like a solid object. Jeff Stone told me that also ‘plastic shower rod covers’
work well (found at Walmart). The advantage here is that they come in different

14
colors. There might be other plastic covers or packaging products which could
work, too. Keep experimenting.

How can I make my own sponge balls?

The easiest way to turn a piece of foam or sponge into a ball is to soak it in water,
press out excess water, freeze it, and then use sandpaper to shape it the way you
want while it is frozen. Since sponge balls are pretty cheap I wouldn’t recommend
doing this for simple balls, but if you want to create a unique shape for a special
effect, then this is a good method to use. It is best to roughly shape the sponge
with a scissor before freezing, and then use the freeze and sanding technique to
give it the final shape.

How do I keep my cardboard props better looking and

longer lasting?
Use spray adhesive to paste cloth on cardboard. Props made of heavy cardboard
look wonderful if you cover them with black cloth, specifically nylon cloths that
have a glossy finish. And you may also use decorative cloths. They will last longer,
as cloth protects the cardboard. This is basically an adaptation of a technique
used to make hard covers for books.

How can I make loaded dice?

Take a dice made from plastic and set it to show the number you’d like it to show
every time it is rolled. Put it in that position on a metal tray and into the oven at
250 degree Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes. The plastic will soften slightly and
gravity will pull more of the plastic to the bottom making the bottom a bit heavier
than the top. This will make the dice preferentially stop in exactly the position
you put it into the oven. Depending on the dice you might have to bake it longer
or shorter.

What is a good and simple soap bubble formula?

You can find online many recipes for bubble formulas. Most have three
ingredients: liquid soap or dishwashing soap (Joy or Dawn are usually
recommended), water, and optionally some other supporting agent which is often
glycerin, sugar or corn syrup. I think it is more fun to experiment yourself with
different amounts of these ingredients but if you need some starting point, here
are two:

 2/3 cup dishwashing soap

 1 gallon water
 2 to 3 tablespoons of glycerin

15
  1/2 cup of dishwashing liquid
 2 cups of water
 2 teaspoons of sugar

How do I best clean my Aluminum apparatus?

Mix 8 tablespoons of cream of tartar with 8 tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl.
Add about 100ml of white vinegar until you have a soft paste. Then add 4
tablespoons of soap flakes. Store in an 8oz jar with a secure lid and label it. Use
this cleaning paste to clean aluminum. Recipe provided by Chuck Smith.

How do I best clean my Copper and Brass apparatus?

Here is a recipe for a cleaning solution. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Stir in the liquid ingredients and mix well. Transfer the cleaning mixture to a
glass jar. Close the jar tightly and label it. To use the cleaner, shake a small
amount onto a cloth and rub it into the surface of the copper, brass, or bronze
object. Use a toothbrush for hard-to-reach areas. Rinse with water and rub dry
with a clean cloth. Recipe provided by Chuck Smith.

 ½ cup flour
 ½ cup salt
 ½ cup powdered detergent
 ¾ cup white vinegar
 ¼ cup lemon juice

How do I wipe marker stains from my hands?

This comes from Bruce Kalver. Whenever you use permanent markers during
your performance, for example to get a card signed, it is easy to get ink on your
hands or clothes. Cheap hairspray such as Just Wonderful or Aqua Net will
remove marker and make it disappear. Simply spray on your hands or clothes a
generous amount and watch the ink stain dissolve away. Then wash off hairspray
with tap water. (As mentioned earlier hairspray can also be used as roughing
substitute.)

How do I remove a drawing from a balloon?

Another tip from Bruce Kalver. Say you drew a face with a permanent marker on
a model balloon, but you are not happy with it. You can wipe it off by spraying
some deodorant on a napkin, then wipe the marker off the balloon with the
deodorant soaked napkin.

16
How can I build illusions and other stage props on the
cheap?
Traditionally the cheapest way to build an illusion was cardboard. A great start in
this direction is U. F. Grant’s Victory Carton Illusions. However, there is one
other direction you can go – PVC pipes. If you go to your next home improvement
store like Home Depot in the US, go to the plumbing section and there to the aisle
where they have those white PVC pipes. They come in all sizes and most
importantly they come with a large selection of connectors. Particularly useful are
90-degree connectors and any connector with three ends, for example a T-
connector. Combining these connectors with different lengths of straight pipes
allows you to build all kinds of frames for boxes, backdrops, tables, etc. Once you
have a frame made from PVC pipe you can then use fabric, paper and cardboard
to cover the frame wherever you need to. Jim Gerrish has written four volumes of
PVC Pipe & Dollar Store Illusions. (For details see Magic Nook
http://www.magicnook.com.) Another creator to check out for cheap illusions is
Andrew Mayne http://www.andrewmayne.com/.

What is a cheap reel replacement?

Office supply stores sell so called badge reels. If you are lucky your employer
might hand them out. Or you can get them at ski resorts where they are used for
lift tickets. Occasionally you can get them at conventions as corporate giveaways.
If such fortune should strike grab a handful. Your DIY magic friends will
appreciate the gift.

How can I make my own pull?

This comes from Jeff Stone: Glue an Easter egg in the shut position. Spray paint
it black. Poke a tiny hole in the narrow pointed end of the egg (for the elastic).
Cut a bigger hole in the other end of the egg (for the object to be loaded in the
pull). Make the cuts with an exacto knife that you've heated. Also it's a bit easier
to make the cuts before gluing the egg shut and before painting. Before you glue it,
you can work with each piece individually.

A similar suggestion was contributed by Robert Kaldy-Karo. He uses a film roll

container (today these containers are getting rare because everybody uses digital
cameras). A hole is punched into the bottom to allow attachment of the container
to a pull. Depending on the items you want to vanish you might have to first close
the container before you activate the pull.

How can I prevent my rope ends from fraying?

There are several ways to do this. One is to tightly wrap a clear or white tape
around your rope ends. (You could use white duck tape, or white linen tape that
can be found in sports stores.) Even better is to first wrap a wide tape around a

17
rope and then cut right through the center of the tape which will create two nicely
taped rope ends. Another solution is to dip the rope ends into Elmer’s glue (or
any other glue that dries clear or white). If you wanted to permanently fuse two
rope ends together, for example to create a loop, you first dip both ends into
Elmer’s glue and let it dry somewhat but not completely. Once the glue feels dry
to the touch but is still soft you can press the ends together and mold and shape
them with your fingers. Then let the glue dry completely and you have
permanently connected the rope ends. (I found this tip on Aldo Colombini’s Rope
Classics DVD.) Not the cheapest but probably the best solution is to use a product
called “Plasti Dip.” This is a dipping rubber that is primarily used for tool handles.
It comes in different colors and particularly in white and clear. There is also a
‘create your own color’ kit should you work with specially colored ropes. Your
hardware store will most likely stock Plasti Dip, even though they often do not
have the white or clear varieties.

How to attach magnets to rope ends?

Find a chopstick or some other piece of wooden rod and cut off a 1cm piece.
Attach with super glue your magnet to the end of the stick. Then insert the wood-
magnet contraption into a rope end and glue it in place with Elmer’s glue or any
other white or transparent drying glue for wood. Always check the polarity of
your magnets if you want to be able to connect your rope into a loop.

Where can I buy these stretchy rubber or silicon

sheets?
These sheets are called dental dam or rubber dam. The cheapest place to get
them is to ask your dentist for one or two. Most likely he will simply give you
some for free. Or look for a dental supply company. One that is operating
internationally is Henry Schein. Also chemical laboratories use these sheets as
covers. Some people have a latex allergy so it is best to get the latex free varieties.
And when you do the coin penetrating the rubber sheet trick think about the
genius that is Lubor Fiedler who created this and many other miracles.

Where can I get newspaper that tears easily?

Collect newspaper and store it for a few weeks in a dry place. This makes
newspaper much easier to tear than fresh one.

How to store and transport silks without having them

all wrinkly?
Take a cardboard packaging tube and cover it with a self adhesive fabric. Roll
your silks over this tube. Your silks will stay flat and smooth without wrinkles.

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How to make a sponge ball holder?

Take a needle and attach a thread to it. The other end of the thread is tied onto a
safety pin. Stick the needle into the sponge ball. Attach the safety pin on the
inside of your coat such that the sponge ball hangs close to your jackets lower
edge. It is now a simple matter to pull the sponge ball from the needle into your
hand.

How to make your gimmicks flesh color?

The obvious solution is to paint them in flesh color. But there is an even better
and often simpler way to go about. Take flesh color medical tape and cover your
gimmick with it. This will not just produce a nice flesh color gimmick but will also
make the gimmick much easier to handle and palm, because the surface has a
texture due to the tape and is not smooth.

How can I make paper money flat and crisp?

Dampen your wrinkled bills and iron them (not too hot) with a cloth iron until
they are nice and flat.

Where can I find a fine invisible wire?

Look for a broken little electric motor, the ones you can find in toys or other
gadgets with a motor. Open the motor and remove the wire from the rotor (the
inner part that moves). This wire is usually very thin. Paint it black with a
permanent marker and you are ready to use this wire to make invisible loops to
pick up or pull out a variety of items.

How to make a Nylon thread less visible on stage?

To be able to float heavier objects you also need a thicker Nylon thread. Take
sandpaper and roughen the surface of the Nylon thread. Then use black
permanent marker and paint the entire surface black. This reduces the sheen
untreated Nylon threads produce. You can also try to paint the thread in a dashed
pattern black, not entirely black. This helps to visually break up the appearance of
the thread and makes it less visible on stage.

How can I avoid dropping my manipulation balls?

If you tend to sweat you might have difficulties with a ball manipulation act. Use
golfer grip spray to turn your hands into ‘ball magnets’. A light coat on your
hands is all you need.

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What is the best DIY thumb writer?

You need a thumb tip and a writing utensil. A good lead to use is Liston. Liston
lead can be gotten from auto supply stores and is used for writing on auto parts,
or you can get it from restaurant supply stores for writing on china. Simply cut
the writing instrument using a knife and use hot glue to affix it to the thumb tip.
If using a pencil, cut the pencil at the sharpened tip, approximately 1 and 1/4 inch
from the tip.

How can I build a self igniting something?

Potassium permanganate and glycerin cause a volatile reaction. If you roll a
match head size amount of potassium inside tissue paper, and add a dab of
glycerin to the match head it will ignite. Do not use your finger to dab the glycerin
on as it will burn you.

How to make billiard balls less slippery?

This is a tip from Celeste Evans. She would coat her billiard balls with rubber
cement and let it dry....they then had a mild sticking quality that helped NOT
dropping them.

What is a good hand lotion to prevent dry hands?

First off, before you start putting stuff on your hands you need to think about
things NOT to put on your hands. Some soaps, shampoos and other household
chemicals can dry out your skin in no time. The best soap to use is a pH neutral
soap – that is a soap with a pH value of 7. When you wash your hands always
carefully dry them. Water left on your skin is another sure way to destroy your
skin. Once you have taken care of these basics and you still have dry hands you
can try out a range of lotions. Some use Vagisil – perhaps not the first choice for
most, but it supposedly works miracles.

How do I keep my coins clean and shiny?

One easy and readily available solution is an old tooth brush and toothpaste. All
the other usual household cleaners like vinegar and baking soda will help, too. If
you have copper coins try to put them into Coca-Cola or any other bubbly drink
over night.

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 Magic First Aid Kit
Here are some items you should try to have always around (in your car, in your
brief case, in your performance case). These items can help you get out of a tough
situation, when you have forgotten something, or a gimmick broke, or you are
facing an unusual performing environment.

 Bulldog clips: stands for cards; holders for body loads.

 Wire hanger or piece of sturdy wire: loosen jammed loads; improvise a
microphone holder; hold things together; prevent things from rolling; and
many more applications.
 Duct Tape 1 : There are people who make entire dresses out of Duct Tape. I
myself have made wallets, tool holders, and pen cases from it. Even books on
nothing but items made from Duct Tape can be bought. I have not yet seen an
entire act based on Duct Tape, but probably now that I have written this down
here somebody will create one. If you do please contact me. Overall this is
probably the most useful single item to have around, not just for a magician
but in general.
 Scotch tape: Whenever Duct Tape is too thick.
 Safety pins: To attach a holder to the inside of your jacket.
 Small sewing kit: For the loose button or the tear in your dress or silks.
 Spot remover: Keep your dress and silks neat and clean.
 Small towel: Will help you keep your hands dry and free from sweat before
you go out on stage.
 Small pair of pliers, Tweezers, or a small multi tool like a Swiss
Army knife or a Leatherman
 Steel wool, sandpaper, crocus cloth: Sharpen the tip of your needle for
Needle through balloon; sand the edges of your cards for better faro shuffles;
 Rubber bands: hold things together and for magic tricks (crazy man’s
handcuffs)
 Velcro spots: fix a topit; keep a pocket closed.
 Small magnets: for makeshift holders and servantes; to pinch two pieces of
cloth or paper together; to put on a stick and search for lost pins in hard to
reach places; to stop a watch (mentalism effect)
 Reusable adhesive: Elmer's Poster Tack, Blu-Tack, wax, double sided tape;
chewing gum, etc.
 Ziploc bags: protect your props from rain water or humidity.

1A good Duct tape info and resource page is

http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/ducttape.htm

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 Suggested Reading
 Road Warrior by Randy Pryor:
http://www.randypryor.com/pages/products.html

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 Where To Go From Here?
If you walk through life with open eyes and an open mind you will discover all
kinds of magical uses of household items and things you see around you.
Schedule some leisure time to slowly walk through a dollar store, a hardware
store like Home Depot or an office supply store. You are bound to find something
useful. Even just checking on the latest glues or clips and binders can give you
new ideas and open new possibilities.

Don’t fear failure and experiment often. Many of the things I try fail. My
notebooks are filled with crazy and wild ideas that miserably failed. That is part
of the fun and essential to learning. Once in a while you will discover something
new which will be reward for all the failures that came before.

Reflect on every performance, think through things that can go wrong

beforehand and how you can avoid or address such issues.

Keep a notebook to write down ideas, findings and facts. And even more
important than writing in your notebook is to go back and read your old entries.
Revisit them and see if what you have learned allows you to improve and give
new life to an old idea.

Keep a box of interesting materials and items. When you are stuck with a
problem, take out the box and rummage through the pieces. Think about how the
items in your box relate to your problem. Occasionally they will spark an idea and
break a mental stalemate.

Do share your ideas with other DIY enthusiasts. Online forums are a great way to
find likeminded magicians to collaborate and brainstorm with. And you can
always email me.

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