talkmagic.co.uk

Thanks Tenko, very much like the advice offered by the first person to reply to the original posting.

I appreciate the detail on fanning powder. I've never used it, and simply wanted to know the benefit of doing so. As the name suggests it would seem that it is really only effective for flourish work.

Thanks again.

Fanning powder? To extend the life of cards?

Poppycock.

Fanning powder will basically smother your cards in a layer of what I can only describe as talc. The benefits for fanning are that the powder helps the cards stick together.

The powder will render the deck useless for most basic card sleights, and it won't help keep the edges clean.

If you're of a stingy persuasion, and buy one deck per-year, just follow the advice given of keeping your hands clean and only use the cards on clean surfaces.

To keep cards nice and flat, I use a card guard—a simple piece of stainless steel which holds the deck in compression in a flat position. Sounds hokey, but its' fabulous.

The only other advice I would give is to keep your old cards for practice, keep your best for performance.

Okay, fanning powder is a no no. Thanks seige, and everyone else who has contributed.

Agree with the card guard. I use a card clip from Joe Porper. Its expensive, but IMHO its the best on the market.

Agree with washing your hands, and that does mean regularly. During practice its probably about every half hour for me, but it depends on skin type.

Another tip is to use a closeup pad, and then to keep the closeup pad clean using a lint roller.

I've seen a number of posts about the best place to buy cards in bulk, so obviously people are doing that. What I'd like to know is how long do people keep a pack for before it becomes necessary to replace?

aporia wrote:I've seen a number of posts about the best place to buy cards in bulk, so obviously people are doing that. What I'd like to know is how long do people keep a pack for before it becomes necessary to replace?

Because most of what I do involves card destruction (signed cards, ripping cards, creating gaffs, mercury folds etc.) I tend to kill one deck a day, if I'm going wild.

Then again, most weeks, I only put about 3 or 4 nights in.

I don't like 'seconds' cards! I tend to always go for Bikes.

Every month or so, I can make a few full decks from all the 'donor' decks that have cards missing.

Average, about 20 decks a month currently.

Oh, and by the way, I'm not a performer, just a dabbler

Now thats dedication.

....and that's just dabbling. Blimey

I just find I have loads of old decks lying around everywhere that I dont wish to throw away but are knackered and have several cards missing, torn or signed. Now what do you do with those.

greedoniz wrote:I just find I have loads of old decks lying around everywhere that I dont wish to throw away but are knackered and have several cards missing, torn or signed. Now what do you do with those.

Sounds like an opportunity for some Mercury fold practise to me. I also use these to try out new ideas for gaffing. Is gaffing a verb?

EDIT: Intransitive/Gerund ... oh where is my english teacher when I need her?

Actually, and interestingly... the two most destructive 'practice' moves I can think of are the Mercury fold and 'Torn' effects.

Therefore, I suppose I *could* use bulk cards for those

A list of things which 'kill' cards almost to the point of uselessness...

Mercury fold
Torn & restored
Card warp
Linking card effects (in fact, choose a Paul Harris effect and you've pretty much killed a card
Signing cards
Rough & Smooth-ing cards for ideas
Making 'sticky' cards
Corner or edge shortening
Deep crimps
Excessive springing
Spinning (corner killer )
Shimming
Splitting

I guess the list goes on. All the more reason to keep a good supply in!

Bleh, I'm not a full time performer so I don't need to spend so much on decks. I use a deck for around a month or so. I like to use Tally's. They just generally feel better IMO.

I just ordered a Porper clip so hopefully that will make my decks last longer!

Not often that I can contribute to posts on cards so this makes a pleasant change for me

Fanning powder, in my experience ONLY helps you fan an older deck more effectively. If it did anything more, it would be called something different than fanning powder.

I can also go through a deck a day if I'm performing but rarely are randomly chosen cards the same. I usually put the used deck to one side and then make up full decks from the part decks that are left. These then become my practice decks.

I've never bothered with a card clip and just keep the cards in their box which I keep flat in a room with an average temperature, not in direct sun light or next to a radiator. I always have clean hands (a bit of a phobia for me ) and have never had any problems with cards or noticed anything about their life expectancy.

As soon as they start to look grubby then replace them.

Hmmm my decks seem to last for ages! I guess my hands are pretty dry alot of the time and I never get sweaty palms (have to lick my hand to do an erdnase colour change ). I think it just depends on the user doesn't it really.

Sure Does!

What Seige considers as worn out, you may consider as almost new

I use talcon powder for my hands when using cards, however try to use it as littles as possible as it will dry out your hands.

As this thread is called 'worn cards' I saw an ad today in a magazine (which I've left at work) for a routine called 'Crushed Cards' that uses your old and worn decks.

I'll dig out a link and post tomorrow but thought it worth mentionning just in case anyone else has seen it.