talkmagic.co.uk

The Effect

This isn't effect at all but a fingertip moistener which as the blurb on the tub says 'The easy Clean way to get a grip, A salve to rub in until dry, helps to manipulate playing cards, etc'.



Cost

£5.50 from cards4magic



Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

As long as you can rub it into your fingers without getting it in you eyes then you'll be ok with the difficulty.

Review

I kept finding that during certain conditions my grip whilst performing would be a complete hindrance. There is nothing worse than trying a erdnase change, glide or a hot shot cut and not being able to move a card with precision so I decided to give this stuff a shot and see how much it helps.
Hygienic sort kwik slave comes in a pocket sized round 3inch diameter tub filled to the brim with a solid pink solid waxy substance on which the surface feels greasy to the touch. Once you apply a small covering on to your finger tips, heel of the palm....hell anywhere you need grip you then rub it in til it goes dry and then you are ready to go.
When first trying this out your fingers do feel kind of tacky and you wonder to yourself whether you will be leaving a residue on your cards but to this date I haven't found it to be the case.
'Yes, get on with it' I hear you yell 'Does it work?' The short answer to that is yes and it does it very well indeed.
I have recently been working on the hot shot cut and was finding the card wasn't spinning out of the deck very far but as soon as I applied this stuff I shot it across the room.
In a work enviroment one application on sort kwik should keep your hands full of friction for a good few performances maybe re-applying every half hour or so depending how stubborn your hands are in the greasy slidey department.
I for one have this permenantly in my close up box and is the last thing I apply before going out to the masses to show them my cheap brand of entertainment.

Overall

I wouldn't be without it now but haven't tried other brands which might be better but I give it a 9/10

In the same vein, there is an alcohol based hand sanitiser with moisturisers in very small bottles (£1 from asda) that leaves your hands in great condition for handling cards, great for walk around as it dries super quick and a small application after every table should keep your props in good condition longer. Nurses use something similar on a belt clip with an elasticated pull which I have used as a make shift vanisher a few times!!

Greedoniz, would sortkwik help keep a coin in classic palm..

I have found that when my hands are sweaty or just hot, when I put a coin in classic palm position and just turn the hand over, its really easy to attain the grip I need.

However, as I dont sweat much normally, when I try this the coin just slips out as my hands are relatively dry and I have sourced this to be the issue, so I have to push the coin into classic palm to get the grip.

Can you see sortwkwik being of help here?

Nice review by the way

Thanks ID

I would say a resounding yes to that query. The salve itself is Hygroscopic which means it has the ability to attract water molecules from the surrounding environment through either absorption or adsorption.
Thus creating a dry surface which creates oodles of grip. Just to note your hands don't end up dry like naturally dry hands which can also be too frictionless.

beautiful because that is my one holdback in coin magic.. my classic palm can sometimes be a classic distaster depending on how dry my palms are.. its hit and hope at times..

gonna get me some of this.. well.. ill have to ask first

Let me know what you think when you get it....and remember if you have to ask when buying magic then this is a hand balm not a magic effect

I've never found Sortkwik good for coins, although I use it for cards all the time.

But if you go to a music shop and get some violin rosin and rub the edges of your coins into the stuff, the coins will virtually stick to your palms.

Suddenly classic palming is dead easy!

got ya!!

The wife would rather me buy paint for the walls or a new fence, or get the damp proof sorted than buying magic .. cant think why

violin rosin.. hhmm..

And I promised Id buy good with money from now on!!

Violin rosin is only about a couple of quid.
Cheaper than Sorkwik in this country *
Lasts forever too......


* Unless you buy it from David Roth, who also uses it.

Does violin rosin work for card handling too?

Be careful with the rosin. Use sparingly on the coin edges. Too much and any on the face of the coins will mean that you have a perfect CP but won't be able to release the coins at all.
David Roth recommends this and apparently now sells his own at his lectures.

I have been doing coin work for a few years now and had the classic palm mastered, but it wasn't easy. I discovered this stuff a few weeks ago after asking for advice on grip for card work from your good selves, as I have extremely dry skin. The site Cards4Magic actually do three types, Elite Magicians Hand Lotion, Manipulation Lotion and Sortkwik. They all do pretty much what the say on the tin, with my preference being the Elite lotion, the first two are liquid the Manipulation Lotion in a droplet bottle and the Elite in a handy spray bottle. They are around the same price, with the Elite coming in a larger bottle ( 4oz - 2oz app). I have found the liquids to be slightly more effective and boy do they help coin work. I got them originally for cards but they are a real asset for coins too, especially classic palm with the slightest contraction the coin is held very securely. Putting wax on coins is a good tip, I think even Mr. Roth recommends it, but in an impromptu situation.........
Anyhoo I.D. you should give this stuff a go you will not regret it, and if your not happy with it I'll give you the money meself

ID, for coins try gorilla snot. it's a gripping agent for drummers, but used by a fair few magicians. great name too.

magicforfun wrote:Does violin rosin work for card handling too?

No, it's too sticky.
Put any on your cards and you won't be able to put them down!