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I was wondering if anyone can tell me where to buy the best TTs?

Most ones I have are too hard and very difficult to slip off quickly and easily and a lot of them are no where near realistic or near my own skin colour, I have quite large thumbs and paleish skin, anyone know where the best ones are?

I am not going to say a word, as I was banned for a year from another forum for daring to mention realistic TT's...

It depends what you want to use it for. For bi** swi***es, a hard one is best. It can be done with a soft one, but to work smoothly some types have to be altered. The softer ones offer more in the way of naturalness of hand positions while palming, or for certain moves, due to their ''compressible'' nature.

I use the standard Vernet, which is a close match to my skin tone and fits correctly.

jim

Thanks for the advice, will take a look at those oh and not for B*** S*******

I like the semi-hard ones..... Vernet make good ones, I use mine all the time. Never liked the normal solid ones, they are absolutely huge!

Seeing as nobody is supposed to see the TT, why does it need to be realistic? If they see it, you are not using it properly.

realistic TT just gives you the extra bit of confidence.With correct handling it will go unnoticed. Important is the size of the TT. It must not go over the knu***e, just over the n**l is correct. Just gotta try out a few to find the one right for you.

I hope i wont get banned

Kaala

kaala wrote:realistic TT just gives you the extra bit of confidence.With correct handling it will go unnoticed. Important is the size of the TT. It must not go over the knu***e, just over the n**l is correct. Just gotta try out a few to find the one right for you.

I hope i wont get banned

Kaala

If this thread is a problem, then the mods do please remove it!

But Kaala you have solved where I am going wrong

bmat wrote:Seeing as nobody is supposed to see the TT, why does it need to be realistic? If they see it, you are not using it properly.

Well one I have is no where near my skin tone, so that might be noticed, the other one it's very difficult to slip on and off quickly and without a struggle. So I need a new and better one I think.

Jack94 wrote:

bmat wrote:Seeing as nobody is supposed to see the TT, why does it need to be realistic? If they see it, you are not using it properly.

Well one I have is no where near my skin tone, so that might be noticed, the other one it's very difficult to slip on and off quickly and without a struggle. So I need a new and better one I think.

It could be purple and red with silver stripes, if used correctly it won't matter, the TT was never meant to be an invisible prop. It was designed to be a prop to use invisibly. Matching skin tone will give you extra confidence which is a good thing. Using it correctly will also help.

Size is what is important. If it is too tight, and is a varnet TT you can try dropping it in boiling water and while it is warm try to make it bigger, (obviously don't stick your thumb in it to enlarge it seconds after you take it out of boiling water...then you will have other issues). Or you can try heating it with a blow dryer. Or simply get a bigger (wider) one.

Here are a few tips you may try, (yes pun is intended)

1) Just because it is called a TT does not mean it has to go on the thumb.

2) When on the thumb, don't show your thumb. So don't go giving the 'thumbs up sign' it looks stupid and you are challenging your audience. Why would you do that?

3) TTs have the advantage of being really easy to finger palm. think about it. A Ramsey subtelty with a TT is a thing of beauty.

4) TT is a tool, not an effect, don't end with a vanish, make something happen. If you end with the vanish the audience is wondering where the object went, you create a puzzle not a sense of wonder, bring something back, change it into something else. Do something to bring it back full circle. Create wonder, not puzzles.

Gary Darwin's DVDs on the TT are really good. They're pretty expensive for what you get effects wise, but the little hints and tips are really helpful.

Definitely worth considering rather than spending a lot on realistic TTs.

Having said that, I'm not against realistic TTs. I don't own one, but I think if it's possible to get a TT that is less detectable and opens up more possibilities then I'm all in favour of using one. It's all about effect not method, as they say.

I use a plain ol' semi-hard Vernet TT for effects that are done at a distance of at least 5 or 6 feet.

Generally speaking, you want to only have the TT in play when needed. When it is in play, you want to keep it pointed at the specs when specifically showing the hands empty and you want to keep the thumb behind the hand when it's down to your side or if you are gesturing while pattering. Gesturing while pattering is a subtle convincer that you are not hiding something. Your hands should mirror each other while gesturing.

I use Jay Scott Berry's Eclipse Tip for my plastic cup and napkin Chop Cup routine because there is a ton of heat on my hands the entire performance and it is often done on the table that the specs are sitting at. I forfeit the two aforementioned "rules" of the TT by having it in play the entire routine and having to use my hands in every which way. This is ok with me because I do not wear the TT in the traditional way. I intentionally wear it much lower (like most beginners do by mistake) because I only need it to hold the m****t. The Eclipse Tip is also pretty lifelike looking including a detailed nail and finger prints. It's color nearly matched mine. I wear a thumb ring and the TT sildes all the way down to it so I end up with TT tone, silver band and my skin tone. The band just breaks up the change in the two flesh colors. Obviously this may not work for everyone but it's worth mentioning. It is softer than the Vernet so it is able to bend which is nice because I'm wearing it over the knuckle. The Eclipse Tip also has a nifty feature that allows you to produce and vanish silks, spongeballs, etc. more easily and naturally looking that the traditional TT. I do not utilize it for the Chop Cup but it is a nice feature. The Eclipse Tip is only a dollar or two more than a normal TT so unless you need a hard TT, Eclipse Tip may be the way to go.

I have not purchased one of the high dollar lifelike TTs but did research them before deciding to use the Eclipse Tip. A common complaint that I came across is that the siliconish-like material that they are made out of is sticky on the inside of the TT. Enough so that bill switched and the like were a huge PITA to do. I remember one guy saying that he shoved a normal TT into his high dollar TT as a liner. I can only imagine how "lifelike" a thumb that's 4 inches wide really looks...

.robb. wrote:Generally speaking, you want to only have the TT in play when needed. When it is in play, you want to keep it pointed at the specs when specifically showing the hands empty and you want to keep the thumb behind the hand when it's down to your side or if you are gesturing while pattering. Gesturing while pattering is a subtle convincer that you are not hiding something. Your hands should mirror each other while gesturing.

Adding on to this- when used for the traditional handlings of the traditional tricks, the window of opportunity for the specs to see the TT is very small when you think about it. Most of the classics work one of two ways:

1.) Paper switch or vanish: TT is rung in. Paper item(s) provide cover for the TT as it's feature is utilized. TT is palmed or put back on. TT is ditched.

2.) Pour: TT is rung in. TT transferred to palm. Item is poured. TT put back on. TT is either ditched or more commonly the steps are reversed to make the granules/liquid/whatever reappear.

The TT is in play for a very short period and most of that time is spent easily concealed.

Not only that but the best ditch, IMO, is under so much misdirection that "it doesn't matter if you're dropping an elephant or a TT in your pocket at this point (Gary Darwin)." Picture yourself performing with the TT. The tricks* that you have performed have happened within your natural arms length and in front of your chest/shoulder area. You're hands have been mirroring each other during your patter. You're faced head on with your specs so you've developed a trust and familiarity with them via eye contact. You've done the dirty work for the vanish- all you have to do is milk the reveal and make the ditch. You now break their comfort zone. You turn to your right side- breaking the eye contact. Your left hand goes up in the air, crossing your body, in a tossing motion- breaking the mirrored hands. Your head follows the left hand motion to further sell the gesture. It is vital that whatever your magic word or patter is at this point does not engage the specs directly. You do not want to give them any reason whatsoever to be looking back at you. You sure as hell don't want to use a question such as, "Did you see it go?" If you do so, they will almost always instinctively look at you just to acknowledge that they heard the question. The few that don't will look at you almost immediately anyway to either answer your question and wait for an explanation. At this point, God and everybody should be looking where you are looking. Ditch the TT to a pocket or wherever, so long as it's on the right side of your body. Not only have you provided a mother load of misdirection, you have also set up a physical barrier using nothing more than the position of your body to protect your ditch from someone who didn't buy into your misdirection. IMO, you should not bring your left hand and head back to the starting position until the ditch has been made. Nor should you udder another line of patter. It's usually best to not be the first to say something after the vanish. Let the specs "Oooooh and Aaaahhhh!" and enjoy the moment. When you reset your position, you want to move your head, left arm and rotate your body all in one smooth motion because you now want to work on getting that comfort zone back, assuming you're moving on to the next phase of a routine. Pick up your patter where it left off and start the hand mirroring again. If all went well, you've got them conditioned. Use it to your advantage.

*I almost went down another bunny trail but will say that, like anything else, avoid over using the TT in a string of effects. Not only that but avoid using it in conjunction with effects that may done with a TT even if you chose another method.

As bmat said above, do not challenge the specs. It seems to be common sense advice that most only take at it's face value. It goes deeper than that, especially in regards to patter. bmat pointed out a common abuse and that is effects with a TT being presented more as a puzzle than an act of magic. Another abuse is indirectly challenging specs by talking too fast and matching it with jerking movements. This gives the vibe of a hustle or scam taking place. The majority of the time, you are one ahead when using the TT. Once the dirty work (minus the ditch) is done, milk the performance aspect for all that it's worth. When the revelation is made... let it happen! LET THE MAGIC HAPPEN!

Argh, that's such a pet peeve of mine. So many magicians don't give each piece of magic their due impact, especially in a multi-phase/reveal trick. Copperfield's Grandpa's Aces is a great example of doing it right. Once you see that the first Ace has vanished from it's packet, everyone and their cat knows that is what is going to happen to the rest of the packets. Yet each vanish is given it's own moment. Then comes the revelation of the Aces. Again, once the first is flipped over then you know what's coming next yet anticipation actually builds to the 3rd and final Ace being slowly turned over. Anyway, rant for another thread.

Ahhh the old 'My TT needs to match my skin tone exactly' thing.

Ask what one of the things that can drive a magic shop worker to bounce off the nearest wall in a fit of frustration and it's this. So many customers moan that a TT doesn't match exactly their skin tone!

It matters not one jot.

To prove my point I then employ a cheeky technique taught to me. I vanish a silk and then say 'Did you see the TT?', when the customer says no I show I have in fact used a Black African TT. And I really have.

The TT is never spotted, no matter what colour or texture it has, as long as the proper techniques are practised and then used. That's the important thing. Not how the utility device looks, but how it is used.

As mentioned by other clever sausages in this topic, Vernet TTs are the way to go. Most places sell them for £3.50. Bargain.

When choosing a TT make sure you check the longer ones which can carry a larger load. They're equally invisible!