talkmagic.co.uk

After looking high and low for a gimmicked box that does what I need it to, I have given up, and I'm planning to make my own.

However, one of the components I need is some sponge, not like bathroom sponge, but like the uniform dense sponge that spongeballs are made from only black annd not a ball. It needs a flat side, so maybe a cube of it would do the trick. Basically it just needs to be big enough for me to make the shape i need from it. Does anywhere sell just sponge, or is it only available in pre shaped props? Because if I have to make my own sponge as well it's going to get REALLY complicated.

-Stacy

Boots chemist, Superdrug and some other chemists will sell sea sponge. You can always dye the sponge before/after shaping

In my experience, sponges for the bathroom lack the uniform density needed.

-Stacy

Cheap sponge yes, but if you look hard enough in these stores you will find what you need. They've been the source for ages for many a magi. Alternatively you could look at getting packaging sponge used to protect fragile items in transit.

Goshman make their own sponge, I think.

Could you use, say, latex foam and airbrush it? (I suggest testing the foam first, then seeing if you can colour it). You can get square makeup sponges.

This place does grey cubes of foam: http://www.thefoamshop.co.uk/product/40 ... -FOAM-CUBE

I think it will be like the foam you get in furniture, but that will have a nice uniform density. The postage costs might be a bit steep, though.

As well as the packaging foam Jordan suggested, maybe look at acoustic foam.

I suspect it will cost quite bit to get hold of foam from these places, but sometimes you have to shell out and try, if you really want to make a prop. I remember Ted Lesley's rolls of elastic that he discussed on one of his L&L DVDs. As I recall, he had to order hundreds of metres in order to get the relatively small amount he needed.

search on line packaging suppliers for for Pick and pluck foam. This is the black flat dense sponge you find in electrical component boxes, that is made out of hundreds of small squares of sponge.

they also sell other versions of the black sponge.

[quote="Part-Timer]I think it will be like the foam you get in furniture, but that will have a nice uniform density. [/quote]

Could always tear apart an old cushion from a sofa

Your suggestion to widen my gaze to muggle applications of sponge seems to have paid off, and my need for black sponge has been in my favour as there are polishing sponges for cars that come in big (5" diameter, which is plenty) black fine sponge. It's hard to tell the shape because they're pure black (which is sort of the reason I wanted black in the first place) but the silhouette suggests they're rounded cylinders, with a flat bottom, which is ideal.

And only £2.75!

-Stacy

Upholstery suppliers sell dense foam for cushions and seating - they might even let you have offcuts for a very nominal sum.

I am starting to think you are obsessed with sponge.

This isn't even for a sponge routine. It's a prop for a ring and string routine.

-Stacy