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Actually, it's not that easy to cut the rounded corners by hand and make sure that they're tidy enough to not be noticed against the normal cards. If you're working professionally and close up then precision is what is needed, not best attempt.

Cutting and trimming cards sound much easier than it actually is unless you've built up the experience.

agree

Ok, try this. Take 3 or 4 playing cards, stick them together, and trim 1mm (or as much you want) off the bottom. Line up a playing card next to it, and trim round the top with scissors...

The thickness of the 3 or 4 cards will (when you get the hang of it) stop cutting into them. You'll end up with short cards in seconds.

~Sym~

dat8962 wrote:Actually, it's not that easy to cut the rounded corners by hand and make sure that they're tidy enough to not be noticed against the normal cards.

I'm guessing that cheap, metal nail files and elbow grease are called a labour of love in the right circles.

Tomo - are you serious with this suggestion of using a nail file on card edges?

I've just given this a good try with a deck of old bikes and a nail file from a Swiss army knife and the results are horrendous. I've tried a single card and four cards at a time and if you've really had success with this then please share the secret. The file spoils the outer layers of the cards so much that a laymen could spot them a mile off.

It's also all well and good trying to cut around the corner of another card as a template but the rotation of the scissors will usually mean that the cuts are not perfectly rounded and therefore easily spotted.

The thickness of the 3 or 4 cards will (when you get the hang of it) stop cutting into them. You'll end up with short cards in seconds

Can you elaborate on this a little more please.

'I'm guessing that cheap, metal nail files and elbow grease are called a labour of love in the right circles.'

LOL!

It is amazing how a monotonous question can turn into an amusing and intriguing discussion....

Too true

I've tried various methods of making short cards myself in the past and all without being even close to the success that I was trying for. I've tried scissors, scalpels, razor blades and the success rate has been poor so I'm speaking with some experience.

Fortunately I've found a commercial printer that cuts a few decks at a time for me, and in an instant. The precision is amazing when they can stack 2 or 3 decks, one on top of the other, line them up with a lazer and the guillotine melts through like a hot knife through butter.

Seriously though, use a proper cosmetic nail file, don't hack away at the cards, go slowly and carefully, bevel into the edge once filed and wax the tiny fibres flat.

'tried various methods of making short cards myself in the past and all without being even close to the success that I was trying for'

Exactly...

Supposing I had the time to sit down and file and cut hundreds of cards and make them look professional like the manufactured cards, well then at least I could say 'I don't waste my evenings.'

J

Surely theres somewhere that just sells the short cards fairly cheaply!! It just sounds like waaay too much effort than just waiting a couple of days for your pre-cut cards to arrive in the mail! Ignore me if there isn't such a shop!

dat8962 wrote:

The thickness of the 3 or 4 cards will (when you get the hang of it) stop cutting into them. You'll end up with short cards in seconds

Can you elaborate on this a little more please.

Yes. Stick the 4 playing cards back to back. Once this has set, sand off about 1mm from the bottom edge of the cards. Now if you place a regular card on top of the "pile", and place the "sanded" edge of the 4 on the table, the regular card will be 1mm taller. Secure them in this way, with elastic band or similar. Now the 3 or 4 cards stuck together can be used as a pattern to cut the top of this card off, by resting the SIDE of the scissors against the thickness of the 4 cards. You with me?

~Sym~

I am now and I'll give this a try at the weekend. Thanks for the response.

To answer Trickyricky, you're right and this is the question that started this post off if you go right back to the beginning. What we're now debating is a veriety of methods if you wanted to DIY.

I have to agree that it's much easier and time saving to buy them but then you know us , always looking to take things to the max.

I've found that making short cards yourself is more often than not more rewarding, as each different type of card may have subtle differences in the backing patterns or the style of the front of the cards.


Tips on how I make a short card:

1. In making a short card, it is advisable to cut both sides of the card, which nullifies the distance differential from the edge of the card to the index on either side. The egde of a card which has its index very close by can look suspicious.

2. Lining up two cards and holding them on their long ends (like a bidle grip of sorts) allows the cards to be aligned perfectly like a perfectly squared deck. Sliding the top-most card down just a tad followed by taping the sides of the cards allows one to trim the top of the bottom-most card using the shape of the top card as a guide. Repeat the same procedure for the other side (as per the reasoning of No. 1). Edit: I've just realised Symtal gave a similar tip without my realising. It is still advisable -- in my opinion -- to use only one card for a guide as it maximises control over the magnitude of the cut.

2. Alternatively to using a card to line up the cut, a straight-edge, such as a ruler, can be taped to the card. Cutting the card on both sides makes adjusting the corners of the card quite easy as the corner has not been altered much on either side.

4. When cutting a short card, the differential in height to that of a normal card should be visually indistinguishable apart from lining up the cards under close examination. The cut should be no longer than one milimetre in total for both sides. This allows for quick discovery of the short card's locating via a riffle on the short end of the cards while being visually indetectable by the spectators.


A note regarding short cards:

I often feel guilty using gaffs of any sort, much more so with playing cards. I recommend the use of short cards only for tricks already requiring gimmicks with the cards used or for specific tricks for use on stage where angles with the audience can be an "issue".

The short card can also be useful to the beginning magician who is not quite confident with breaks and the like.

The short card can do that nifty pick-a-card-you-see-as-I-riffle-though-the-deck trick that I believe David Blaine did. A lot of practice is needed for that trick, as it is hard to judge how much time the spectator really needs to see their card.

JP.Magic wrote:Supposing I had the time to sit down and file and cut hundreds of cards and make them look professional like the manufactured cards, well then at least I could say 'I don't waste my evenings.'

Hundreds? Jeez... what are you doing with them?

There are numerous tricks/routines with the aid of short cards...

J