talkmagic.co.uk

Some time ago I bought an effect which used the R&S principle but the work was so awful that only tiny portions of the cards had been treated. The R&S side of things didn't work very well and, along with some other minor moans and groans, I mentioned all this to the supplier. His reply was that it should all still work as only a small area needs the R&S. I was gobsmacked, many of the cards had received no treatment and the guy's only advice was to treat them myself as it doesn’t last forever and I'd have to treat them at some point anyway. I declined this offer and insisted on a full refund which, to be fair, I got very promptly. The point being that these were Bikes and from a very reputable dealer (no names, no pack drill!) but the quality was awful. His supplier had worked in some very poor quality 'Friday afternoon' decks with the good stuff so it's still possible to unintentionally get duff stuff from quality suppliers.

Crazy, isn't it. RF is so incredibly simply to use. It's probably harder not to apply it all over

The main problems with the decks I'm sending back is over use and under-drying before assembly. Unfortunately, this is just indicative of very poor craftsmanship!

Sounds like someone couldn't be bothered doing a proper job!

I am going to have a go at making my own I.D. using "RS". i will use a deck of Bicycle "Masters" Edition. i am thinking the smooth glide between the cards because of the better stock Masters use will create a greater contrast once i have applied the gimmick. ie. smooth vs "gimmicked". my objective is to make ribbon spread I.D. reveals not just "possible" but "easy" to do.

Apprently the big secret is to leave the cards to dry and when you think they're ready, leave them a bit longer.

i will take that advice Mandrake. thank you.

Making your own BW or ID is definitely the way to go. Buy two decks of bikes, one red, one blue (seconds even - for the length of time anyone's going to see them, who's going to notice?!) and treat them yourself properly, I've had 100% success rate. Obviously the other plus is that if you want to use tallys, fourniers, masters etc. you can.

P.S. Do not pay more than about £5 for the "treatment"! I do object slightly to magic shops whacking a significant mark up on this when the principle is not (as far as I know) copyrighted to anyone. If anyone's unsure about what to buy, ask

My Svengali hasnt been used since i got my Mirage deck, same princible as a Sven, however, RF is applied so you can actually fan the deck without exposing ins secret. as soon as i get some rf, ill be turning all my old Sven decks into Mirage decks...

I guess this all becomes a lot more obvious once you've bought your first ID.