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Hmm, didn't know if this fitted here, but what the the hell. Does anyone know how long a coating of roughing powder is supposed to last? I've currently bought a trick that requires it (For fear of revealing the secret I'll make sure not to let it out ). Anyway, so yeah, anyone know the estimated time that roughing fluid lasts when it comes with the trick?

Depends on the trick and how often you perform it. I'm assuming that you're talking about an ID? It can also be different for each deck, depending on various factors such as temperature, humidity, storage etc.

The best method of telling when you need to re-apply is when the effect of the fluid is wearing off and the cards don't / won't work the same.

Thanks for the fast reply. You are right, I am talking about an ID, and of course, being the child with ADHD, I use it a descent amount. Especially on my first day having it. Anyway, I do it indoors, so humidity isn't a large problem. I store my *special* tricks in an airtight case, and it's about room temperature (I live in Canada, room temperature= roughly 15-20 degrees). It is my favourite trick, and is usually the one I perform to random people, quite a bit right now seeing as how I just got it lol, would an estimated time be possible?

It's a friction issue so the more friction you apply when spreading, the quicker it will wear away - in theory anyway. A bit like rubbing two pieces of sandpaper together

I would have thought that if you're using it a lot then the sweat and natural oils from your hands could also come into play. I'd guess that you could be looking at about a month if you're using it a few times each and every day.

There are just too many variables to give a more precise answer.

The best advice I would give is buy a can of the stuff and as soon as it is starting to let you down, give it another coat. I make my own R&S decks and make sure the cards get plenty - those babies never come apart accidently
As long as you use several coats rather than one thick coat, I would say the more the better. By their nature R&S decks aren't examinable, so I've never worried too much about someone going "hey. the back of this card feels a bit funny..." - you shouldn't be giving them that much "slack"!

Deck,

I presume you are not talking about roughing fluid. It was a horrible brown substance that you painted on and was virtually no use whatsoever.

Fortunatelly, that was in the past. Nowadays all R&S decks use a spray which puts a matt finish on the card. 2 cards with the said matt finish stick together.

In an art shop you will get Letracote matt spray. Ideal to refresh an old deck. Don't try to make your own. After spending several hours spraying cards you will decide its easier to buy a deck alrady done.

Tenko wrote:Deck,

I presume you are not talking about roughing fluid. It was a horrible brown substance that you painted on and was virtually no use whatsoever.

Fortunatelly, that was in the past. Nowadays all R&S decks use a spray which puts a matt finish on the card. 2 cards with the said matt finish stick together.

In an art shop you will get Letracote matt spray. Ideal to refresh an old deck. Don't try to make your own. After spending several hours spraying cards you will decide its easier to buy a deck alrady done.

I dunno about that. Buying a brick and a can of spray will make 12 decks which will last ages. It's not even really inconvenient. Whack some newspaper down and go for it. It'll save you a fortune!

12 decks from one can?

That's going to be a big can then?

Some mean deck demon then...

Hade,

My time is worth far more than a few quid an hour kneeling on the floor spraying cards when I can buy a new deck for 8 quid. But each to their own.

I'm happy to spend hours devising my own effects, but nowadays some of the stuff is so cheap it isn't worth messing about trying to duplicate it. Just go to the shop and get it.

Well, I'm in the "recommend making your own" camp, but I am a bit of a DIYer, and my time's currently worth nothing

A smallish can of RF (from a craft shop, not a magic shop!) costs around £4, Use one red and one blue deck which could be as little as £1 each if you use seconds but is probably around £1.50-£2... so that's £8 max for two decks (either two different coloured IDs or a brainwave and a two colour ID), plus you will have plenty of RF left over to top them up or top up other decks...

So presuming you have a bit of time on your hands and you need to save money (hello, student here...!), I would say it's worth it. But as mentioned, you may be willing to pay the extra few quid to forego the hassle.

My issue is that there are a lot of penny-pinchingly manufacturered decks out there... my deck was only just useable when I got it, and I read many other similar stories, so ultimately the decision to make my own stemmed from an issue of quality. And if you're taking the time and effort to lay the cards on some newspaper and top them up properly, well, you may as well be making your own deck.

I personally wanted a deck I knew I could trust, and if you want something doing...

The other thing is that you can get them to feel just how you like if you do them yourself, and that confidence makes possible a lot of other very hard-hitting R/S gags too.

I recently was speaking to a very well known magician the other month (I wont name drop, although I really want to!)

But anyway, he told me that Bikes are awful to rough, he much prefers to rough "Fox Lake" cards. I tried this myself, and he was right. They last much longer and dont require as much spray.

Im still a bike addict though, much to the annoyance of this magician!

I like performing with the green and black backed Bikes which you can't get as an ID so for this reason alone, I do make my own in these colours.

I find that it's about a 15 minute job per deck.

I also keep re-spraying my Kids Kards which is a wonderful routine and in my opinion, the aged cards look much better than a brand new deck if you;re doing the 'I've had these since I was a kid' routine.

Wow, thanks for all the swift responses! For personal preferance of cards, I like the ghost deck. Exquisite artwork combined with an eerie feeling. That's just me though.