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what is best to use for these - clear or black thread?

many thanks,

alex

I personally find black thread best as it is less likely to show up under most lighting conditions. Although I'm stating the obvious when I say that daylight or really bright rooms are not very practical for IT of most kinds, black has proven to be the most "invisible" and I have experimented with both.

excellent - thanks for your input

You're welcome, when I use clear thread, I colour it in with a black sharpie. Silkworm is good quality and stronger than Mesika's thread.
I have some of the Mesika Elastics thread that comes with a dispenser (cheapest is on www.magicmagic.co.uk ).
The way the thread is released on the dispenser makes it very easy when making loops and you are less likely to lose the end of the reel. (This has happened before to me and accidentally buggered up some spools). The Mesika Elastics thread though, is the same quality as the Loops that are sold commercially and therefore breaks easier than other, better quality thread. It IS very invisible though and it's limit seems to be floating a fiver.

i assume it would have its benefits though? For example the problem with black is that it becomes problematic when using bicycle cards due to their white edge. No dount clear would be better for this purpose? alex

When using blue backed Bikes, I have no problem, but slightly more visible on red decks. If you are thinking of (and reading your mind, I believe I'm right) the Haunted Deck effect, then I can confidently say that on the numerous occasions I have performed it, not one spec has noticed the IT or even mentioned anything like that. It's such a powerful effect when done with normal cards that they, if anything, are more likely to want to look at the cards themselves, that's where the heat is, and if you let them handle the cards freely before and, if necessary, after the effect, you are totally clean.
I usually perform this effect when (1) the lighting is right and (2) lower down as nearer the floor is darker anyway and that's where the "energies" are (wink wink).

Though a trivial thing given how thin these things really are now days, but if you take out a wide tip magic marker... one black, one purple and alternate the colors about every inch or so along the length of your threads, it makes it more difficult for someone to catch in that the "dashes" in alternating color change how light catches and how the eye translates the information... this is an old stage magician's trick with heavier gauged threads... sometimes we would use green in the combination as well.

Personally, I love what one can do with threads but I'm a klutz when it comes to working with them e.g. I hate them

Thanks Craig, I'll try that out. They can be finnicky to work with, so I stay within the limitations I'm comfortable with, no matter how ambitious I feel sometimes!

yes - thanks craig. Will try it out.

Also, i wondered what objects magicians out there were 'animating'. I currently only make glasses rise (which is great because when the glasses reach their peak, the loop snaps off and the glasses close), cutlery (but this becomes problematic with forks due to their weight) and haunted deck.

There's a good little effect in Mesika's Animated Miracles pamphlet (I can't bring myself to call it a book, like most Mesika stuff incredibly overpriced) where you levitate a finger ring.

This is a great effect to do because you can borrow the ring and before and afterwards you hands appear to be clean. Getting in and out of the set up is simple and it's a great little effect to do, particularly if you don't overuse it and make the levitation last for a few seconds. I usually make the ring stand up on my palm first, as if this is the intention of the effect, and when the levitation happens I either look as suprised as they do or apologise for concentrating too hard on it.

Yeah the ring levitation is great and the main reason that I keep Loops on me. I know Freddie and others have had issues with the strength of the Mesika loops but personally I find them fine having used them for a while. Once you become aware of their maximum operating tension and can feel that subtley whilst using em life gets much easier.

I find the strength unreliable in a performance context and wouldn't want to take the risk. With Mesika's Loops I could do Haunted Deck about twice before it snapped and they certainly have trouble with forks.
My home made loops are a lot more durable.

Iv'e started to use IT recently and (it may be unneccessary) I try to wear a black stripy shirt of some kind so no-one notices any 'glimpse' of the thread in that area.

I've now quite a large collection of dark patterned shirts.

I once heard the best type of thread to use is brown thread, like is found in ladies tights. Apparently it blends in better with most backgrounds as opposed to black or clear. I cant confirm this as ive never tried, but hopefully its a suggestion for you.


M