talkmagic.co.uk

Hi there everyone !
After having "lurked around" for a while I fanally decided to step in... I am sure this will be a good experience for me. I am interested in a whole range of magic going from sponge balls to cards, rope etc... but I don't have a proper "style" yet I would say, although I am trying to set up a routine.

Ok, now that presentations are done, let's get to what the title says: I've search throught the forum but didn't find any details on what the best rope diameter is for migic use. Would you recommend 7mm or 10mm. I am very hesitant as the 7mm costs around 55 pence / metre and the 10mm is 85p / metre. This is a huge difference but is it really worth it ?

Thanks in advance.

go for the cheper one first and if you get on with it keep it if not go for the next size up its just a mater of personal preference.

I have already bought some rope which I am happy with, but it measures 7mm "streched" and 9mm relaxed. The thing is I need more and am a bit hesitant about the 7mm because it might be small. But then the price...

The real question is then "is 7mm workable ?"

Thanks for the quick response by the way !

If you're performing on a big stage then go for the bigger rope - it's worth it for the extra visibility.

For smaller stage or close-up 7mm is perfectly good.

But just as important as size, is the colour.
Bright colours are much better than dark, but white isn't necessarily the best.
John Palfreyman once cornered me after a performance and told me always to use yellow rope because white is "dead" on stage but yellow is much more vibrant.

I've never used white rope since.

Thanks Sax, I am currently using orange rope but want to try the white. I will consider your advice for the future.

I think I am going to go for the 7mm then. I'll let you guys know what I think.

yellow is good for tv too and white gets dirty far to quickly to be practical reds good too and mixes well with yellow for symbolygy rope magic.

For the dirt on white ropes I read somewhere that dipping it into a 1/3 bleech and 2/3 water solution overnight would do the trick - if that comes useful to anyone.

so does sticking it in a pillow case and sending it through the washing machine but coloured rope is much nicer in my opinion.

magicdiscoman,

If I was going on TV doing a rope effect I really don't think I'd be sat on the forum arguing about 30p difference for rope

Nairolf,

If you are performing for your own enjoyment, get the cheap stuff. If you are being paid, get the best quality one you can get.

I have a life outside magic, I photograph weddings as a hobby. If somone wants me to photograph their wedding I go out and buy a £10 Duracell battery for my camera so it doesn't stop during the performance.

If I'm paid to do magic at a wedding I put a brand new battery in the mike, even if the old one wasn't run down.

If I'm being paid I don't cut corners and quible about a few pence

For practice get cheapo but for real McCoy get the good stuff.

depends though mate...that was very well said, but if 10p does the job...well then 10p does the job doesnt it

magicdiscoman,

If I was going on TV doing a rope effect I really don't think I'd be sat on the forum arguing about 30p difference for rope

not sure were that came from.

we were duscussing colured rope as oposed to white rope having moved on from the question of size so I'm not sure how i offended you as we hadn't discussed wether it was for a gig or not just size and colour but since you mentioned it i agree if your doing a show you by the best and for me thats coloured rope in red, green, blue and yellow for the aforementioned routines and some patriotic type sets.
that said i know supliers that will suply me rope at 5p a meter on drums of 100m but thats because I'm a pro, sorry correction was a pro and when t through a lot of rope.

when i did disco's i always factored in new bulbs and bateries and wear and tear on my equipment in my fee, same for my magic engagments thats sound bussines stratergy.

ok whats next, would the proposer of the topic like to add anything else that we could help them with.

Just a precision: the difference is 40 p /metre and on 15 metres, its 6 quid for a 7mm and double for the 10mm... I think it does make a difference although I agree that when I will perform properly, I might get the more expensive stuff.

But who knows, maybe it's going to be good quality and I won't even need to buy more expensive rope. I'll keep you posted on that.

Thanks a lot for your contributions.

The size of the rope will depend on the trick that you are performing as some thicknesses work better than others with particular tricks. If I'm doing a cut and restored I'll use 7mm and also when doing knot work. Knots in 9mm rope are harder to palm, conceal etc if unless you have larger hands. Some tricks with rope, fibre optics is one example that I find works better with thicker rope. You need to buy some of each size and quality and find out for yourself what suits you best.

I buy 'cheap as chips' for practice and fully agree that using quality rope is very wise for paid work. You owe it to paying customer to do so in my opinion. You will also find that when cut, the ends fray more slowly on quality rope which can be important for some effects. Also, with some rope effects they will not work on cheap 7mm rope (pajama cord type) whereas they will work perfectly on good quality 7mm rope.

I love rope work and always keep a few hundred feet of different types. It's also wise with some effects to work out lengths as that bit extra may allow a particular piece to remain long enough after cutting to be used again, making it more economical.

I pay £7.00 for 50 feet of cheap rope, irrespective of the diameter and coice is restricted to white where I buy it. For good quality I pay 45p per metre and have a variety of colours including red, blue, yellow and white.

If anyone knows where I can get some black rope then please please give me a shout. Hope that this helps.

Tenko wrote:
If I was going on TV doing a rope effect I really don't think I'd be sat on the forum arguing about 30p difference for rope

I am Scotts, I would go for the cheap one of anything!

JB, you couldn't get any further away from Scotland without crossing the channel

But cheap doesn't always get you what you want