talkmagic.co.uk

I'm interested in getting the gypsy balloon as i think it looks great and had some great reviews but before i get it im wondering what is the best string to get for this.
Had a look round town after watchung the dmeo and can find no suitable thread/string for this.. ideas?

cheers

I've never seen before, but I love this way of presenting the gypsy thread. It's very beautifuly done.

As for the thread, well when I perform the gypsy thread I use sowing thread on a wheel, but I guess if it was on stage like in Tony Clarks version, he's probably using like a thin wool or something, so that it's thick enough that the audiance can see, but that can still be broken with the hands.

does look magical.

yeah he sells some string but only in usa and its $27..

Yeah that does seem a little expencive for just some string that enevitably you're going to have to replace. I would just say to go out and try out some different types. It's not like thread is that expencive. Maybe go to a pound store. Just experiment. Like I said, I just use a cheap thread and it works great still.

The best thread is Quilting thread of Cotton Batting Thread and it must be 100% cotton. You can't break synthetic thread easily.

You can get from most good Habadashers.

is it visible enough / thick enough to see from a distance..

would wool work?

No - it's the recommended thread to use for close-up.

The essential quality that you need in a thread is to be able to snap it in the hands and for that it can't be too thick and it must be cotton.

Camirand produce a glo-thread that can be used on stage and can be seen from the back of the theatre but you will need white light. You're not going to have anything useable without having compromise.

If you're interested in the glo-thead then Mike Danata sells it at http://www.mikedanatasmagicstudio.co.uk

If you were to be doing this as a stage piece or bit of parlour magic, then maybe you could just get some thick thread that can easily be seen, and instead of breaking it by hand, have an audiance member come up and cut the thread with some scissors. This way, your audiance can see everything, plus you'll have that spectator experiancing the magic up close and personal too.

Just to point out, if you are doing Gypsy Balloon, unless you are performing for absolutely thick people, even if they can't see the thread properly, I think that the fact there's a balloon floating above your hands would imply some sort of connective device between the two. There's very little danger of them going away thinking.

"Well he just pretended to be breaking something, but there was nothing there."

yeah i suppose so

been watching the performance video too much now. just realised that it now looks obvious re the balloon... :/

I'm not familiar with the gypsy balloon and was really trying to answer with the gypsy thread in mind.

While it does depend on the size of a stage I think that in most circumstances a thread is going to be difficult to see from a distance unless the lighting is spot on. Parlour should not pose a problem.