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I would imagine you are able to paint them. I think Homebase does that colour scan thing so you might be able to paint it the exact colour of you skin. Just a thought.........not a very good one mind you.......

you've missed something under your nose miss how about make up.

the most that the audience should see of your thumb is the tip from the front, if you show your hands empty palms faceing the audience in a how type of gesture thumbs crossed thumb behind, then they will see nothing.
the key is movement, don't give them time to stand and stare if your producing something use a pice of paper or a knapkin to hide the thumb, same for vanishes.

pen and teller taught the whole audience to vanish and reappear a silk, even on slow motion and freese fram it still was not obviose how it was done, even when you knew for sure.

try wearing one to school or when you go out, see if your mates even notice your wearing one.

the key factors are confidence and movement, think of how many coin and card slights are glaringly obviouse when you look directly at them.

Buy different colour tones anyhow.
Notice how white your hands go after a long soak and scrub in the bath?

2 weeks in Benidorm and you come back with hands like the ace of spades.

Or maybe the solution is to actually buy any tip and paint your hand to match it instead:)


Just a thought:)

Alchy

Thanks, Alchy, and welcome to the Forum!

TT's are one of those things which can be discussed endlessly and all sorts of strange and wonderful uses can be discovered. The main thing to bear in mind is that the spec's don't know you're using one (unless you make it very obvious) and, the more you wear one, the more you act naturally. Until you take the thing off and find your thumb has gone all wrinkled and squidgy!

I think the point here is being missed...

A TT is not MEANT to be seen freely. I've been using them for years, and I've NEVER found one that matches my skin tone.

Paint the TT? Why?

If you're openly showing the TT to the extent that you need to paint it, you're doing something wrong. It's not some sort of challenge to say "ha ha, I've been wearing this TT all night and you didn't spot it!"

It's a tiny utility device - and should be almost so discrete that it's undetectable. Proof? Ever burned the TT doing a lit cigarette vanish?

I have, and was asked to perform it again almost immediately after. I carried on regardless - close up and personal. Upon inspection after the 'gig', I noticed the TT had gone almost black at the end - and yet nobody questioned it.

You guys need to try and remember one of the most important rules when using gimmicks - ONLY YOU KNOW IT'S THERE. Chill out, let the performance hide the workings.

I can't stress this enough... you need to simply become comfortable with these things. Practice, practice, practice. Try videoing yourself, or get a decent mirror. The TT is invisible in operation, as long as you keep it POINTING AT THE AUDIENCE. Keep the hand moving.

In this scenario, you could be using a grey, white or cream TT, and nobody would see.

Sorry to be so disagreeable, but the colour makes NO DIFFERENCE at all to the way the TT is hidden. As I've said before, this is not supposed to be a seamlessly integrated prosthetic - it's a 'use it then lose it' utility device.

surely you don't go out and buy a flourecent green TT. Altough he's right wouldn't a skin matched tone one do the trick and also reduce chances off detection too. After all its just pop in a magic shop get the right tone and vanish:)

Less chances of detection the better in my theory.
After all imagine the UK Army fighting ion Bright orange!

Regards Alchy

Going for bright colours is not advisable! However, it illustrates the point that the TT should be kept hidden, and if the effects are performed by a skilled magician, even a glowing blue one would pass almost unnoticed.

Yes, the TT is designed to be 'flesh coloured', but don't take that to mean it's there to be seen as part of your body. It is a popular misconception.

I've even seen TTs which have been 'detailed' and painted to look more realistic... but whenever I've seen a magician on a one-to-one basis, their TTs are usually quite tatty and far from being a perfect flesh-tone match.

Don't take it for granted that the TT will hide itself - that's the magician's job...

Working in a magic shop I have to confront this problem regularly. We have a basket of TTs, and if I ever saw someone with skin the same colour as one I would be worried about their health, practically none of them match but it doesn't matter. The most important aspect is getting a good fit.
On the subject of fit, most of them go soft when dipped in hot water, so can be molded to the right size, then they stay like that when they cool, you only have to be careful not to scald you thumb!

And on the old, old topic of 'What Colour Is Yours?' check out the Stealth Tip for £3.00 on http://www.cards4magic.co.uk/acatalog/Thumb_Tips.html !

I would strongly argue that it's far better if the TT is an exact match to your colour tone, I say "would" because that was my postion before I could use one.
Now I'd say it doesn't matter, yeah sure an appoximate match is useful for the accidental flash and I wouldn't use a regular colour one if you were black, if it could be at all helped. Mind you I have seen a matchbox used as a TT.
My suggestion, check out the reviews for a TT DVD, and buy one, it will change your understanding.

I can just imagine Arnie Schwarzenegger using the Stealth Tip in a remake of one of his war films - 'I'll be back - and I'll vanish a few more silks, just wait and see!'

I am so glad to see that so many people are finally starting to agree with me on this. I felt like a bit of an outsider at first when I mentioned the tone not being important.

I love the 'stealth' tip! It's great.

And as far as improv goes - I managed to use a mouled tinfoil mince-pie tray as a TT over Christmas to perform the vanishing lit ciggy. Now hopefully, I stand more chance of some of you believing that this is possible!

It's all about performance and confidence!

1. If you are watching a video of yourself, you might very well be able to see the tt. It's because you know it is there and you are looking for it! It's one of the problems with practising sleights; you can see it, as you know it's there. The difficult thing is to view it as a spectator would.

2. I painted a tt once. It doesn't match my skin exactly, but is quite close and is more pink on the nail and the underside. It is definitely an improvement on the original. It made me much more confident about using it. Confidence is the key here, as many have said.

3. I am not sure how secret the existence of a tt really is. I remember when I was at university another student mentioned it. He was not a magician, but he knew about tts nonetheless (this would have been around 1990/1991). It was featured in the last series of "The League of Gentlemen" as well. Best not to do anything that indicates that you might be using one, in my opinion. Better safe than sorry.

on the point of detection, i don't know how many of you have used the sixth finger. My grandad gave me one that must of been made in about the 1930's its made from hard plastic and fits between the two fingers. can store a huge load and most people dont recognise it, even though paint has chipped revealing the white(ish) plastic.
So I get what everyone is saying, but i dnt think id have the confidence to use anything other than a relatively "natural" looking TT, but i guess this comes back to the natural manirisms with the TT or 6th finger.

(mods i dont know if i have exposed the aardvark here or not, but feel free to recage it/ or exterminate it)