I came across this little gem the other day at CompUSA. It is a mouse pad, super-sized at 14" by 17" in a variety of colors, including Teal Green, Black, Blue, and Red. It is called the Super-Mat, by a company called Handstands. It cost only US $9.99. Fits great on top of my close-up case, or TV dinner tray at home, or anywhere you need a little more room than usual. Here's the link:

http://www.americancovers.com/Retail/supermat.html

I am loving mine. I hope someone else can use this information. I know that Peter Marucci and others have posted the idea of using a mouse pad in the past, but here are some specifics, if anyone is interested.

Enjoy!
Jay

Thanks for the tip!

I think the mousepad helps tremendously with dampening the sound of a chop cup -- the pads they sell at the shops here in Japan are too thin for that.

I hope it works for you. I have never been able to find any mouse pad that offered the "flex" I get from a standard close up mat. Usually, they are unwieldy and slick.

But if it works. . .hey, I'll have to take a look.

Ron

Usually mouse-pads are too solid without enough "give".

Are these different?

Frank et al:

This mouse pad is very similar to most mouse pads in feel and 'give', but the size is just wonderful. I am not a coin worker at present, and, except for one Matrix effect I fool around with, the flexibility is of no importance to me. I am comfortable with it for cards, cups and balls, and even to poke my hat pin into for "Shriek of the Mutilated"! Well worth the 10 bucks for me.

Jay

It depends on the mouse pad type. There are plastic one and there are cloth ones. The cloth ones are obviously the best.

I was at the fabric store picking up pins for Pin Demonium (got the 3" ones woo hoo)
and noticed that they have the biggest close-up pads I've ever seen.

They're about 100 feet long and 5 feet wide and are all rolled up on a tube.

So you just grab the tube, take it to the "cut it out for you sir?" girl and she cuts you a close-up pad any size you want.

Last time I was there, they came in grey, maroon, and blue, I think. They are not as pretty as the ones from the magic shop, but they are the exact same material. I bought some of that and made a close-up table top from it and covered it with duck cloth (whatever that is). It's sort of like light canvas or pool table cloth.

It's also quite cheap.

What is THE best material to cover a close-up table with? I've tried plain old felt but it was to fuzzy, I think.

Is velvet (or some fake velvet) good?

Any ideas?

I checked the pad out and it doesn't have the "give" of, for instance, an Apollo pad. But it's the same size and has a workable surface. The neoprene is just not as thick/soft.

But it is worth remembering and would be good for some uses, as Jay noted. And the price is reasonable.

Also, it's funny but some of the groups of pads, by color, were softer, suggesting that they were made from varying runs of neoprene.

Steve H

I bought the same type of mouse pad from Staples for only $5.00. I actually bought two - one purple and one green - that were slightly different sizes. I put one on top of the other and it gives a nice border effect. I haven't used it with coins yet but I think they are great for cards!

I am currently looking for a close-up pad that is "bar size" - say 24" x 10". Does anyone know where such an item can be found. If I can't find it I'd like to make one. What is the material that is used?

I've made several of my own work surfaces, not really close-up pads, but they work great for the bar. I use 1/4" plywood and cover that with foam under layment used for cork flooring, then I wrap it with velvet. I staple the velvet on the underside and then add a piece of non-skid rubber stuff they sell for putting under throw rugs. This gives me the feel that I want and it can be made in any size and it will stay put. Try it.
Bob

Thanks for the tip Bob! Now I just have to work up the nerve to browse the fabric department at Wal-Mart!

How do you clean a mouse mat/close up mat?

Do you use soap or just plain water or detergent?

I have spilt milk upon mine....never let the cat walk around your magic props!

Dave

There is a better type of Close-up mat available from places like MagicSmith that is major improvement to other close-up pads. I got one for Christmas. It has a rubber bottom, non-sliding rubber too (this thing won't budge!!!), it doesn't attract dust or lint, it won't fray, it won't wear, fully hand-washable, and it won't wrinkle. I LOVE THIS THING!!

Andrew

You have discovered Andrew... dum dum dum..... A NORMAL CLOSE-UP PAD! Wooo HOOO! LOL. Anyway. Mouse pads don't have the same grip as close up pads from the magic store and they will slide all around. The best close-up mat is Dean Dill's.

Not true Ben! Most close-up pads wrinkle, fray, wear, and are not hand washable! It is not a normal close-up pad. I have had many others in the past and they cannot compare with this kind!!!

Andrew

I will second Andrews notion these things are great. If you search long and hard and spend some money trying things out you may come up with a surface that works eventually, of course you could always just buy a close up pad.

Frank,

The BEST material for a close up table is Billiard Felt. (See Genii's issue on Ross Bertram. He used it exclusively with no padding)

It will never fray or "Pelt"...

You'll have in inquire with a Billiard company, but it's worth the trouble! You'll only have to replace it if you spill wine on it!

Best-
Jeff

Mouse mats are good because you can get them in different sizes and colours but are bad because they don't have as much give and are harder to pick things up off therefore you will be unprofessionally scrapping around!

I have not used a close up pad for some time but I have just bought a wetsuit for an underwater escape and I imagine you could make a great one from neoprene.

If you were to go to a wetsuit manufacturer and buy 2 colours of 5mm neoprene.

....cut 2 pieces, 1 of each colour.

....lay them on top of each other and using a template, cut through both layers and switched the inside edges which you could then glue to another piece as a backing (spray glue would be perfect here.

This would give you a 1cm deep, sprigy mat with a pleasing boarder all the way around.

You could also glue a steel shim into the centre of the mat inbetween the layers. This would allow you to attach a PK underneath the table...

Anyway, just a thought, if anyone tries it, let me know how it goes (if it goes well that is! lol)

Try going to a carpet store and check out the stacks of demo carpets. Some 12" x 18" and some as large as 24" wide. Anyway a nice plush works great. Comes in a variety of colours and they usually can be picked up for a couple of dollars or free. Some dealers just trash them.

They definitely make a decent pad, check them out next time your going by a carpet place.

gord