35 years ago I bought the original Laurie Ireland Multiplying Golf Balls. They are so old the rubber is rotting. The other day I bought a nice new set. Basically the same, but yellow instead of white. The set is nice but the balls are pretty slippery. Does anyone who does manipulation have a suggestion on how to make them less slick? It is hard to keep them from "popping" out of my fingers when I hold four.
quack

Are your fingers dry or wet? This works if you don't have sweaty palms. Here are some options:

- that pink stuff at an office supply place (people use it to count money or turn pages). It makes the hands very tacky.
- manipulation fluid that can be bought at magic stores.
- there's a mixture given in Ganson's Routined Manipulation of Glycerine, rose water, and alcohol.
- get a set of Fakini multiplying golf balls.

FC

Go with this option, you will be very happy you did!

(Search 'Fakini' on these boards, there are countless positive comments about them... I've yet to hear a complaint - except the price.)

-Kevin-

Powder?

I didn't like the yellow ones made by Empire. They're too small to handle well in an adult's hands and won't show up well on stage. The Fakinis are great and the balls are the size of an actual golf ball.

Just for the heck of it I purchased a clear "anti-skid" aerosal spray can. It is used for steps, that type of thing. It did a nice job of making these balls feel good. They were not bad before, but the extra "gritty" feel makes them quite easy to keep a hold of.
quack

I have a set of the Fakini white billiard balls and they are great. While they are expensive and hard to get, if you ever get a set and work with them you will never want to work with any other types of balls.

Yeah do get a set of Fakini balls if you can afford it. They are the best manipulation balls in the world, very easy to handle and very lasting.

Are white Fakini golf balls still available?

Try the Magic Café link Bunky: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......0&25

I also purchased the Ireland balls around 1971. I also had the 4-ball climax and diminishing ball in the set.

Get the Fakini if you can. IMHO there is no comparison. The Ireland felt too spongy to me and the gimmick at that time really didn't match the balls very well.

If you are serious about performing this classic with golf balls, I believe these are the ones to get.

Terry

I'm a very big fan of the Empire/Loftus yellow balls but when you first get them they are pretty slick. Try washing them a couple of times with soap and water and then squeezing them dry. This helped me dramatically.

Which kind of balls were you referring to? The Ireland, the Fakini, or the Empire?

FC

Does anyone have a review of Viking's Multiplying Golf Balls?

Thanks

I just received mine from Viking. The fekes are well made from metal, with thin edges, secure fit (for tossing ball up in the air) but separates easily to roll out the ball. Handles very nicely.

Because the feke is metal, it will adhere to a magnet for hold-out/ditching. The balls appear to be the same that you can purchase as practice golf balls (these for example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0728H3FLW , so buy a bag of the practice balls and keep them sealed in a bag, stored away in a dark, cool, dry place so you'll have replacements for years to come.)

These are as good or better than the Ireland Golf Balls of yore , if not perhaps as good as the Fakini Golf Balls. (but even if you can still find a set of Fakini's the cost will likely be 3x -- or more -- than the cost of the Viking Golf Balls). If you are used to Fakini's, keep in mind these are lighter weight , so will take some getting used to the weight difference in handling.

The only thing I could mention is that the white paint on the fekes is a shade off-white and the balls are pure white. So if you scrutinize them side-by-side close up they don't quite match , however I don't want to over-emphasize that point because I believe this will not be any problem under normal performance conditions with a bit of distance between you and the audience. With usage the balls will likely tend to go off-white over time because of exposure to the oils from you skin and other environmental factors.


I'm pleased with my purchase. I would agree with the review on the Viking website from Joe Drakeley on Apr 12, 2023 (scroll down the page to read it) - https://vikingmagic.com/products/multipl......y-viking



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Here are some photos. I notice in looking at these photos I can't really see any difference in the color because of the overall warmish light from the desk lamp, but for what they are worth , here are some comparisons.


(remember: these photos are taken inches away from the balls ... no one will ever see these so close in performance)

First photo is Viking feke with solid



Second photo is an old Ireland feke (with the "waffle" pattern) and solid



Third photo shows Ireland feke (lower) compared with Viking feke (upper)

One more thing I'll mention about the Viking Golf Balls is that George assumes you understand exactly what you're buying, so no instructions for basic handling and routine is included. This shouldn't be a problem for many of us , but if a beginner were buying these golf balls or you were gifting them to a youngster just getting started, go to the standard reference books (Greater Magic, Tarbell, etc.) to make a copy of the basic handling and a basic routine. The Laurie Ireland golf ball routine is in Greater Magic. Of course, almost any ball manipulation moves can be adapted to golf balls (but keep in mind that these Viking golf balls are very light weight -- good for some types of moves, not so good for others that depend on gravity and the weight of the ball to do certain things. Of course , you can ring in a real golf ball as needed for certain types of moves if you need a heavier ball.)

If you're a Genii subscriber go into the digital archive and look up the Ade Duval golf ball routine that was written up (with illustrations) by Charles Reynolds and Gregg Webb . It's in the December 2002 issue of Genii. The Ade Duval routine is also in David Charvet's book "Ade Duval Silken Sorcerer". (if I recall it's a reprint from Reynold's and Webb's Genii article.) Anyone looking for top quality instruction on ball manipulation should get Levent's Ultimate Guide To Billiard Balls 3-DVD set.

David thank you for the review of the Viking made set. I've ordered a set from George and they should be here soon.

My Ireland sets are basically just the fakes at this time, the balls having hardened and cracked over the past 50 years. The metal fakes can be used for a bit more than the thick plastic versions common to most of the silicone balls being marketed today. I even liked the metal fakes over the Fakini made versions.

Ordered the practice balls to use with my old leftover Ireland fakes.

Yes, those practice balls will work great with the old Ireland fekes. I have a couple that I got from the much-missed Dick Oslund. So, I didn't really "need" to buy the Viking set , but I want to support magic manufacturers like George Robinson who are committed to making these type of items available to the magic community and the Viking balls are a good back-up set.


If you thread some monofilament through one of these practice balls you can do some nice loop ball moves with them. Think of Joe Karson's "Chinese Egg Bag", but the mat is made from artificial turf, so it's a golf green. Any semi-stiff green material would work to represent a golf green. See Cellini's video "Magic That Can Be Performed Anywhere" for handling on the Karson effect.

.

Thread 4 of the practice balls together (or skewered on a length of wire) and you have a flash-4 finale' gaffus.

A possible follow-up of a production.


If one knows the Bunko Block false count, five yellow and two white golf balls can mysteriously gather in "holes" -
one white and a couple of yellow in each, then both white in one hole and all the yellow in the other. Fun.