Does anyone know where to get printable flash paper? It would be so good to set someones money on fire, just to see their reaction...


Mikael

There are flash bills being sold already, unfortunately I can't remember where from.

There is a UK site which sells flash newspaper in case you're interested: http://www.show-bizcentre.co.uk/

Thanks for your tip. Unfortunately I don´t think there is anyone selling Swedish flash bills. There was someone in Sweden a few years ago that made flash bills that were WITHOUT COLOR! He thought the audience wouldn´t notice... Incredible...

Mikael

I was just perusing older posts and ran across this post of yours. Flash paper *is* printable. Sharpie pens are great for writing words or symbols and tea or food coloring for changing the entire surface color. For more complex imaging, a common ink jet printer can do wonders.

Simply tape a large sheet of flash paper taunt (*and over all edges*) onto a piece of card stock. Any scanned image can then be printed onto the flash paper. Cut down to size, and you are ready to go. An example (the best U.S. Flash Bills you will ever see) is below.

One word of warning. Some inkjet printers (higher-priced business ones) have a heating coil to help the ink dry quicker. No need to explain.

Michael Sibbernsen

Picture of homemade Flash Bills

http://waterloomagic.com/StageMoney.JPG

Hey Michael

Those are great. Do you print both sides or just the one?

Very impressed!

Thanks thinkofacard.

Like commercial flash bills, just one side is printed. Really all that is necessary. If one needed two sided for whatever reason, I suppose it would be possible with a heavier flash paper or with multiple layers of the regular stuff.

Any ideas where heavier flash paper is being sold?

thanks

Theatre Effects (theatrefx.com) used to carry "Texas Flashpaper" (a thicker paper with waffle pattern) but I do not see it listed anymore. They do carry a premium onion skin paper that is worth looking into.

Otherwise anything else would have to be custom produced by someone with the knowhow and proper equipment.

I did not care for either the Texas paper or the paper on the roll. It still is not like real paper. For a while Kevin Dunn was making Solar Flair from real paper. It was kick butt cool, but very expensive. $3.00-$5.00 per sheet and I sold out of it. The problem was quality control. He had several so so batches that left ash, a fire and was just too plain busy to spend the time to make sure it was done right. As far as I know he stopped making it. I cannot even get a sheet.

Be careful if you try to make the stuff yourself, it is one ingredient away from nitroglycerin. You are basically making dynamite on a single sheet of paper. I also remember from Chem. class that mixing the two base chemicals together can overheat and explode. I never had the guts to do it because of all the warnings I read in the books.

I also remember the instructions saying you always need something "thin" so using something thicker may not get the same effect anyway.

When we want to burn a flash paper, it is generally crumpled or -more elegant- folded (after being switched, possibly with a shuttle pass to be able to get to the lighter), there is a much safer possibility than printers. Have a rubber stamp made representing more or less 1/8th of what you intend to apparently set ablaze. Stamp it on the visible part of the folded flash paper to be held at the fingertips. Due to the fingertips holding, it's difficult for the spectators to fully see what you will burn and the stamping only acts as a convincer.
As you go to the pocket for the lighter, ditch the original bill (or whatever printed paper). Burn the stamped flash paper.
Nowadays rubber stamps are really inexpensive and easy to order for a very short time delivery. Since we will use the rubber stamp several time, due to progressive amortization, the small price of the stamp will end up costing less than the flash paper of our routine.