Hey gang, I have always blacked my wire with good ole fashioned black magic marker for years, with no exposure of the line. no glare, always turns out flat black.

Hey Chris, I never heard of blackening the wire with marker but it should be done with monofilament line.

Dave.. it works great on the monofiliment, and also works well on the beading wire as well, no shine... give it a shot. I simply spread the loop between two fingers, mark the parts between the fingers, then move the loop around the fingers until the unmarked part of the wire is exposed, and finish her up. I will have to send you some photos of the loops we build up for our bird family. the loops also have that special magic that help to keep the pocket shut as well until the loop is retrieved, I will have to send the shots to you soon. You may already know of it, but would like to share it with you if not.

I treat my monofilament as you mentioned, Chris. I don't do the entire loop, just dashes but doing the entire loop would for sure eliminate any possibility of flash. I don't use line very often though. Once I started using wire, I never went back.

I use marker, but it tends to wear off. The gun blue/black would be a permanent solution for the wire. Too bad it won't work on monofiliment!

If you use Andy's wire or the wire from the hardware store, you don't have to worry about the gun blue/black. It comes black and won't wear off.

If you use permanent marker on the monofilament, apply it in dashes, wipe it down and reapply. By the time it wears off, you should be ready to replace the loop anyway.

Dave, I use Andy's wire, but the gun blue might be a perfect fix for the braided/wound wire I am experimenting with. I'm not sure what type of metal it is, but I hope it is something that will work with the blueing chemicals.

I usually apply the marker to the fishing line the way you described. You had told me that before, and I remembered it! I use Sharpies, but I am thinking I might need to try a different type. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but it seems the black wears off too soon.

If my loop ever started to shine, or wear, I just used a black sharpie (the fat one) and went across the line with it. problem solved *smile*. My tux has a black shiny lapel on it though, so it blended perfectly.

-Alpha

Great discussion here guys.

Chris Moss - your description of keeping the pocket closed with the loop sounds so intriguing!

Regan - I've used Andy's wire for about 10 years now or so. Occasionally this wire will have the slightest dark brown/bronze color to it and so I've hit it with a light spray of Krylon's Ultra Flat Black Spray Paint. As Dave said, it's not necessary, but good insurance to eliminate visibility. You'd think the paint could chip off, but it hasn't. I have one loop that has never broken nor been replaced in 9 years and the flat black treatment has never worn out.

As for the monofilament, see Tony Clark's video. As Dave mentioned, he dots the line with a black sharpie. He also lightly sands the line to avoid shine. This is a great tip, though I recommend getting a heavier pound test if you do that. Because I kid you not, I did it to 15lb test and it snapped on me in a practice session!

Finally....Bill, Dimmare shot a dove video!!!?? Are you serious? How did I miss this? Where can I find it? He is an amazing performer...and a cool dude too.

When you sand the line, it builds up heat and that weakens it. Probably creates little microscopic nicks it, too. Good thing it broke in practice sessions.

Check this out. I believe disk 2 has Dimmare's dove act.
http://www.magicims.com/Magic_Shop/DVDs/Masters_Series.php

Black, black, black, isn't there any other color then black? It totally not true that black makes you thin.

Anyone try working with doves with any other color then black?

Tux clothing is totally un-acceptable in todays T-Shirt and shorts society. Sloppy looking is the "new" american look. So lowering the best dressed rule; to an all time low of a casual jacket windbreaker, buts you at the top of very well dressed.

Dave, thank you so much for the link. I had no idea about these DVDs! Thank you.

Bill -- well, of course, as you know, some guys who don't wear black are James Ceilen, Jason Byrne, Lu Chen. I am sure there are others I'm not thinking of.

Bill, this topic of dressing differently is of major interest to me too. Just as you said, culture now finds classical tails more out of the ordinary than ever. I've been giving this a lot of thought.

Back to non-black-wearing performers: Kenrick Ice MacDonald, Victor Cephas. Hmmm, this feels like it belongs in another thread....

No it does not belong in another thread, as I was refering to the topic. Would you put a black wire on a red jacket? Would you have nylon lines sticking out all over the place when they would surely be more visible. How would a yellow jacket be handled?

I would put black wire over a red jacket....but only at a lecture

I see what you mean. I would imagine you'd want to paint the wire the same color as the lapel or the shirt, depending on where it sits. I have aqua blue lapels and a black vest and I still use the black wire. If I had loops bent over the lapel, I'd probably be in the hardware store looking for matching blue paint. How about you? What color do you wear?

Well, my first was a dark green jacket, and then I went back to black. As my post suggest, cloths have totally changed and I for one am uncomfortable with the way people are dressing, I cannot dress that way in public. That is why I am asking.

If you use monofilament line, it doesn't matter what color your clothes are. This hasn't been mentioned but loops do not have to be outside of the jacket or bent over the lapel. In one of my acts, all of the loops are held under the jacket with special holders. That allows a close up performance as the loops are never seen. You could have red loops with a white jacket and it wouldn't make any difference.

In any case, Bill is correct that most of todays modern performers wear more gothic or casual clothes. I couldn't do it and wouldn't want to. My act is a classical act and performed in a full tux. I think the new look comes across as a novelty act where a magician in a tux producing doves portrays the essence of magic. Can you picture Channing Pollock or Lance Burton performing their acts in Jeans and a leather jacket? At the same time, I can't picture Dan Sperry or Ice McDonald performing in a full tux.

Just a note: This DVD doesn't contain Dimmare's dove act. It contains two steals used by Channing Pollock, his hat steal and a jacket steal. Dimmare includes an overview of the type of holder used, bluing and attaching the wire, and a silk production. It also contains some close-up effects, including an impromptu card rise, a burnt and restored cigarette paper, and ring in salt shaker. Dimmare explains everything very well, but the production values are typical of other IMS videos.
The DVD also includes Kozak's complete Tequila Act, taught in full by the main himself, as well as various close-up items.


And Dave, you beat me to it! I was going to say that the loops don't have to be outside. Greg Frewin's DVDs give a great explanation of how to have the outside of your lapel clean.

As well as Shimada's method on this as well, but as in any act, different methods should be used, not all being the same moves when producing 6 doves.