The Genii Forum

Several of you already know about my spinning CD-ROM. For those of you have not yet heard about it and are interested in seeing how I spin my Riser Mini-Cups, Traditional Cups, Jumbo Cups, and Ultimate Salt Gimmicks, this is for you.

Magicians interested in trying their hand at spinning their own design of cups will find all of the info needed to do so on the CD.

I thought it would be good for future magic designer/builders to document the required techniques so these skills do not get lost.

The cost for this CD-ROM is $25 plus $5.50 USA shipping. Foreign shipping/handling is significantly higher since I need to stand in line at the post office.

A preview and ordering info may be found at:
http://www.jamesriser.com/CD_Preview/SpinningCD.html

Jim

How much for the download of your skill and experience?

Dustin;
I downloaded as much as I could onto the CD. If I could figure out where to plug in the USB cable, I could download directly. (I'm certain there will be suggestions as to where I can plug the cable :eek: )
Jim

Is there a place to find out equipment cost for taking on such a venture? $25.00 is a nice price for your teaching, but can I afford the equipment?

Scott

Scott;
On the CD I show how to convert an inexpensive imported lathe into a very serviceable spinning lathe. Also is shown how to build a forge and the techniques for forging your own spinning tools. I've tried to make it very complete so that a beginner can get started in spinning without investing a fortune.
Jim

Scott-

If you're interested--at all--in the idea of spinning, Jim's CD is worth AT LEAST the price of admission.

Personally, I think it's really cheap--more like a labor of love than a financial venture, given the obvious time and energy that went into producing the item.

The same can be said of most of Jim's stuff. But I digress....

If you really want to spin--if you want to put in the time and energy to hone the skills and assemble the necessary physical plant--it's going to cost thousands, bare minimum. But to distill the information that Jim delivers on this CD, it certainly cost Jim tens--most probably hundreds-- of thousands. He has included ways to make the process MUCH cheaper to learn for anyone who comes after him. And he's offering it for $25.00 and change....

One last plug, and I'll desist...

If you're at all interested in the skills required to produce quality props, what Jim is offering is just plain cool and fun to watch.

My seven-year-old's comment, peering over my shoulder, was a simple, "Wow!"

I'm seconding that....

Gordo

Uh, which is it, a DVD, or a CD-ROM? Can this be played on a DVD player? Is there audio commentary?

Robert-
CD...sorry for the confusion. If there is audio commentary, I haven't noticed it. It doesn't really need it.

Check out Jim's web site link (above) for a listing of contents.

Gordo

Jim,

I have always wondered where I was going to try my hand at at this.

Are you sure you're not a mentalist?

Thank you.

Ron

Gordon wrote: If there is audio commentary, I haven't noticed it. It doesn't really need it.

Gordon;
Every magic text I own says "talking" is bad...so no audio :rolleyes: Actually, no audio helps the digital videos showing the spinning process run smoother on a larger variety of PCs (older to new).

Thanks for the kind words. BTW - I've been told by others in industry that the item is worth a minimum of $100. But, as you indicated, it was a labor of love - not a big money maker. It's one way that I can help preserve the manufacturing of nice apparatus. The CD has even been selected as part of the official training at serveral metal spinning facilities! That was a little unexpected :)

Ron;
If you have access to a lathe, you should be able to spin something.

Thanks for the interest, guys.
Jim

Originally posted by Ron Giesecke:


Are you sure you're not a mentalist?

I believe the word you are searching for is Metal-ist. ;)

Best,
Ray

Jim,
This is a VERY COOL offer you have made to the magic community. I have always wondered how this was done and it would be worth the $25 just to watch you do your "magic". I will certainly make the purchase.
Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge. It is appreciated.
Chance Wolf

Chance;
It's your turn now to show how you get your cool original cartoon style artwork onto your products with such precision :D

Your items just look upbeat! This not an easy accomplishment; but you have the knack.

Hopefully - Gone are the days of ugly poorly cut sencils and their overspray.
Jim

Jim,
Thanks for the compliments. Truly appreciated. My main goal was to try to give magic props a long awaited Face-Lift.
I have been giving some thought into writing a book covering Creativity and Fabrication methods. Time is so short...maybe I can talk Richard into giving me a hand :D
In the meantime I will continue to give tips in forums and my advice when asked as it is the least I can do.
Thanks again,
Chance

Hi Jim- Is this the same basic technique used to make metal bottles or is this done differently?
thx...Matt.

Matt;
Yes, spinning is the technique used to make the bottles for passe-passe, multiplying bottles, etc. In the old days (before aluminum was readily available) the bottle from the shoulder to neck was spun (usually brass, sometimes copper). The body of the bottle was of rolled sheet metal (I've seen these made of galvanized steel, brass, or copper) and soldered on the seam and to the top part (spun portion) of the bottle.

If you look at old bottle sets, you will see this type of construction. They were made this way due to two main factors: 1) a larger bottle would require a very much larger and much more expensive, difficult to obtain lathe and 2) it is very difficult to spin a complete bottle from brass or copper - plus it would require multiple annealing steps to avoid splitting of the metal.
Jim