Pure smoke

[Joshua Robinson]

So I just asked my mother for pure smoke and she asked what it is.

My response was: instead of using matches or a lighter to produce smoke in a stupid way, this will produce smoke from a machine concealed on your body"

She said no to getting it because I'm not "PERFORMING"

how do i convince her its not just for performing?

[KPopFever605]

Show her a trailer - it works wonders. If she mentioned performing, just show here the clips of people rubbing their hands together to create smoke. She might have changed her opinion when she sees the trailer.

P.S. - You might want to fix the error in the first line.

[Joshua Robinson]

Okay, I'll try that, she's now saying I'm a spoilt little brat (even though I'm 14) because I won't stop bothering her, and she won't get the fact that I want to get it before the end of December so I can get the LTD deck

[KPopFever605]

Do you have a small job, do chores or something and rack up money that way. Work you butt off and I'm sure you can make $150 in a long stretch.

[Joshua Robinson]

i have a job at the local McDonalds but i havent earnt much recently, ive been sick so they have rostered me on, i get $10 a week and $40 every time i help mum with a cooking service

[Don Boyer]

I hate to be a bubble burster, but your mom may be right on this one.  It's a fun thing to have, no doubt about it, but it's not a toy by any stretch of the imagination.  There are some risks, small but not negligible, to using it that a 14-year-old may not be ready to take on - even Ellusionist advises against anyone under 18 using the device.  If you were using it in performances, I'd say maybe, if you were very careful or at least had adult supervision, but just to make smoke for the hell of it?  I don't think it's a good idea.

I'm at my desk right now at work, wearing my Pure Smoke.  I occasionally perform a trick or two here for practice on the people I encounter here.  I just shut my Pure Smoke off because the cord leading from the power source to the pump was starting to overheat to the point that it was more than a little uncomfortable against the side of my chest - I was getting concerned about the insulation melting off.  The power pack itself is rather warm as well, though by now the cord has cooled off.  I removed the batteries and they're a lot warmer than any battery should ever get.  It probably had to do with the felt belt pouch it comes with (meant to dampen any sounds it might make) causing it to get warm underneath my suit jacket - lack of cool air.  Doesn't mean I'd stop using it, but it does mean that it's not 100% safe, so unless you had a real reason to be using it, I'd veto you as well.  Sorry, bro.

I can think of countless things that would be better for learning magic that E sells which could get you over the $150 mark.  They've got an excellent set of DVDs they produced for really getting a ground-level education in performing - and it's more than just learning the technical aspects of performing any handful of tricks.

Check this out:
http://www.ellusionist.com/ellusionist-dvd-magic-training-collection.html

I own most of the DVDs in this collection - would have bought the bundle had I known in advance.  Can't afford the entire bundle?  Then cherry-pick a few discs until you have a decent amount to start with - and enough to get you that LTD deck you want.  If you want to really learn magic, these are excellent videos to begin with.  Ask if you have any questions, I'll answer them if I can.

Update: I re-installed the batteries after they cooled off, but the device wasn't working.  A quick examination revealed why - the contents of the cartridge built up on the part of Pure Smoke that "makes the smoke" (trying not to reveal the gimmick) and appears to have created a short circuit.  I quickly cleaned it off with my fingernails and it's working fine now.

[AceGambit]

Yeah, I have to side against you here a little bit.  But I'm willing to let you convince me otherwise.  Pure smoke is a device that produces smoke to perform miracles, and enhances your performance.  If you are not actually performing, what purpose is pure smoke going to serve you?  It looks cool, but you are the only one who gets to see it.


You really want to prove to her that you need pure smoke?  Start performing.

[Kanped]

You get $40 for helping with the cooking (that's nuts) and $10 for doing actual work?  Isn't that like 2 hours for $10 or something? How often do you work?

I know you're young but if you're not going to earn something or wait for some kind of special occasion, you can't have it.  Nobody owes you anything and you can't pay for it, so you know, earn it or deal with it.

[austin]

Haha, I'm 12 and went to deny's handed the guy the check and credit card and made a puff of smoked and he was AMAZED he didn't talk for like 7 seconds

[Joshua Robinson]

austin, you have it? :O

[Don Boyer]

Haha, I'm 12 and went to deny's handed the guy the check and credit card and made a puff of smoked and he was AMAZED he didn't talk for like 7 seconds

austin, you have it? :O

Sounds like he does.  Take AceGambit's advice - start actually performing, and that might convince her down the road to let you have it as a gift for a special occasion.  Uses like what Austin did are very cool, but that use is more like a novelty or a gag, like something out of the S.S. Adams catalog.

I wouldn't know where to start looking these days, but there's a gel you can buy that comes in a tube - when applied to your hands and you rub them together a little then pull them apart, fake smoke appears between them.  It's not as elegant or beautiful as Pure Smoke, but it's a helluva lot cheaper and works fine for novelty purposes.  And it will never short circuit or burn you if you use it the wrong way.  Having hand wipes around might be helpful if you get the gel, to clean them off so you don't end up eating it.  I think it was an S.S. Adams product, but I'd wager they weren't the exclusive manufacturers.

Even if you earn the cash, I'd hold off on buying Pure Smoke until you had a serious use for it.  I use it to enhance magical effects and it works wonders.  If I didn't perform, though, I'd have a hard time justifying the purchase - and even as a performer, I bought it this time because I wanted to bump up my purchase total to get a LTD deck.  That, plus the fact that I have some extra cash after getting my holiday bonus, are what allowed me the freedom to buy it.  If neither was the case, I would probably not have made the purchase.  Even a performer has to work within a budget, and the cool factor has to be weighed against the cost factor.  When you boil it down to the bare minimum, all a magician really needs is a deck of cards and/or a few coins, easily and cheaply obtained.

Have you considered using magic to book performances at private parties, like birthdays, baby showers, whatever?  You don't have to charge a lot, but you'd raise cash probably faster than you are now.  A kid starting out as a magician could probably start off at $50 for a one-hour show.  Do that a few times a month and you'd really be supplementing your income IN ADDITION TO giving your mom a reason to let you buy Pure Smoke.

[Joshua Robinson]

I bought it this time because I wanted to bump up my purchase total to get a LTD deck.

I was going to get it to mess around but mostly just for the LTD.

  A kid starting out as a magician could probably start off at $50 for a one-hour show.

I don't think i have enough in my arsenal for a one-hour show, all i really have is cards, coins and rubber-bands laying around, i know a couple of rubber-band trick, a bunch of card tricks, but no coin tricks, i have a silk, but no thumb tip or anything else.

[KPopFever605]

$10 a week, I'm sure the bare minimum is $8 an HOUR...unless you only work for an hour at a time. Ultimately, it's up to you if you want to get it or not. If you do not have enough material for an hour either purchase How to Perform Street Magic or one or two of the This is Mentalism DVD's. These DVD's are amazing, and packed with tricks galore. If you were to get PS, you should really only get it if you are a serious magician,and not use it purely as a toy. If I were you, I'd go with the magic DVD's - more for your money.

[Joshua Robinson]

$10 around the house, and $7.69 at the local mcdonalds, because im only a trainee still i might get that

[KPopFever605]

How'd you get a job at 14, I'm 13 and looking for more cash, but i haven't gotten any luck. I'm not really known as a magician in public.

[Joshua Robinson]

my birthday is 2 months away so im 14 and 10 months, where do you live? and just go into your town and find a barber or something like that and ask for a job sweeping up hair or something, thats what one of my friends do

[cosmicsecret]

forget about Pure Smoke.....start practicing your effects well so that you can perform for other people.
it looks cool and magical to produce smoke,agree but the refills ain't cheap either and you could easily spend less money for other stuff.
so stop bothering your mother and save up the money if you really feel the need of having this.

[Don Boyer]

I bought it this time because I wanted to bump up my purchase total to get a LTD deck.

I was going to get it to mess around but mostly just for the LTD.

  A kid starting out as a magician could probably start off at $50 for a one-hour show.

I don't think i have enough in my arsenal for a one-hour show, all i really have is cards, coins and rubber-bands laying around, i know a couple of rubber-band trick, a bunch of card tricks, but no coin tricks, i have a silk, but no thumb tip or anything else.

There are countless better things a beginning student of magic can buy than Pure Smoke.  It doesn't take a huge arsenal to put on a show - I went to my first-ever show armed with 25 tricks, and ended up not using a handful of them.  Get your audience involved and the average trick can run about three minutes.  Silk and thumb tips aren't necessary and neither are coins.  You could probably do something that's up to your level with what you already know.  If you're a bit nervous, make it $25 for a half-hour - you probably spend that much time impressing your friends already.  Picture your spectators as no different than a bunch of your buddies hanging around and wanting to be entertained and impressed.

$10 a week, I'm sure the bare minimum is $8 an HOUR...unless you only work for an hour at a time. Ultimately, it's up to you if you want to get it or not. If you do not have enough material for an hour either purchase How to Perform Street Magic or one or two of the This is Mentalism DVD's. These DVD's are amazing, and packed with tricks galore. If you were to get PS, you should really only get it if you are a serious magician,and not use it purely as a toy. If I were you, I'd go with the magic DVD's - more for your money.

The US minimum wage set by the Federal Government is $7.25 an hour, but employees in certain fields can be paid less.  A waitress or bartender can be paid about half the minimum because of the tip income they receive from customers.  Some fast food restaurants charge a bit lower than the minimum because they provide employees with a meal during their shift.  It would be nice to have an $8 minimum wage, but there's a lot of legislative resistance on the Republican side to keep this from happening.

On the rest, I completely agree - some entry-level DVDs are perfect and E has a great selection made in-house.

How'd you get a job at 14, I'm 13 and looking for more cash, but i haven't gotten any luck. I'm not really known as a magician in public.

Are you in the States, KPop?  Most states mandate a minimum age for people to begin working, typically about 14 under restricted conditions, maybe as low as 12 for certain types of farm work.  You have to obtain permits and parental consent is generally required.

(Not to mention the economy's so terrible that newly-minted college graduates are getting untrained labor jobs and unpaid internships because there's just not enough jobs to be had...)

So what if you aren't known as a magician in public?  They only way you ever will be known as a magician in public is if you actually PERFORM in PUBLIC.  Try being a busker - perform a three-trick set in a public place and pass around a hat asking for donations.  Just be careful you don't violate any local laws restricting this.  Optionally, just perform for free and pass out a business card indicating you're available for private parties.  These days anyone with a computer, printer and pre-perforated business card paper can make a great-looking business card.

forget about Pure Smoke.....start practicing your effects well so that you can perform for other people.
it looks cool and magical to produce smoke,agree but the refills ain't cheap either and you could easily spend less money for other stuff.
so stop bothering your mother and save up the money if you really feel the need of having this.

I couldn't agree more with this statement!  Except that in the long run, the refills are not that expensive when priced on a cost-per-use basis.  It adds up to just a fraction of a penny over three cents to generate a puff using Pure Smoke refills, not counting the initial purchase price of the device itself.  It's not the kind of effect you want to use at the drop of a hat or on every trick you do - it would dilute the effect tremendously.  A single trick with a smoke puff tossed in is impressive enough.  I've done the simplest, least difficult tricks with a puff of Pure Smoke tossed in for good measure, and people tell me it's the most impressive thing they've ever seen me do!

[Jin Jian]

i went over to E website because i agree with what cosmicserect say .. althought a smoke is a penny but he still 14 he not like adult working and have a high pay and the device is not cheap that what i think although i also want the device but it too expesive and i will rather use the money to buy deck .. and the website say 18 and above only although i dun think you will show this to your mom .. lol

[Billywiz]

So I just asked my mother for pure smoke and she asked what it is.

My response was: instead of using matches or a lighter to produce smoke in a stupid way, this will produce smoke from a machine concealed on your body"

She said no to getting it because I'm not "PERFORMING"

how do i convince her its not just for performing?

When you do any effect or trick for people, you are performing. If your starting out in magic, there are a lot better effects out there to amaze your spectators at alot better price. Pure Smoke
reminds me of an effect call Instant Radio. Both are very cool and fun to use, but they are also something you might do, once or twice during a show any more than that would water down the effect IMHO even if you want Pure Smoke to just show friend. Do yourself a favour and save your money on this one. Listen to your mother
 
Billy.

[Aaron]

 minimum wage in the US is low here in Canada i live in alberta and minimum wage is $9.40 and it is the 2nd lowest in canada and for bartenders it is $9.05. But on the Pure Smoke topic i think if you are going to be using it alot to perform for other people but if it is just for the LTD decks then IMO i dont think you should get it.