As I have virtually retired from serious balloon modelling, I have decided to sell my Majiloon "Contractor" rechargeable balloon pump.  It is listed on Ebay at http://bit.ly/AizZW1
Briefly, it is (IMHO) the "bees knees" of rechargeable pumps - featuring independently switched twin compressors powered by a14.4v rechargeable drill battery.  It is worn in a "bum" bag behind you and the air is fed to balloons via a clear flexible pipe that is brought round in front of you.  The nozzle incorporates the switch which activates the compressors and can be attached to a tool recoil device.  It comes with a spare battery, quick charger, a heavy duty US to UK transformer and modified tool box carrier.  Made in the US, the equivalent model now sells at around $400 (not far off what I paid for it a few years ago.  I have added several photos to the Ebay listing which finishes on Sunday 18th March 2012.  Any questions - 07912 793204 or mailto:malcolmsstudio@hotmail.co.uk">malcolmsstudio@hotmail.co.uk

Happy twisting to you all,

Malcolm Malan

Hi Princess

Not at all!!

 :ugeek:

Hi Krazy Kev

That ladybird is also a baby turtle and a hedgehog!

Hi Twistina

Fantastic!  A convert to CAK!!

Thank you both for buying (and using) the book.

Looking forward to being at Birmingham (Tamworth?).  See you there?   :ugeek:

Attached is a picture of the old version of the one balloon dolphin that's in my book.  I no longer have 2 bubbles for the snout though.  Instead, there's just one ear twist and it looks altogether much more friendly.  I'll be showing this at Birmingham.  It's always very popular and very easy to construct.    :ugeek: [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ] old-dolphin.jpg[/attachment:2iqn88sf]

By a strange quirk of fate  ...  I will have some copies of my little book at Birmingham!  I won't be doing magic with balloons - but I always try to make the way the balloon appears to "grow" into the animal to look "magical (if that makes any sense).  And - I always aim to animate the figure in some way as I hand it over.  The focus always being on the balloon NOT me (despite the fact that I usually talk all the way through the construction).   :ugeek:

Thanks everybody for the welcome.  I look forward to meeting some of you at the Birmingham (Tamworth?) day and being part of these on-line  discussions.  Kev, I'm glad you found the book useful.  I've done very little to promote it other than that trip to Blackpool and making sure that Alec at Albion Magic always has a few copies in stock!   :ugeek:

ROFLMAO!  I've just started to work my way round this forum and then I came across the "guess the mystery lecturer" thread!!  Isn't T'Internet wonderful?  BTW, the photo is not of me but I can see why you thought it might be.  I've been one of the featured entertainers at Shrewsbury Flower Show for many years.  However, I only do magic shows and compere in the "Kids Arena" (balloons are only a minor bit of my full magic shows).  The guy responsible for walkabout (mostly balloons) on another part of the site is Paul Goddard (aka Professor Crump) who does the whole thing on stilts (that would never be me - with my knees!).  Good research though.  

I actually look like this when I've got my work clothes on!  :ugeek:

Hello

My name is Malcolm Malan and I've been a full-time entertainer for 19 years.  I am a magician, balloon modeller, tarot reader etc.  Prior to that, I worked in Theatre in  Education and arts administration.  In 1989, I started Tactical Magic, based in the English Midlands (Stafford), a business that acted as an agency, promotion, events and training body.  In the summer 2007, we moved up to Lancashire and now live between Preston and Blackpool.  The business is now run by our daughter in Yorkshire and I've gone back to being a part-time freelance turn and part time painter and maker.  For a few years, I wrote the balloon twisting column for Dave Jones' "Conjurer" magazine and for the Repro Magic house magazine ("Repro 71").  In 2004, I edited and updated all the articles and published them as a little book - "The Random Ramblings of a Self-Confessed Balloon-atic".  I've always favoured small, detailed, single balloon figures (my heroes were Doug Brierley and Ralph Dewey - really sorry that I'll miss him during his visit here as I've never actually met him!) and believe that it is perfectly possible to be regarded by the public as a balloon artist without (a) having to make huge sculptures or (b) pumping out hundreds of balloons an hour.  I feel that the key to this is the way you control your working situation and the way you build your "presentation".  I've absolutely nothing against all the wonderful large multi-balloon figures that are really popular right now - I've got a large library of books and DVDs and have been commissioned to make large things myself (in fact I've recently been running some local authority workshops where kids work towards building larger things themselves over 3 or 4 weeks).  It's just that, over the years, I seem to have developed a style of working that suits my personality and that involves making single balloon figures - which has arisen (largely) from 13 years as a featured entertainer at Cadbury World and a regular in the hospitality suite at Alton Towers (where it would never, ever have been possible to satisfy the potential demand for balloon animals!).

I look forward to being able to contribute to (and learn from) this forum.

"The closer you get, the less you see!"

Malcolm   :ugeek: