Broken Wand: Frank 'Fakini' Radtke

Harold Twaddle sent word about the death of Frank 'Fakini' Radtke, who developed, designed and manufactured the high-quality Fakini balls and other products. He died Nov. 8, 2009.

While Radtke, a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians Ring 68 in Toledo, Ohio, was praised for his superb multiplying billiard balls, jugglers also appreciated his craftsmanship. Bill Giduz wrote a story about Radtke and his contribution to the world of juggling in 1996, and it appeared in "Juggler's World," Vol. 43, No. 1. Giduz writes, in part:

It hasn't taken long for silicone balls to become the rage among jugglers. With their high-bounce resiliency, available rainbow colors and resistance to dirt, they are a prized and carefully guarded prop. ... There's something about a silicone ball that makes it attractive like a precious stone. While clubs and rings will get nicked and scarred, and bean bags will quickly go limp and dirty, silicone balls remain lustrously ageless.

Most jugglers assume that silicone balls were invented by one of the two manufacturers who produce them in the greatest volume - Todd Smith of Cleveland, Ohio, or Brian Dube of New York City. But the person to thank for delivering into the juggling community this new status symbol of the trade is actually not a juggler at all.

Frank Radtke of Toledo, Ohio, invented the silicone ball in about 1970 in pursuit of a better prop for magicians like himself.

Magic was always his sideline passion, while toolmaking at a plastics plant kept he, Joyce, and six children fed, clothed and sheltered. Following Radtke's first-shift job at Modern Tools division of LOF, he would come home to tinker in his cluttered garage workshop on props for himself or other magicians.

On an occasion at Abbotts Magic Shop in about 1968, Radtke heard a friend despair that a certain type of sponge rubber golf ball used in a trick was no longer available. Radtke decided he was up to the challenge and started building molds in his shop and filling them with silicone, a material he was very familiar with from his day job. After two years he figured he had it right, and sent out his first set of dimpled silicone golf balls. The trick in question employed a ball that fit in an outer half-shell so that a single ball could become two with a skillful manipulation. Silicone turned out to be a good material for the prop because it was tacky and easy to handle.

Read Giduz's full article here.

Here is the obituary from the Toledo Blade:

DELTA - Frank Radtke, a retired toolmaker who was known worldwide as the inventor of high-bounce silicone balls that have been favored for many years by famous jugglers, died Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Flower Hospital. He was 69.

A longtime South Toledo resident who recently moved to Delta in Fulton County, Mr. Radtke came up with the idea for the prized prop while seated at his kitchen table in 1970, his son Randy said.

Products made by Mr. Radtke, who operated The House of Fakini, were featured in movies, including Disney's The Prestige, about two rival magicians.

One of the magicians, said Mr. Radtke's son, uses a Fakini ball special-ordered by Disney. Other orders came from famous magicians, said Randy, recalling the day he walked into his father's shop and David Copperfield was on the telephone with Mr. Radtke.

Dennis Weigel, owner of Glass City Magic in Toledo, who knew Mr. Radtke for many years, said, "Frank was internationally known because of his juggling balls. Frank was a magician, and he was a very creative individual. He became an international provider of juggling equipment for many, many professional jugglers around the world.

"Everybody who was a terrific and professional juggler used Fakini's balls," Mr. Weigel said.

Mr. Radtke came up with the idea for the specialized silicone balls "because he had knowledge of molten plastic. He was a plastic tool maker for a living. It took him years to come up with the formula," said Randy, a magician for 22 years.

Mr. Weigel said Mr. Radtke developed a certain chemical within the silicone that "made an interesting reaction on stage. The balls would react a certain way, and jugglers would understand how they would bounce."

For years Mr. Radtke had a magic shop in his garage. "A kid would come in and buy a $2 trick and dad took two hours of his time teaching the trick to the kid," his son said. "That's how it was with dad. He was such a great guy. He helped so many people in the magic community, thousands of people, with his products."

Mr. Radtke performed at magic shows in Toledo and surrounding states for many years under the name of Fakini, the Fat Fabulous Fascinator. "Dad weighed in at 360. He made a joke out of it," his son said. "Everything dad did was comedy."

Other products made by Mr. Radtke included Fakini's plumes, feathered flowers of changing colors, which Mr. Weigel said were favorites of magicians: "They were so sophisticated, so beautifully done."

Mr. Radtke often attended the annual four-day convention in Colon, Mich., known as the Magic Capital of the World, Mr. Weigel said, noting his friend was introduced to the world of magic by Ted Carrothers, who ran a magic shop in Toledo for 40 years. Mr. Carrothers taught magic to young people at the Boys and Girls clubs in Toledo, Mr. Weigel said, "and Frank was one of them."

Mr. Radtke, an avid knife collector and knife thrower, was a member of International Brotherhood of Magicians Ring 68 and Society of American Magicians.

Magicians will gather at the Walter Funeral Home in Toledo to participate in a Broken Wand Ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday, Randy Radtke said. After the ritual, the wand pieces can be placed in the casket or, as with Mr. Radtke, cremated with the body, he said. Mr. Radtke died of pancreatic cancer.

He is survived by daughters Melanie and Susan, sons Frank, Edward, Randy, and Michael, sister, Nora Roundell, 27 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 2 to 7 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009, in the Walter Funeral Home. The family suggests tributes to Promedica Hospice.