Thanks to the members of SAM Assembly # 8
Indianapolis, Indiana
Charles and Augusta Callery
Frank and Margaret Dailey
Dan Langell
Kevin and Jamie Priebe
Illustrations by Augusta Callery
THE EFFECT ..... You tie a knot in a rope. You make a fist around the knot. Then, you open your hand to show that the knot has vanished.
YOU NEED ..... Two volunteers and two feet of soft rope.
HOW TO ..... Hold the rope loosely in the curled fingers of your left hand, palm down, with most of the rope hanging down on the right. Pick up the long end of the rope with your right hand and lift it so that the rope crosses itself from left to right at the thumb of your left hand, making a circle. With you left index finger and thumb form a circle around the rope and pinch tightly. (The pinch is at the point marked X in Figure f1.) With your right hand, pull the right end of the rope until you have a loop two inches in diameter. Drop the right end of the rope so that it hangs on your side of the loop.
With your right hand, reach around to the audience side of the loop, poke your index finger and thumb through the loop toward you and grasp the hanging end. Pull the hanging end through the loop (Figure 2). It looks as though you have tied a knot. Look closely and you will see that you have a loop of rope instead of a knot. Pull on the right end of the rope to "tighten the knot" (Figure 3). Put the "knot" into you right hand, palm down, and close your fingers. Have two volunteers hold the ends of the rope...."so that I can't untie the knot." Make a magic wave over the "knot". It will vanish.
THE EFFECT ....You make a small ball vanish from your hand and appear in a volunteer's hand.
YOU NEED .... A volunteer and two small balls made out of soft material. (You can tear a paper napkin into two pieces. Each piece can be rolled into a satisfactory ball.)
HOW TO ....With your right hand pick up one of the balls. Hold it so that your fingers touch and your thumb holds the ball in place. If you hold your hand palm down, the ball will be hidden from your audience's view. (Figure 1) This is called "palming".
Pretend to put the ball into your left hand. Don't make a point of this. Close your left fingers "around it". You merely "rake" the ball across the open palm of your left hand as you close it around empty air. In reality, you keep the ball in your right hand. This is called the "rake-through vanish". Practice in front of a mirror until you can't see the difference between actually leaving the ball in your left hand and secretly taking it away with your right hand.
Put the ball that is concealed in your right hand on top of the ball on the table. Pick them both up as one. Put them both into your volunteer's hand. Ask him to squeeze tightly. Then have him blow on your left hand. Slowly open your left hand and show that the ball has vanished. Have him open his hand and notice his amazement when he sees both balls.
You may want to make up a story to tell as you perform the effect that will "explain" the MAGIC that made a ball vanish and reappear. The story you tell as you perform a magic effect is called "patter". Patter makes magic more entertaining.
Figure 1
THE EFFECT ....You put two small balls into your hand and a third ball into your pocket. The ball in your pocket keeps jumping back into your hand. Then, all the balls vanish.
YOU NEED .... Four small soft balls. (You can tear a paper napkin into four pieces. Each piece can be rolled into a satisfactory ball.)
HOW TO .....Palm one of the balls in your right hand. This isn't hard. If you curl your third finger a little, it will hold the ball so that it won't drop out. If you look in a mirror you will see that your hand looks natural and empty even when it contains the ball.
While secretly hiding a ball in your right hand, place three of the balls on the table. Pick up one of the balls and put it into your open left hand as you say, "One in my hand." Put the second ball, ALONG WITH THE EXTRA BALL FROM YOUR RIGHT HAND, into your left hand as you say, "Two in my hand", (Figure 1) and close your left hand. Pick up the third ball and put it into your pocket as you say,"Three in my pocket." Ask, "How many balls are in my hand?" The answer will be "Two". Open your hand and show three balls. THAT'S MAGIC.
If you pretend to put the balls into your pocket and really palm it, you can perform the effect again.
OR
Leave the ball in your pocket and do "One in my hand", "Two in my hand", EXCEPT, when you put ball two into your left hand, put it on top of ball one and PICK THEM BOTH UP AS ONE, palming them in your right hand as you did earlier. Put them both on top of ball three. Pick up ball three with your right hand and put all three balls into your pocket as you say, "Three in my pocket." Ask, "How many balls are in my hand?" No matter what is answered, move your hand towards a member of your audience and ask, "Will you hold them?" Open your empty hand as you say, "Don't tell anyone how it works!" Give your nicest smile.
Figure 1
THE EFFECT .....You borrow a coin and tap it on the table. There is a snapping sound as the coin passes through the table.
LEARNING THE SKILL .....Hold the edges of the coin between the thumb and index finger of your left hand. Your thumb is on top and your fingers are bent a little. The top of the coin should tip toward your body. (Figure 1) If you raise your thumb a fraction of an inch, the coin will flop onto your fingers. This is called a"drop". It is difficult and requires practice.
When you feel you are doing the drop well, put the first two fingers on your right hand in front of the coin before you do the drop. Move your right hand as though it is taking the coin away (Figure 2). LOOK AT YOUR RIGHT HAND AS YOU DO THIS. (This is called"misdirection".) Tip your left hand toward your body to hide the coin. Practice this sleight in front of a mirror until it looks the same whether or not you actually take the coin.
HOW TO ..... Borrow a quarter or half dollar. (Using a borrowed coin impresses people.) Perform the skill described above. Raise your right hand, still pretending to hold the coin, as you say, "I am going to make this coin go through the table." As you speak, put your left hand under the table and slide the coin to the tips of your fingers. Bring the right hand over the table and pretend to tap the coin on the table. In reality, you tap the coin in your left hand on the BOTTOM of the table as your pretend to tap the TOP of the table. Practice this.
Hold the coin firmly against the table and move your thumb away. The coin will make a snapping noise as it hits the table. Pretend to make the snapping sound with your right hand as you really do it with your left hand. Slowly move your right hand into the air and show that it is empty. Bring your left hand out from under the table and display the coin as though it had passed through the table.
THIS IS MAGIC! Perform it well and you are a MAGICIAN.
WARNING......Don't practice this effect on a good wooden table.
THE EFFECT ..... A long rope is cut by a member of the audience and the cut ends are tied together. You make the knot pop off the rope when the volunteer says the magic words.
YOU NEED ..... a volunteer, a rope one yard long, a second rope eight inches long, a pair of sharp scissors, a candle and a match. (The rope must be of a man made fiber of the type sold in craft shops.)
PREPARE ..... the short piece of rope by heating both ends near the candle flame (Figure 1). As you do this, you will see the fibers of the rope curl and start to melt. Press the ends together immediately, being careful not to touch the hot ends. Cool the ends by blowing on them. You will have a rope circle. TO BE SAFE, DO THIS WITH ADULT SUPERVISION.
HOW TO ..... Hide the rope circle in your right hand. Hold one end of the long rope in the same hand as you have a tug of war with your volunteer to prove that the rope is strong. Take the center of the long rope between the fingers and thumb of your left hand and ask your volunteer to pick up the scissors. As he does this, drop the right end of the long rope and put the folded center of it into your right hand. Hold the center with your little finger and pull a section of the rope circle into view. It should look as though the rope circle is actually the center of the rope (Figure 2). Your volunteer will unknowingly cut the rope circle instead of the long rope.
Tie the short piece of rope (formerly the rope circle) around the loop of the long rope (Figure 3). Hold an end of the long rope in each hand. The knot is in the center. Have your volunteer say his favorite magic words. As he speaks, jerk on the ends of the rope and pop off the knot. THIS IS MAGIC!
You can form the short piece of rope into another rope circle and repeat the effect for someone else
THE EFFECT ..... You make a house out of a handkerchief. With the help of a volunteer you create a ghost for the house. You show that the ghost is in the house by moving him about and by hitting him on his hard head. Then, he vanishes.
YOU NEED .....a volunteer, a man's handkerchief with a hemmed border and a round toothpick you can insert into one corner of the hem. Break off the sharp ends of the toothpick so that it doesn't stick through the handkerchief.
HOW TO ..... Ask you spectators if they have ever seen a ghost. Ask if they would like to see one. Take out your handkerchief and spread it on the table so that the corner with the toothpick hangs over the edge of the table nearest you. The handkerchief should be in the shape of a baseball diamond. Home plate should hand over the edge of the table, first base should be on your right, second base should be opposite you and third base should be on your left. Fold home plate up until it rests just a bit higher than the center of an imaginary line between first base and third base. Fold second base straight down to touch the center of the folded edge. (Figure 1.) Fold first base over to a point halfway between the pitcher's mound and third base. Fold third base toward the right until it rests on the edge of the folded handkerchief.(Figure 2.) Practice making these folds until you can make a square.
Tell the audience that you need some ectoplasm, the stuff of which ghosts are made. Have your volunteer cup his hands to hold the ectoplasm. Pretend to get some ectoplasm from the air and put it into your volunteer's hands. Take some of the ectoplasm and put it into your house. You will find second base pointing toward you under the folds. Lift second base, reach in, and find the toothpick. STAND THE TOOTHPICK ON END, so that the bump looks like a mound of ectoplasm. (Figure 3.)
Place the tip of your finger on top of the house (actually on top of the toothpick). Very gently and slowly, move your finger in a circle. It looks as though something really is inside. Stop moving your finger when the toothpick is standing straight up. Hit STRAIGHT DOWN on the toothpick with something flat, like a deck of cards. Pretend you are hitting the ghost.
To end the effect, pick up third base, the corner on top. Lift the handkerchief to show that the ghost has vanished. Fold the handkerchief and put it away. Don't reveal the secret.
Two safety pins locked one inside the other can be separated without opening the pins. The secret of this cute trick is in knowing how to put the pins together. Follow the picture above - hold TIGHT - pull your hands apart QUICKLY and the pins will separate without opening!
PRACTICE......PRACTICE.....PRACTICE
AND THEN PRACTICE SOME MORE!!
Before you are ready for an audience, you must have your technical skills learned and be able to do them without hesitation. To be a good entertainer you must be able to concentrate on entertaining your audience and not thinking about whether or not you can do your "drop" without messing it up.
Avoid the temptation to show your family or friends your newest trick until you are really ready. It will save you the embarrassment of not performing well and it will make you a better entertainer in the long run.
If you have any trouble with the effects that are shown above, drop me a line and I'll do my best to help you out. Don't forget to practice, practice, practice!!
Send your questions to MagicDan
