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[seige]

Flash Paper
Price: £6.00 for a small pad of 20 sheets from most magic retailers
(OVER 18's ONLY, I think?!?)

Difficulty: 1/5
(1=A dextrous, pyromanical turtle could do it, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

Description
Have you got a production or vanish which lacks fizz? Have you got a killer routine that needs a little lift?

Flash paper could be the answer...

A handkerchief vanishes in a ball of flame, a spectator's signed coin transforms in a flash of fire, a torn & restored card pyrotechnically welds itself back together...

Review
I'd often seen magicians using flash paper, and I knew it was widely available - but I never really gave it a second thought.

Then, one day, I purchased a DVD by Jay Sankey, and I changed my mind.

Flash paper is basically like white tissue paper or coarse cigarette paper. It is translucent, and quite fibrous. It looks pretty tough, actually, and can be written on, crumpled, folded and rolled.

But you get a flame near it, and in a flash of orange flame, it disappears without trace. No smoke, no ash, no 'little black bits'. Gone.

It's made so it burns quick - really quick. In fact, a playing card sized sheet will vanish before it leaves your hand! You can wrap it around coins, cards, rings, other paper, silks, banknotes - and yet because of it's rapid burn, it will frazzle away without a trace, leaving other items intact.

I love flash paper. It's got so many uses. Easiest ignited with a borrowed cigarette lighter, although it can be sparked from a finger flasher too.
Some effects (such as In a Flash by the aforementioned Sankey) which use flash paper are simply worthless without it. Others, like my torn and restored card routine, can survive on their own. But it adds a little extra twist - and gives you enough misdirection (due to both the shock and retention of vision) to, for example, ditch items or load items.

It can even be used to cover a mistake... I've actually used it as a misdirection a couple of times - for instance - pulling the wrong card from an index... embarrassing? Sounds implausible? I did it as an impromptu 'get out of poo', because I happened to have the materials to hand, and it became a great alternative ending.

Overall
I would be amazed if you could not work flash paper into your existing routine somewhere. It's a compact utility prop which you can take anywhere.

Don't overdo it. Once per-performance is enough - as it's quite easy to overkill this excellent utility device.

Rating: Effect/item: 10/10, Quality of goods: N/A, Value for money: 10/10

The bottom line...
If you're a creative magician who likes to play with ideas and improve your methods, get some flash paper. If your sceptical, as was I, try it! £6 for 20 sheets is great value for money - in fact, get a couple of pads - you'll quickly get through the first one by just playing!

WARNING/DISCLAIMER:
The item described above is a magician's prop, and it's intended use is for magic only. By recommending this item, I would like to state that I hold no responsibility for any injury, damage or loss of facial hair as a result of using this item. Used with sensibility, this item should cause no damage or harm. Any misuse of this item is purely at the responsibility of the user, and what you use it for and how you use it is entirely your decision.

No turtles, cats, aadvarks or lemons were harmed during this review, although several innocent coffee beans were ground, scalded and discarded.

[Mandrake]

Just to add to the above, you can also get flash cotton which is slightly more powerful and resembles cotton wool. Many moons ago I purchased a double firing magic wand which, on command, shoots a flaming pellet out of each end of the wand. This is a rather startling effect which uses both flash cotton and flash paper (plus a couple of Duracells) to achieve the end result. Not exactly a close up item but fun nevertheless. The downside is that I’ve never had the opportunity to use it in front of an audience but one of these days……

NB Flash paper and cotton should be kept damp to avoid spontaneous combustion

PS I prefer the Aardvark comparison to be at the other end of the scale of difficulty. If it’s a number 5 then it's ‘aardvark’ to do it. (Gettit? Oh, never mind).

[seige]

Indeed, flash cotton is another item I use, along with flash cord, which is a bit like string.

Versatility wise, the flash paper wins: it even passes as paper, and can be used without concealment.

The problem with flash cotton which I've found is that it takes far less to ignite! It's a little on the scary side, where as flash paper is easier to control.

The advice is to start with paper, see how you get on. Flash cotton is GREAT for big flame effects, though! And flash cord makes a nice line of flame effect, looks great with vanishing canes etc.

I will also consider adding 'aadvark' at the top end of the scale (scale, geddit?)

[Mandrake]

(Mandrake gestures hypnotically, groans inwardly, and returns to having a conversation with a friendly lemon.)

[seige]

Under Mandrake's hypnotic spell, Seige forgets himself, and also speaks to a lemon (the usual conversation with the orange is not possible, it's on holiday with the aadvark)

Is magic sending us mad?

Were we mad already?

Is that the time... ?

No, that's a clock.

???

[Mandrake]

OK, just sit there quietly and the nice men in white coats will be with you very soon......

[seige]

Not them again...

Have a good break!
Anywhere nice?

[the_mog]

hmmmm can see this whole "difficulty" thing spiraling out of ANY form of public decency... *wondering when we're gonna get to the " a single celled aomeba(if thats how its spelled) can do it with one hand tied behind its back whilst wearing last weeks underpants on its head, oh and its blindfolded too" stage* hehe

[maximus]

has anyone seen the trick by david blane (spit), where he rips the card and it bursts into flames. Its probably not done with flash paper or cotton because there is a lot of smoke

[seige]

Mog...

Single cell amoeba (plural?) can't perform card magic - they've no hands.

And they don't smoke, so why would they have a cigarette lighter to ignite Flash Paper???

Honestly, some people...
I feel like I'm the victim of a cruel joke... I only tried to introduce a rating system... I never meant to make enemies!

I may as well give up now, as I can't seem to win. Cats, aadvarks, amoeba (plural, again?)... Why not just say '1=so easy, seige could do it' and have done with it.

[the_mog]

hehe now theres no need top get tetchy

[Mandrake]

How about 'so easy Adam Klaus could do it'?

[seige]

... ranging to '5=Up to 'Creek' without a colour-changing jewelled paddle'

[bananafish]

ahhh, that would be the vanishing 'colour-changing jewelled paddle' I assume.

has someone reviewed that yet?

[magicdiscoman]

haveing severe identity crisis because its light out side

i have a fire to cane metal trick i used to use light er fuel to light it but some places dont like fire effects (sprinklers aparently).

so i now use flash wool to start the trick then pretent to be scared of the flash (dos'nt need much acting) then judt throw the torch to change to cane great for kids shows especialy if mark is holding a petrol can and has been picked because they have used a lot of hairspray

like all pirotecknicks i keep mine in a tin with the torch encased in metal till ready to perform

written under the scrutiny of the dislexics association for tollerence d.a.f.t for short