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Hi there,

I recently saw a great Endless Chain routine. This is something that I had totally forgotten about, and took me right back to the Paul Daniels Magic Show’s Bunco Booth.

I’ve had a quick search on the net, and on TM but not really found much. One magic store was selling a very expensive single trick document for this, but I wondered if anyone knows if it is on a DVD, or in a book?

I’d quite like to add this to my table hopping set or in a gambling / betting theme routine.

Cheers,

Search for Whit Haydn/School for Scoundrels.

WHAT SIZE IS the chain, might be able use it for my escape act.

hi,

Good routines for the figure 8 and the circles type effect PD used in the art of Close UP Magic volume 1 by Lewis Ganson.

Loads of other good stuff as well!

Cheers,
John

Terry Guyatt used to do a lecture called 'Fast & Loose And The Automatic Gambler' which featured the endless chain & another gambling routine. Great handling & patter.

If you can track down some lecture notes !

Oh and you don't need expensive chain from the dealers or jewlers.

'Ball chain' from a hardware store, the sort of chain used for sink plugs etc, looks fine and works really well

John

Curiosity killed the cat...

Well? Did you look into this? What happened?

My recommendation would go to the School for Scoundrels in their treatise on this old con. You get the full history.

I would find this to be an uncomfortable thing to do in a restaurant/walk around venue. There may be some venues where you could get away with it, but mostly you'd just be getting into people's personal space by having to move their drinks, and so forth, out of the way. It really does require quite a bit of space.

I'd also suggest getting a good chain. The ball type chains that john1960uk is suggesting I would strongly avoid. I've not tried to do this with that type of chain, but I am very familiar with that type of chain and simply cannot imagine that it would be a good one to use for this application. I could be wrong, of course.

Still, I'd suggest a nice chain if you are really considering making a formal routine out of this.

So, anyway, where do you stand on this?

Mike.

Hi Mike,

You really should try ball chain, I tried a variety of chains from magic dealers and all were too 'stiff' by comparison. I think it must be ten years or more since I performed this so newer ones on the market may be better.

However if I did need anything better than ball chain I think I would get a jewler to make one up. does need to be supple and 'flow' well for the routines to look good though.

All the best,
John

I have to agree with John that the ball chain is superb for this effect. But, there are different types of this chain... make sure you go for the more flexible type.

The beauty of using this type of chain is that it's very slinky, and due to it's construction, it's virually friction-free, even around fingers etc.

And it's pretty cheap too!

Supreme did a very comprehensive book on this if you can find one.

If you're out hunting for literature to do with this bear in mind that it's also commonly known as 'Pricking The Garter'.

john1960uk wrote:You really should try ball chain, I tried a variety of chains from magic dealers and all were too 'stiff' by comparison.

As I said, I could be wrong, and by the looks of it, I am!

Seriously, though, the ball chains that I'm familiar with are very stiff and the little ball jobbers get stuck on each other when pulling the chain. If you have something that works, though, then it works. Good deal!

seige wrote:The beauty of using this type of chain is that it's very slinky, and due to it's construction, it's virually friction-free, even around fingers etc.

And it's pretty cheap too!

Okay, no need to rub it in...When I'm wrong I'm wrong.

Personally, I use the French braid rope chain that can be purchased at School for Scoundrels. It is supple and superb. It honestly flows like water (you can, quite literally, pour it from hand to hand as if it were liquid) and because of its design, it will not roll if on a bit of an inclined plane.



It's not cheap, though. Still, if you are a hardened fan of doing this effect, I can promise you that if you buy one of these you won't be disappointed.

Then again, I managed to get past CUPS and now spend my money on fewer and more expensive things...When I make a purchase, it is something that I've thought about and considered at length. I now find it much more gratifying to buy something that is a high quality rather than lots of little stuff that I may, or may not, use. Sure, I make fewer purchases and sometimes I still go through CUPS withdrawals, but...

Further, I will make this offer:

If anyone purchases one of these chains and is not fully, 100% pleased with it, I will buy it from you at the purchase price and pay for all shipping costs, including the shipping that you originally paid to get the chain sent to you. Seriously.

I've been doing the endless chain for over 30 years (no joke - I'm getting old...) - it's one that you can have a lot of fun with!

Mike.

Hello All,

I so totally agree with Mike, the School for Scoundrels has a totally beautiful French Braid chain that has to be felt to be believed. Once you touch it, you'll never use another chain. Of course, this chain is used for On the Barrelhead. If your version of Fast and Loose is Prick the Garter, well then you'll want something that fits the time frame of your character. For example, just pre-WWII, my favorite time of the Flyiing Tigers, I love to use a cotton military belt for the trick. It's what they used at the time. Naturally, a straight thing like a rope or belt lays out differently than a single loop chain. So it all depends upon your goals.

Regardless, Fast and Loose is a fun trick. And, since my chain is gold, it looks truly beautiful worn as a necklace, thus, I always have a trick with me that I can do anywhere.

Then again, Fast and Loose is not simply a trick but more a study into the theory of magic itself.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

The whole routine can be found on David Eldridge's "Fundamentalism"

It is not the best DVD on the market, but the explanation for the endless chain routine is very good.

john1960uk wrote:Good routines for the figure 8 and the circles type effect PD used in the art of Close UP Magic volume 1 by Lewis Ganson.

The Ganson routine, and others, can be found in Henry Hay's Amateur Magician's Handbook (4th edition).

Barry

There's one using a loop of chain in Chapter 8 of Paul Zenon's Street magic - reviewed on TM a couple of times!