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The Crazy Man’s Handcuffs

Effect: Two rubber bands pass through each other, and then are placed back inside of one another.


Anyone who has preformed this trick knows that the first step is to pull the bands apart, and then the second is to place them back together.

I have the first part down very well. I can remove the bands both fast and slow.

However I am running into some difficulty trying to place them back together. I know how it is done, and I am certainly not wanting anyone to say “Here is how to do it!.”

But what I am desiring is someone to give me some pointers on how to place them back together with out being caught on to.

Every time I try to perform it in the mirror to see if I can truly sell the second half to even myself I get frustrated. I just can’t seem to get them back together without being able to see how I am doing it.

Anyone got any pointers?

When you are learning this, you won't be able to look into a mirror as you have to put full attention of your hands. Try filming youself so you can put all your concentration on what your hands are doing, then watch and make your own corrections. Or, post a video in the File Sharing section and then we will be able to give you a few tips.

By the way, most people don't even bother putting the elastics back together. If I were you, I wouldn't either. I would just do the routine with my hands, then let a spec hold the elastic and to it to him/her.

I use "Quantum bandits" from Penguin Magic......I always thought they were the same effect? I don't remember a relinking phase? I do the sequence on my fingers, then on a specs fingers, but don't recall a way to relink them.........

That is what I do, but I have heard of people re-linking the elastic bands. I can see how I could be done, but I still wouldn't do it as taking the bands apart is much more impressive.

The final phase of Ammar's Crazy Man's Handcuffs routine is where one band is placed on the spectator's fingers - I can see how re-linking the bands at this point, right at the end of the effect, to create a climax would be amazing.

However, I have absolutely no idea whatsoever how to re-link the rubber bands, so for now, I will meander through my life just pulling them apart, allowing the molecules of the rubber to pass by each other like ships in the night.

It might be more amazing to a magician than a layman. We are used to seeing the bands just come apart. The laymen aren't used to anything . They would probably just assume that you could put them back together, so it might not impress them a whole lot.

But once you've shown them the same strange occurence three, nay, four times, re-linking them would make an ideal climax.

The laymen haven't seen everything we have, but that's no reason not to show them.

Always aim for that one step further, better, higher.

After the fourth time, the effect becomes confusing, not mystifying as you would like it to be. I would never do this 4 times in a row, but that is just my opinion.

mccabe24 wrote:After the fourth time, the effect becomes confusing, not mystifying as you would like it to be. I would never do this 4 times in a row, but that is just my opinion.

I am with you on that one.......I think multiple repeats is a bad perormance idea! Don't get me wrong, some effects do get better with repeats, but that is rare, and in my opinion this is most definitely not one of them!!!!!

The re-linking phase is a bit fiddlier and isn't entirely necessary. Or in fact at all necessary once you've done the effect on yourself and a spec. When I perform it I do the second phase on their fingers then immediately put the band back on my wrist and step back leaving them staring at the band in amazement. Putting it back on can't be done in as visual a 'strand by strand' manner as the initial penetration and the game would be given away if you tried to do this.

I suppose it depends how you perform the effect. Some prefer to pull the band straight through, I like to ham it up a bit and sell the illusion of the bands visually coming through each other.

If you want to do a bit more (CMH is good, but a bit random if it's simply a case of "hey, watch this elastic band trick, right, that's that!"), my elastic band trio is:

Split elastic band (using "looks like two" illusion!)
crazy man's handcuffs
put one band away (show very fairly that you only have one band) for the Band Onto Held Finger Under Handkerchief!

Thanks for the help everyone.


Now I will also tell you something that I do for a bit of humor at the end of the preformance for Crazy Man's Handcuffs:

I ask them if they would like to know how I did the trick.

of course the audience will say of course!

I tell them that they are trick rubberbands that I bought at a magic shop.
I paid 20 for the trick and bands.

I then tell them that I will sell them the bands for 5 dollars and then tell them how to do the trick for free.


Just to add a bit of humor at the end of the show

I do the following

Elastics gymnastics.. which is
band up the nose
torn and restored rubber band
band through thumb
2 stage crazy mans handcuffs
pyschokinetic time

then...

ring link onto rubber band.. followed by unlinking in the specs hand
finally rubber made... 2 bands link visually in the air just by openly letting them touch.
( I have only just got to a stage to be able to perform this last segment )

Nice one ID - two questions; why Psychokinetic Time (a bit random, or is an elastic band effect I don't know about?!) and where can I learn "Rubber Made"?