talkmagic.co.uk

OK, firstly I know someone from emagictricks is going to read this so I have to admit to spitting the dummy big style when I first got this trick. I didnt like it at all and did in fact try to return it. Our lovely Royal Mail saw to it that 13 days after posting it to emagictricks it came full circle back to me!!! So because I was "left lumbered" with it I have tried to get the handling right. (Sorry Lawrence for the agro!!)

Anyway I've actually grown to like this trick because of the spinning coin aspect of it. Now for my support request....

Whenever at a pub or with some friends you take the time to "rig" the effect up and impress with the ball and then the coin. Then the moment passes and the hook up is put away. INEVITABLY someone new joins the group and someone else will say "Ere, Jordan, Show John that floating coin trick of yours" and....... well you can't!! The hook up is away and gone so this doesnt look natural when you go to toilet to come back and do the trick. So my magical friends who are aware of this trick and how it works I ask you this..... How can you have the almost complete hook up in place so that within seconds of being asked to do it again you can??? Has anyone sussed a way of keeping it in place for later repeat performances??

All ideas and suggestions welcome.... PM me if need be.

PS: With Flight 204 the hookup is rigged ready to instantly repeat and to repeat later at request. It woukld be good for something similar here.

Dunno that I can be of any help whatsoever esp since though I know the gist of that trick, I've never actually done it. However many tricks have the same set up issue, here are some of the things I say.

a: Once a night is enough for anyone
b: I've put it back in the car, I'll go and get it in a bit.
c: I'll do it a bit later Right now I'd like to show you another one.
d: It takes all my Psychic energy to do it once then I need a night to recover, let me show you one that doesn't kill me to do.

anyhow it works for me, might not for you

Well, the setup's not too hard if you can find some way of carrying the business around without breaking it and yet be easily able to get hold of it.
Let me have a think, and in the meantime I'm sure siege will present you with a perfect solution!

Cheers, I wait with anticipation the results.

Really, this conversation should be taking place in the Magician's Only section, but in all fairness, I think I can speak without giving the game away here - and I assume that only people who know the routine will suss what the heck I'm talking about...

OK, point no.1 - yes it IS possible to remain hooked-up on a longer basis for repeat performances or just to prepare.
I'm quite sure I'm not alone in the opinion that if you can't hook-up and work that way, then the effect can't be fluidly worked into your routine.

Now, the preferred method for this is quite dependent on the individual performer - and how closely you work with your audience. If you work VERY up close and personal, then there is obviously a good chance that you will get spotted during the performance - and yet if you work on a stage, there's more opportunity for a bit of misdirection.

Really, the 'roaming' hook-up depends on a lot of factors. The quality of IT you are using, what you are wearing etc, hairstyle (tee hee).

The favourite 'static' setup position I use is to keep EVERYTHING in the breast pocket - with the IT wound roughly around ball. Don't worry, it seldom bunches and snags, as it's quite straight. Try and get hold of Spider IT (or Kevlex, if you're not doing VERY closeup). Now, a cool misdirection for the hookup, and something which would ALSO add to the effect (and this is a genuine SEIGE tip) is to put on some mirrored sunglasses.

You will probably only find these in a 1980's retro shop, but it gives you AMPLE misdirection for putting your hands 'where you need to go', and also gives you justification for going into your breast pocket.

PLUS - the glasses make an excellent additional performance gimmick, as they imply that the glowing ball is something VERY strange indeed - and it's mystic glow may be radioactive or something bizarre. And for those who think the glasses are something to do with the gimmick, take them off halfway through with your 'not so busy hand' and wave them around the ball. Put them back on though, it assists with the ditch - bluff done!

Placing a piece of black felt or something opaque in the pocket also helps shield the ball's light during performances.

To disengage the hook up, use the reverse of the hook up move, putting the MW or BT on the glasses and then just let everything dangle. Spider IT or somesuch should remain quite inconspicuous.

Have fun with it - any more info via PM, though, as it's quite hard not to give the game away here...

hmmm...as yet I havent been invited to the magicians only section but by all means PM me.

I'm impressed that it doesn't snag, how do you straighten it out? Just drop the ball from one hand to the other?

Nick

One of the lovely properties of the Spider IT is that it actually acts like pubic hair does... i.e. it sort of coils naturally if you 'teach' it to. This, in turn, stops snagging.

The initial setup starts in the pocket, when the ball rests there ready to rise out (if you follow the initial handling)

During the act of taking out the sunglasses, the MW (or whatever you are using) is attached to your thumbnail, and during putting the glasses on, you do 'the setup'. The coiled IT will follow quite well, and it's almost a totally natural progression. Take the slack up, off you go.
Reversing the procedure (i.e. ditching) via the sunglasses misdirection works a treat - and the 'pubic' IT will coil like a telephone cord and is helped on it's way by the sunglasses.

It works for me, but I admit, there IS trial and error involved. It's a suggestion rather than a definitive guide!!!

Might have to get me some spider IT then!

ok, will give the spider IT a try.

One more thing. I got busted by my nine year old daughter this weekend doing the lit ball flight. She spotted the two shadows within the ball and guessed each ones purpose (little smart alec!!). THEN I got busted by a friend later on that evening for the very same reasons.

How do you deal with the double shadow??