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MagicmanNamedIan wrote:I found an impromptu no gimmick required version, It's cool!

Yes i also have a gimmickless version, whats your point???

let me guess "solid breath"?

Hm. I have an old set of lecture notes by Garcia, with this in it. And it's gimmickless. Works like a charm too. Hm...Perhaps the gimmick makes it better? Not quite sure.

Dominick wrote:Hm. I have an old set of lecture notes by Garcia, with this in it. And it's gimmickless. Works like a charm too. Hm...Perhaps the gimmick makes it better? Not quite sure.

I wouldnt look much further for the 'gimmick'

I wouldnt look much further for the 'gimmick'

I see. Thanks for the reply

I saw this done in Blackpool - I first saw it in a Martin Gardner book called Match-ic which was published on or around 1942.

Do you think it was recalled because of health issues, or that they realised it wasn't his in the first place?

Take care, Ian

I don't think it was much of both. I really think it was more the people who were asking if it had health problems a lot. Even if Garcia says it's safe, people are still gonna wonder...So I think they took it off just to stop getting e-mails.

IanKendall wrote:I saw this done in Blackpool - I first saw it in a Martin Gardner book called Match-ic which was published on or around 1942.

Do you think it was recalled because of health issues, or that they realised it wasn't his in the first place?

Take care, Ian

That hasnt stopped Ellusionist, MM, penguin, and other people/stores to do it. So i dont think thats the reason.

Second, are you sure they use the same method?

third , it was pulled more because of all the letters from parents they were getting, and kids complaining. Its not healthy when used wrong.
People do unhealthy things all the time, so I dont think they should have pulled it.

Skrew the parents and the 'health'.

I had some conversations on the weekend with people who would have some insider knowledge. One quote was 'now Garcia has been humbled, and he's getting better'. We were talking about effects being 'borrowed'.

Yes, it's the same method. It was stupid back then, as well. Bear in mind that Match-ic was a compilation booklet, so the method will have been around for a while before Martin published it.

Take care, Ian

I am posting this in serious concern for health of my fellow magicians.
This is an informative post for everyone who performs Warning as a part of their routines...

I was in chemistry class the other day and we were performing oxidisation reactions with several elements. We heated red phosphorus, Iodine, sulphur and others. With all these elements, my teacher told the students to distance themselves a little bit from the Bunsen burner as the gas released from these elements were not good to breathe in (Iodine had the test tube sealed as Iodine gas is highly poisonous).
From a little knowledge of oxidisation reactions, sulfur dioxide results from burning sulfur:
S(s) + O2(g) ---heat---> SO2(g)

I asked him specifically what happens if you accidentally inhaled a copious amount of the gas released and he said that it will dissipate in your lungs and turn into sulfurous acid (aqueous solution of sulphur dioxide). Very bad.

Apart from inner body damage, science has proved this specific compound will block your smell receptors for a while. "You can smell a minute amount of sulfur dioxide, but when you have done so, you will not smell anything else for a while." Very bad.

Daniel Garcia has misinformed the magic community for financial gain at the expense of peoples health.

When sulfur is oxidised it turns into sulfur dioxide. Sulfur, infact, is a yellow solid usually in the form of powder, contrary to what Daniel Garcia claims is just 'sulfur'.

I seriously doubt Daniel Garcia has some sort of formal education in chemistry (if he did it would make things worse), and he would easily label a compound of sulfur such as sulfur dioxide as just the pure element sulfur. They have completely different physical states as well.

Daniel Garcia has checked with doctors very briefly I assume just to add a reassuring section to the DVD and make it sound safe. How many general practitioners in any country can tell you the actual effects of Warning on your body rather than just an assumption? Most GPs wouldn’t even know how the 'gimmick' works in a chemical aspect.

There is more bad news. Apart from sulfur there is another very harmful substance involved. Red phosphorus is converted to white phosphorus in a required process in Warning. Use and manual manufacture of white phosphorus was banned after serious health concerns, one example being Phossy Jaw: "Phossy jaw is a deadly occupational hazard for those who work with white phosphorus in an environment without proper safeguards. It was most commonly seen in workers in the ***** industry in the 19th and early 20th century."

Infact, white phosphorus is used in weapons up to this very day in war (Iraq, Israel, Korea, Vietnam, WWI, WWII, etc.) as they have the desired devastating effect on humans:
"White phosphorus can cause injuries and death in three ways: by burning deep into soft tissue, by being inhaled as a smoke and by being ingested. Extensive exposure in any way can be fatal." Very bad.

It may be complicated to understand, but in essence these are two very harmful chemicals which we come in direct contact with.

Personally, I’ve done Warning literally over 100 times and I stopped doing Warning after I discovered the truth. I also developed a very, very bad cough that would not go away, sounded like a smokers cough. I’m not sure if the cough was from Warning or another source but I’m assuming its from performing Warning so many times. According to my GP I’ve got sensitive airways now and I won’t be performing Warning for a very, very long time.

If you’re a smoker you can probably do this with no worries as cigarettes contain much more harmful substances such as benzene, acetone, hydrogen sulfide, etc. you’re bound to have health problems anyway.

The actual assessable risk to an individuals health I believe depends on how often Warning is performed. One can assess and perform this on occasion, as then there will be reduced risk of serious effects.

All in all, there is a very good reason Ellusionist took this of the market. They did not want to get sued for large sums of money if it caused serious health issues. In the end, it is up to the individual if they want to perform it or not.

I can tell you Warning was appropriately titled, and was appropriately taken off the market.

With all the hype and overpricing, and with such a hazardous release like Warning, it proves Ellusionist does not take detailed research into their products or either does not care about their consumers and only about gaining more money.

I only wish someone could prove me wrong for the sake of the effect.

I also wish that this effect was not as dangerous as I discovered it to be. Like the post above mine, the facts in it are very valid as chemistry proves the "safety" of this effect.

I was searching around the internet to validate the safety of this trick, and I found that if what Daniel Garcia says is true and that what you inhale is a "packet of sulfur", then you are indeed inhaling sulfur dioxide from the combustion of the lighting match. Sulfur dioxide is a toxic and poisonous gas that when inhaled inhibits the neurotransmitters in your lungs to the pulmonary stretch receptors. Although I vaguely know what that means, I know I don't want any kind of neurotransmitters being blocked in my lungs. It could ruin your heart, even make you faint... even worse, die. I read sulfur dioxide was also used as an execution gas.

Another interesting fact is that sulfur dioxide gas is also responsible for acid rain. Do you want that in your lungs?

Of course, if I'm wrong, I would like to know just as the guy above me, because this is such an easy trick to do and I would love to believe it is safe... unless someone can prove me wrong, I won't be doing it again any time soon.

Was talking about this to my father the other day, who is a GP, and has 40 years of it under his belt.
I'm not sure if I can say this if you've done it 100 times or so - but I have only performed this trick about 10 times at most, as I wasn't too sure about the health safety of it either.
However, the poison of the sulphuric gas does not stay in your system for long, as long as you exercise now and then, it won't be a major concern - but I do agree that it should not be performed anymore.