talkmagic.co.uk

Hi there,

Firstly, please accept my appologies if I'm not allowed to discuss the following, or encourage discussion regarding the mechanics of this trick - I'm new to the site you see! I'll try and be as cryptic as possible!


Anyway, after purchasing a new 'invisible' deck I'm just having problems locating the card convincingly.

As the deck is brand new, the gimmick is very 'strong' and it looks false when I am fanning the deck and find the 'pair' card to reveal the named card. Has anyone got any tips? Is it just trial and error with regard to pressure applied to the deck when fanning? I've tried relaxing my grip, but the gimmick is so 'strong' its difficult to fan that extra bit to release the named card!

Thanks!

Hi LDOTL.

ID is really one of those things that just needs a little practice. It does look fair, and it does get amazing results so do persevere with it.

For hints and tips on it do a search on invisible as I know there have been at least a few long threads discussing this.

cheers

Last Deck on the Left

Yep.. I too have problems with this trick (seems to be mostly me and you then !)

However.. don't be discouraged as I've seen a few "professional" video clips of this trick on the web and even some of them have trouble splitting the card. But the audience never seem to notice and I have to say that this seems to be one of those effects where the ending seems to make them forget any slight handling difficulties on your part. Many seem to pause slightly as them split the cards.

Like Bananafish sayes.. it is just practice and I know.. I'm still practicing (I have trouble spreading them consistently but this is now due to the fact I've probably worn them out).

So don't be discouraged.. when you have got it to a level you are happy with, try in on one of your friends or family and see how it goes down and ask them for their opinion. (I have some very critical friends which means if they don't notice then no one will). You'll be surprised at how easy most people are fooled as their brains remember the effects ending and not the deck spread.

Also like Bananafish said.. there are a load of posts here relating to this and the way to adjust the pressure you use etc..

Hope this helps.

Slippery

The main problem with ID is that we know what's happening and can see it quite clearly. Try looking at it from the Spec's point of view and you'll be able to ease up a little on the concerns. They will have no idea how the deck is constructed - as far as they are concerned it's just a random deck being spread in front of them. A bit of patter and blather to cover up any slower or less crisp movements might be useful.

One of the Old Forum posts suggested re-treating the cards, even new-ish ones, so they'll all uniformly affected and you should get the feel of them easier. Apart from that just play with them whenever you get chance, concentrate on using a good routine/reason for the effect, and it will all come together at some point soon.

Some very good advice from Bananafish and Mandrake that is well worth listening too!

I use this a lot and it never fails to impress those that I'm performing to. My own opinion on this one is that half of what sells this trick to the audience is the 'patter' that you use on the way to revealing the card.

Whatever your patter you need to practice, practice and when you're ready, practice! It will come good eventually.

Someone (can't remember who - maybe Simon Aronson) advocates making your own ID, but only applying the *gimmick* to the middle third of each card.
That way, your thumb can move up or down at the critical point, making splitting the cards much easier.
You can get the gimmick at http://www.cards4magic.co.uk/ amongst others.

Get that stuff that bank tellers put on their fingers for counting money and you'll find that your ID works like a pure dream. In fact, you'll wonder what you ever did without that stuff. Try it - you won't even believe the difference.

The problem is, when your fingers are a bit dry, you absolutely have to push down on the card, even if it is just a little bit. When you have something on your fingers that makes them tacky (it's not sticky), then the card will slide with NO pressure at all - which is EXACTLY what you need (especially with fresh roughing).

Trust me on this. Do it.

Mike.

The 'stuff' that bank tellers put on their fingers is nothing more than water. The sponge is dampened just enough to moisten the finger tips before they count.

There is definately no secret formula here!

The proprietary stuff is Sortkwik which is available from cards4magic. Water is excellent but I find it soon evaporates whereas Sortkwik leaves the fingers with the essential tackiness for ages. One low cost way of keeping the fingers moist might be to have a glass of iced water nearby - you could keep dampening the fingers by using the condensation on the outside of the glass and folks will think you're just taking a drink to lubricate the throat while you're talking.

Sortkwik! Yep, that's the stuff, Mandrake...Thank you! Dat8962, this is the stuff that I'm talking about, not water. If I could think of what the stuff is that Ron Bauer uses (he doesn't do card work without this stuff, and if you are familiar with Ron's work, you know that it is imperative to listen when he speaks), I'd give you the name of the product. Sorry.

Mike.

Michael Jay wrote:Sortkwik! Yep, that's the stuff, Mandrake...Thank you! Dat8962, this is the stuff that I'm talking about, not water. If I could think of what the stuff is that Ron Bauer uses (he doesn't do card work without this stuff, and if you are familiar with Ron's work, you know that it is imperative to listen when he speaks), I'd give you the name of the product. Sorry.

Mike.

http://www.magicity.com/product_info.ph ... cts_id=965

Is that the stuff, Mike?

No problem and I've learned something too. As I work for a bank I know that we, and most others use water, hence my response.

Never mind, and glad that you've found the answer you were looking for.

Part-Timer, it is much like that stuff in the link. However, this stuff can be purchased at your local Rite-aid (pharmacy) and does just as good a job as the product in your link, only at a much better price (since it doesn't have someone's name on it, endorsing it).

Unfortunately, I can only remember what Ron calls it (Panther *) and that simply is not the actual name of the product. There will be an article in an upcoming e-zine that will talk about the stuff, and, when I read it, I'll be sure to come back here and post the actual name of the product.

Again, sorry for the confusion in this!

Mike.

Is that the stuff,

Nope - Sortkwik is a pinky/purple semi-transparent salve in a tub and you just rub your fingers across the surface to collect it (imagine running your fingers across a Rowntrees Raspberry Jelly and you won't be far out!). I believe Elite is more of a traditional hand lotion and is liquid, Sortkwik is set solid. Have a look at cards4magic.co.uk, Playing Card Accessories section and scroll down. Elite and Sortkwik are both available from there and they're a fiver each plus P&P. I (and the girl in our local NatWest!) can vouch for Sortkwik but I've never used Elite. I guess it's a matter of individual preferences, if I use a quick dab of Sortkwik then I feel far more confident than without it.