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be resealed with its new contents. Any ideas?

Craft knife on two packets, pritt stick.

Arkesus wrote:Craft knife on two packets, pritt stick.

Pretty much.

What effect are you after? There may be other ways to achieve it. A TT springs to mind.

Lawrence wrote:

Arkesus wrote:Craft knife on two packets, pritt stick.

Pretty much.

What effect are you after? There may be other ways to achieve it. A TT springs to mind.

An obvious TT method springs to mind if you wanted to to open sugar packet, pour out its contents and then restore the packet. However I think the OP is looking to put new contents into a packet - maybe pepper or even a (very small) prediction etc.

Van_der_Belt wrote:An obvious TT method springs to mind if you wanted to to open sugar packet, pour out its contents and then restore the packet. However I think the OP is looking to put new contents into a packet - maybe pepper or even a (very small) prediction etc.

Just cut out the restore section of what you're thinking about. Done.

Lawrence wrote:

Van_der_Belt wrote:An obvious TT method springs to mind if you wanted to to open sugar packet, pour out its contents and then restore the packet. However I think the OP is looking to put new contents into a packet - maybe pepper or even a (very small) prediction etc.

Just cut out the restore section of what you're thinking about. Done.

Oooohhh yeah, that'd work.

*waits patiently on the sofa for the troll to appear, complaining that the spec couldn't open the packet*

Van_der_Belt wrote:*waits patiently on the sofa for the troll to appear, complaining that the spec couldn't open the packet*

It's a bit early for the beers methinks.
Although hasn't said chimp been banned? Or least, it's gone very quiet!
Maybe I've just blocked it out

Penn & Teller (and probably many others) have a routine whereby a white sugar packet contains brown sugar and, surprise surprise, a brown sugar packet contains white sugar - craft knife and PVA glue are involved, although it might be easier to use the double sided tape favoured by those who make their own gretings cards etc.

If you subscribe to the free Oliver Meech newsletter, there's a nice routine in the current issue, ideal for performing almost impromptu in pubs and clubs, whereby a packet of peanuts is opened, a few taken out and the packet shown to be still sealed. The packet can immediately be handed out for examination.

To get these newsletters just send an e-mail to oliver@olivermeech.co.uk and the magic, as they say, will just happen!

The brown-sugar-white-sugar trick was in Magicseen not too long ago. A steady hand with a scalpel and a light touch with the regluing were the recommended attributes.

Probably better to tear it open at the non-reglued end, to avoid embarrassing struggles.

Thank you for the help.

A TT is being used earlier in the performance. In short:

3 sugar cubes are palmed in left hand.
Empty TT on right thumb.
TT transferred to palm of left hand.
A packet or two of sugar is poured into the left fist.
Hand is opened- granules have turned to cubes.
The crowd goes wild.
C&B performed with coffee cups and sugar cubes.
Sugar packets like used earlier are the final load. These packets contain S**sh P****r.
Packets are opened and emptied into one of the cups used for C&B.
Coffee poured into that cup.
Cup is turned upside down and then crumbled.
New religion is formed in my honor.

I'll see if I can find the Magicseen issue. I've tried a couple of different ways to use steam and heat to unbind the glue but I end up damaging the wrappers.

TL;DR version:

1.) Thank you for the scalpel suggestion. Between it, tweezers and rubber cement, I made some decent money.

2.) What to do about people that hang around for multiple performances on busy nights?

I raked in my second biggest hat last night using the above routine. I performed it four times with Svengali/Trilby work in between while trying to build the crowds. I passed the hat too soon after the first. My thinking was in order to get heat off of the cup I'd immediately go to a quick joke and get the hat moving. All that got me were looks of, "Hey, that was amazing! How in t... why the hell are you giving me this hat?"

It was my first time performing with a TT while surrounded. I was so worried about the heat being on the slush cup at the end that I didn't give the TT a second thought about being spotted. I had an unexpected "pop" sound after one of the removals. I haven't had that happen, even in practice, in a while and unfortunately I reacted to it with facial expressions before I caught myself doing it. There was a pause for laughter moment in my patter that generated chuckles which I believe covered the sound but I am still disappointed for reacting the way that I did.

Despite being worried about it, I never had problems with heat on the slush cup or anything else for that matter. Looking back on it now, it was very much a case of, "Stop running, you're not being chased.". I think that the imaginary perimeter that I set up while pulling in crowds also helped to keep them at bay. I also lucked out big time: no drunks and no hecklers.

I had a problem last night (that didn't end up being a problem, I'll explain why in a sec...) that I have only had a couple of times before- groups of 5-10 people hanging out for multiple performances. I don't like it because I worry that one may catch on, or at least think that they did, to a certain move or whatever and start ribbing me. I've never had that happen yet. What I have had happen is them tipping at the first hat but passing on the rest and taking spots of potential punters. Last night was the exception as they threw in a couple of bucks each time.

So... for those that busk, how do you handle loiterers?