Super Window

Effect: The performer asks the spectator to pick a card without him seeing the face and replace it in the pack.

The pack is then shuffled and the performer is apparently unsuccesful in locating the card.

After a few attempts ,the cards are thrown against a window in a fit of rage, on looking at the window, the chosen card is seen to be sticking to it, even more surprising is the fact that the card is on the inside of the window.

Preparation : You will need two identical packs of cards and a willing helper.

Method : This trick should be performed in an area with a large window nearby and with the spectator facing away from the window.

The spectator is asked to choose a card from a pack , memorise it and without showing you , replace the card in the pack.

The pack is then shuffled and and a couple of attempts at "is this your card " tried followed by a look of disbelief when the spectator tells you that it is not their card ( this is all part of the act as you dont and dont even need to know the card).

After a few attempts you fake an angry outburst and making sure the cards are squared up , throw the pack broadside at the window, where they will hit the window and fall to the ground except the chosen card which is stcking to the window .

Your helper was already positioned behind the window and spectator and had an identical pack of cards. He was able to see the chosen card and took the duplicate from his pack.

A small piece of looped sticky tape or magicians wax was attached to the duplicate card and it was stuck to the inside of the window.

The helper should then have walked away from the window.

This trick creates a real surprise but it is important to pick up the fallen cards quickly and to pocket the original chosen card.

Magic Spell

This first sequence of cards will allow you to conjure up the card of your choice from any suit in the deck. In the example below, the spades have been set up in order for the magic spell trick to be performed with success. (You could use any of the other suits set up in the same sequence).

Set the cards in the above order so that the queen of spades is on the top of the pile when you hold them face down for dealing. You then spell A-C-E , placing one card underneath the pile for each letter of the card except for the last letter which is turned up to reveal the card you spelt.

Should you wish to successfully spell the whole deck of playing cards, then the pack should be set up in the following order.

You then spell A-C-E out loud, putting the A and C underneath the deck. You then turn the next ( E ) card face up to reveal the ace. You then continue on in this way until you have spelt the whole deck.

Credits to goodtricks.net for this trick

Meet Your Match

Effect: Two cards are freely (yes, freely) selected and inserted face up in the deck in two different places. Magician runs through the deck and drops the face-up selected card and the face-down card next to it, on the table.When the face-down cards are turned face up, they are seen to be the mates of the selected cards in color and value.

Set-up: Put deck in “Best Friends” order. See below.

Performance: Spread the deck and have a card selected. Cut all cards above selected cardto the bottom. Have card removed and replaced on the top of the deck, faceup. Undercut half the deck and peek at the bottom card. If it is a mate tothe selected card, remember that the selected card is a before card. If it is not a mate, the selected card is an after card. Drop the cards in your righthand on top of the face up card. Repeat this 2 or 3 times; if you do it moretimes than that, it can be hard to remember what cards are what. Now runthrough the deck. When you hit an after card, drop it and the card after iton the table. When you hit a before card, drop it and the card before it onthe table. Flip over the cards, and they match. Be sure to explain the mateconcept before you flip over the cards.

Features: Cards cut as often as you like
Cards are freely chosen, no forces of any kind
Does not work on Rainbow Deck principle

Best Friends Order The deck is simply set up in pairs by value and color. Put the two red kings together, the two black twos, the two red jacks, etc. You can cut this deck all you want. The Best Friends effect wont be affected if a pair are separated, one on top and one on bottom. With another cut the order will right itself.

The Transforming Cards

Effect:

Amazing audience reaction as four jokers amazingly transform into four aces, right in front of the audience.

You Will Need :
To make the gimmick you will need 2 matching jokers, glue, the 4 aces and some double sided tape, First take which ever ace you want and glue it back to back with one of the jokers so that you make a double sided card with the ace on one side and a joker on the other, and then place a small square of double sided tape (note that it has to be clear double sided tape) on the center of the other joker, the busy design hides it and that’s the gimmick made

How To Do The Trick :
Set up: start by having your three normal aces in dealing position in what ever hand that you feel comfortable with, Then place the double sided card on top “ACE side facing down”.When you have done this the joker of the double sided card will be face up!!! Then place the “sticky” joker on top of all that face up, That’s the set up complete.

Performance: Say to the spectator that you have four jokers, and continue to show them “this is where you do the elmsley count to make them believe that you have four jokers. When you have finished doing this count the sticky card should end up on top. You now continue and lift of the top joker and say “this guy is the leader of the pack, whatever he does, the rest will do” and turn him over on top of the bundle and give it that magic shake “ (""when you give it a little shake you are really pressing the middle of the top card so that the tape sticks to the next card ”) Now fan them out and they will see that all the cards are now face down, then say “ the real amazing thing about this is that I keep losing jokers when doing this trick and I have way to many aces " and turn them over one by one revealing all the aces to the amazement of your audience.

Get it Man!

Effect: The spectator chooses a card. After a series of shuffles the spectator spells a magic word and finds his card. But the magician never touches the cards from the start of the trick to the end.

The Trick: Hand a full deck of cards to a volunteer to shuffle. (Make sure it's a FULL deck.) Ask the volunteer to deal the deck into two piles. Have them choose one of the piles and remember the bottom card. Tell the volunteer to look at it but not to show you. Ask them to place the pile containing the bottom card on top of the other pile. Then ask the volunteer to deal the deck into four piles from left to right.

Pick up each pile and ask the volunteer if their card is in that pile. As you ask, reassemble the deck, making sure the pile with their card goes on the very top. Give the deck to the volunteer and have them deal the cards, one at a time face down on the table, spelling out the word "PRESTO". Have them turn the next card over. This is their chosen card!

The Restored Handkerchief

This title will doubtless apply to many tricks with handkerchiefs, so, if the performer thinks it too general, he can find another of his own for this particular trick. Herrmann called it Le Mouchoir Serpent, from the fancied resemblance to a snake which the handkerchief was made to take at one stage of the trick. For it the performer must have prepared a lemon, with a small handkerchief inside. The way to operate on the lemon is as follows: Cut off one end—the apex is the best—and then, by means of a spoon, take out the whole of the interior, being careful to remove the inner white skin. Push in the handkerchief, replace the portion of lemon which you cut off, and sew it carefully on with yellow cotton or silk. The first lemon or two are rather tiresome to prepare, but after a time the job can be done very quickly and neatly. The method of sewing which should be adopted is that known as "under-sewing," and it will be necessary to guard against including the handkerchief itself in the stitching. As the handkerchief placed inside is meant to be subsequently destroyed, it need be of the very commonest description only. It can be obtained for three-halfpence. On the centre table have a small scent-bottle, with methylated spirits, a lighted candle, a common plate, and a knife. Concealed in the palm of one hand are about ten pieces of cambric, each about three inches square, and properly hemmed. Under the vest is a piece of cambric two inches broad and about four feet long, doubled, not rolled, up. Behind the scenes are a couple of pieces of thin wrapping paper about nine inches square. In the hand not occupied by the pieces conceal the prepared lemon, and advance to the audience. Pretend to see something in a gentleman's hair, and, after fumbling in it, produce the lemon. Let several persons smell at the fruit, taking care to present the better-looking end, in case your sewing has not been very successful. Of course, the lemon must not leave your hand, except to be tossed once or twice in the air, to show that it is real. Place this lemon on a side table, and there leave it, with the sewn-up end from the audience.

Now borrow a small handkerchief, the smaller the better but do not take one that is much ornamented with lace Turn to a gentleman, and, whilst asking him to stand up, roll the handkerchief up carelessly in the hand, and, working it round the bundle of pieces which you have concealed, bring it underneath and let the pieces appear at the top. This can be done in an instant whilst you are talking with the person whom you wish to assist you. Give the bundle of pieces, which the audience will think is the handkerchief, to him, with instructions to rub it gently in the hands. You have, in the meantime, taken care to keep the exchanged handkerchief well concealed in the palm. Retire to the stage, and, whilst mounting it, vest the handkerchief and take in its place the doubled-up long piece, which keep concealed by means of the wand. Ask your assistant how he is getting on, and explain that you wish him to rub the handkerchief so small that it can be passed inside the lemon. After a little rubbing has taken place, ask him to open the handkerchief out, to see if it is any smaller. Of course, when he attempts to do so, it will drop about in pieces, to everyone's astonishment. Affect great annoyance, and advance, saying that the trick is now spoilt all through the handkerchief being rubbed the wrong way. Collect the pieces together, and, rolling them up, exchange them in the hand for the long piece. This exchange may at first seem very daring and difficult, but, if care is taken always to have the piece or pieces concealed well down in the hand before the substituted article is removed, there need be no fear of detection; only the performer must go right at it, and not falter in the least. Give the long piece to your assistant, and tell him to rub it this time with the left hand. Whichever way he rubs you must say is the wrong one, and finally ask him to give you one of the pieces that you may show him what you mean. In his attempt to give you one of the supposed pieces, he will unroll the long piece amidst much laughter. After suggesting that the gentleman pays for the destroyed handkerchief, rub it up in the hands and "pass" it into the lemon. For this purpose, it may be rolled up on the table, and passed down a trap.

Instead of "passing" with the hands, it is in every way neater and more effective to use a conjuring pistol, which is loaded with the handkerchief and then fired. This pistol will have to be provided with a large tin funnel, so constructed that the tube portion, which must fit the barrel of the pistol closely, extends for a long way inside the funnel. When a handkerchief, or similar article, is rammed into the funnel, care is taken that it goes around the tube so that, on the pistol, which has been previously loaded, being fired, the flash passes harmlessly down the tube. The mouth of the funnel must never, by any chance, be seen by the audience. These pistols, which are exceedingly useful at all times, can be purchased at conjuring repositories; but it is easy for anyone possessing an ordinary pistol to have it fitted with a funnel by a tinman.

Suppose the long piece either "passed" or fired out of the pistol, take the lemon and cut it open with the knife, and pull out the handkerchief that was already in it. Pretend to advance for the purpose of returning it to its owner, but suddenly discover that it smells of lemon. Say that you will put some scent on it, and, placing it upon the plate, saturate it with spirits from your bottle. Whilst advancing a step or two, to inquire if it is enough, your stage attendant enters and quietly sets light to the spirits with the candle. You turn back and nearly burn your fingers, and start aside horror-stricken.

A slight scene now takes place between you and your attendant, who insists that you told him to set fire to the handkerchief. Run down to the audience with the plate and its blazing contents, asking the owner of the handkerchief to take it in its present state. Turn back and drop it on the floor of the stage, and then go behind the scenes, where quickly take the original borrowed handkerchief from the vest, and wrap it in one of the two pieces of paper (it will add to the effect if you scent the handkerchief a little), which hold in the hand covered by the second piece of paper, open. During your absence your attendant has been dancing about, affecting to burn his fingers, &c. When the handkerchief is nearly burnt out, snatch up the remains of it quickly and pop it into the open piece of paper, roll it up rapidly and exchange for the real handkerchief in paper, vesting it at once, or a severe burn may ensue. This is done whilst hurrying towards the owner of the handkerchief, to whom you say that you have done the best you can, and are sorry that you have only the ashes of the handkerchief to offer; but that if she will leave her address, you will forward a new one in the morning, &c. Finally, you have the supposed ashes blown upon, and then tear open the paper, revealing the handkerchief. If you have scented it, call attention to the fact.

If I wanted to test a conjuror's ability, I should give him this trick to perform. No duffer could ever get half way through it; and yet, by attention to the rudiments of palming, &c., it becomes easy enough. There can be no two opinions about the effect produced. The principal portions should be rehearsed with your attendant.

A very amusing variation to this trick is the following: Purchase two cheap sunshades of a precisely similar pattern. They should be small, and the covers of light alpaca. From one carefully strip the cover, so as to leave the ribs bare, and, at the end of each rib, fasten a piece of cambric exactly similar to those used in the rubbing-away episode. This sunshade have lying upon the shelf at the back of the table, rolled up in paper. In one of the large side pockets have concealed the cover, rolled up and tied with very fine thread, that may be easily broken. Upon the table have lying a piece of paper similar to that in which the sunshade upon the shelf is wrapped. At the opening of the trick, show this sunshade round, and then proceed to wrap it up in paper, on the table. You will always have some extra sheets, and behind one of these the one sunshade is exchanged for the other. Give it to be held in the company. Then borrow a hat, and secretly introduce the cover, placing the hat on a side table. When the trick has proceeded as far as the discovery of the small pieces in the hands of the spectator who is rubbing the handkerchief, place them in the pistol and fire at the sunshade held in the company. Great amusement ensues when the bare ribs are discovered, with the pieces of cambric flying from them. These are then taken off, and the trick proceeded with, as before described, the cover being discovered in the hat at any convenient period. Break the thread, and shake it out well before bringing to view, so as not to suggest any idea of its ever having been rolled up tightly into small bulk.

Credits to classicmagic.net for this trick

Popcoin?

THE EFFECT: The magician holds out a popcorn box and shows that it has no bottom and his hands are empty. Spectators can even put there hand through the box. The magician (with a little magic) tips coins out of the box and hands them around for examination.


THE SECRET: Get a box of popcorn from say the movies, eat all the popcorn (or pitch it) and cut out the bottom. Next get a piece of posterboard or thick paper (must be white) and cut a strip to the size of the inside of the box (narrow side).


Glue it in there on the sides and bottom but leave the top open. Put some coins in there beforehand. Now show the box off and let someone stick their hand down through it.


All the time cover the secret opening with your hand. Now wave your hand or wand over the box and then in a swift motion, tip out the coins exclaiming "Anyone for popcoin?".


TIP: Do this trick at the cinema and make it fun, put enough money in the box for someone to get popcorn with! =P

Credits to Davis (Carlinville, IL, USA) for this trick

Google Vanish

THE EFFECT: The magician takes his spectators to the Google home page and puts his hands over the oo's and they magically disappear! At any time the magician can make them come back again.

THE SECRET: This is a very fun trick. There are many ways to do this illusion but this is the way I do it:


1. Go to: www.darkartsmedia.com/google.html
2. Click the white space for the oo's to disappear
3. Click again for the oo's to re-appear
4. To cover up, double click and you will be sent to the real Google!

---Credits to Ryan (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) for this trick

Six Shooter

Place the four sixes on top of your deck of cards before you do this trick. You also need a pen or pencil and a piece of paper.

Remove the four top cards from the top of your deck of cards (These are the four sixes you put there already) and lay these cards face down in a pile in front of the audience. Then remove six cards from the deck and place these cards in a separate pile.

Tell the spectator that you read minds and tell them which pile they will choose. Write "You picked the six pile" on your piece of paper and fold it and put it right alongside the cards. Tell the spectator to choose one of the piles and then read the paper. No matter which pile is chosen the note is true. One pile contains the four sixes and the other pile contains six cards. After the trick is finished put both piles on top of the deck. Do not let them see both piles of cards.

Couch Levitation Trick

Effect: The assistant is brought up to centre stage. She is placed in a reclining position on a couch. Then covered with a large cloth.

She is commanded to rise. Once she has risen to a height of one foot above the couch, the couch is taken away and the performer walks all around the floating woman.

She continues to rise until she is well over the head of the performer. Then she slowly descends until she is level with the performer's head. Again she begins to rise. This time, the performer takes hold of the cloth and while she is rising, the cloth is whisked away. The woman is gone, vanished right in front of the audience.

The secret: The secret is in the couch (remember the couch from the above trick description?) and the rest of the effect depends on a mesh-like screen which is shaped like the assistant's body. As soon as the assistant lies down on the couch, the performer picks up the cloth which will be used to cover her. While this is taking place, the body mesh or screen is lowered over the assistant. Since the body mesh is clear, it is not seen by members of the audience. This movement is done by someone behind or off in the stage wings. The body mesh is moulded to resemble a woman, it is attached by four strings of invisible thread to a location controlled by another assistant. When the performer covers the woman with the cloth, it is the screen which is really being covered.

As soon as the woman is fully covered, she secretly slips into a hidden compartment in the couch. After the couch is removed to a backstage area, the woman gets out of the couch. Because the couch has played such a small role in the effect, most people forget about it.

The shape of the screen leads everyone to believe that the woman can still be seen from the audience. In reality, the trick is already done. Now the performer merely plays out his or her part.

The off-stage assistant watches the moves of the performer, lowering or raising the cloth covered screen as per the performer's commands. When the cloth is whisked away, the invisible screen can't be seen by the audience.

The body screen seems invisible for a couple of reasons, first the back ground or back drop is dark. Black is best. The mesh is made of a nylon material which can also be black or transparent. Either way the audience is unable to distinguish the mesh from the dark background.

It is usually a good idea to have the off-stage assistant raise the uncovered screen completely up out of view anyway at the conclusion of the trick, this keeps the stage area clear.

This effect is difficult for television, because the television eye can often pick up the movements. But this effect is great for a full stage presentation.

Voodoo Ash Trick

Effect: A name is written on a piece of paper on a notepad by the spectator, the paper is torn off unseen by the magician, crumpled up and placed in an ashtray. It is then set alight.

The ashes are then rubbed on the magicians arm and the name of the person written on the paper mysteriously appears.

Preparation : You will need a small notepad, pen, ashtray, lighter and a small piece of soap or wax.

Method: The spectator is asked to write the name of a person or favourite anything of theirs on a notepad.

Then to tear of the sheet of notepaper, crumple it up and place it in the ashtray, where the magician then sets the paper alight.

The magician takes the notepad of the spectator and should be able to see the imprint of the name written on the paper above in the next sheet of the notepad.

Looking at the pad should not be made obvious and some misdirection carried out while he carefully takes the small piece of wax or soap and writes the name on the imprint on his arm or hand ( this action should not be visible to anyone ).

The magician can then take some ash from the ashtray and rub it over the wax where it will stick and create an impression of the spectators word to their amazement.

This is a great trick but depends on the magician creating an atmosphere with an entertaining routine and patter about black magic to enhance the effect and create misdirection to allow him time to pull off the trick.

Coin Squeezing Into Small Hole

Challenge a friend to pass a 20 cent coin through a piece of paper with a 5 cent hole in it … without tearing the paper! When their frustration reaches a satisfactory level, show them how it's done. This trick is shown using a UK 2 pence and 10 pence coin which will work equally as well.

1. Cut a square piece of paper. Trace around a five cent coin and carefully cut out the circle. It will be obvious to your victim that the 20 cent coin is much larger than the 5 cent hole but let them try before going on.

2. Fold the paper in half and drop the 20 cent coin into the hole.

3. Bend the paper like this by pushing the ends of the folded paper towards each other and the coin will fall through the hole without tearing the paper.

What's going on?

This simple trick is stumper because most people assume the paper needs to stretch to make the hole bigger. You can't stretch paper so they either give up, or tear the paper and go red in the face. But a simple fold and a neat little bend makes the hole big enough for the 20 cent coin to slip through.You can add some patter that the magic coin felt that it need ed to lose weight and miraculously lost some weight in an instatnt to allow it to squeeze through the hole. The solution is pretty obvious once you've seen it so to get most enjoyment from this trick, use it to irritate your mates!

Small Objects Levitation

David Blaine demonstrated a classic object levitation on his TV special where he asks a spectator to watch while he picks up a leaf and causes it to levitate above his hand.

This appeared to be totally impromptu which made it even more impressive.

This type of levitation skill is performed by using "invisible thread" which can either be purchased as a proprietary brand from good magic suppliers or by separating some fine polyester thread into individual strands and using a single strand.

One end of this strand should be attached to some sticky tape and placed in the mouth between the gum and cheek or a high shirt button while the other end can be placed at the right moment to a solid object ( In David Blaines case, the tree.) The magician then stands at the correct distance so that the string is tight and the object ( a bill or a leaf) wrapped around the thread which is above the magicians hand.

This should look like the magician is just scrunching up the note in the palm of their hand.

By using very small movements of the head or body, the magician can then tighten the thread causing the note to rise and is also able to move his hands around the object to show that it really is levitating.

The object can then be made to return to the palm and be examined by the spectator.

The magician can then casually walk away, the thread breaking which is not a problem as it is cheap to replace.

This levitating skill trick is also performed more smoothly and discretely by use of an ITR which is used by professional magicians and which can be ordered online here by clicking the link above .

The Coin Reading

This works best in medium/large groups, try when out with friends in a bar. For this you need a friend in on the trick. Line up 9 coins in a square 3x3 on the table.

Look away and invite someone to pick a coin by touching it. Next pick there coin by having a friend place there drink on a beer mat or coaster in the corresponding position top left top middle bottom right, middle middle etc.

For added effect stare into the persons eyes your mind reading. Get a couple of friends in on the trick to avoid suspicion.

Static Snake Charmer

Effect: You remove a plastic straw from its wrapper. Using the straw as a "magic wand" you command the wrapper to dance around the table.

You will need: a plastic drinking straw still in its wrapper.

Method:

You tear off the tip of the wrapper and toss it away. Gripping the straw at the tip with the fingers of one hand, and firmly squeezing the wrapper with the fingers of the other hand, quickly pull the straw from the wrapper and drop the wrapper on the table..

Now, using the straw as a "magic wand", without touching the wrapper, slowly wave the straw over the end of the wrapper. The straw wrapper should sway around by itself as if in a hypnotic trance .

If the effect starts to wear off after a minute or two, you can re energize the wrapper by stroking it briskly along the straw.

This effect is due to static electricity. It is a real fun effect and works MOST of the time but can sometimes vary in effectiveness depending on weather conditions.

Cough Cough

Effect: The magician has a card selected and signed.

The card is then shuffled into the pack by the spectator and it is the magicians job to locate it.

Unfortunately the magician cannot seem to get it right, but after a few attempts, the magician seems to actually regurgatate a tightly folded card.

It is the spectators card, with their signature.

Preparation: You need a pen and a deck of cards.

Method: Have the spectator select a card from the deck and show it to the audience.

After the card is signed control it to the top of the deck by means of a Hindu Shuffle control or a revolving pass.

The deck is now held in the standard dealing position in the left hand ( with the chosen card at the top )

Get a finger break under the top card and palm it with your right hand immediately.

Flourish the rest of the deck with a one hand cut, or one hand shuffle with your left hand and offer it to a spectator to simply mix up the cards.

Make sure the spectator starts to shuffle because some stubborn people start to look through the deck looking for their card.

Then turn your back making this move seem natural to show that there is no possible way that you could know where the card is.

At this time you are folding the palmed card into eighths. ( The smaller the better ) This is easy, as your back is turned you can use both hands to do this and then slip the tiny package in your mouth between your cheek and gum.

Turn around to face the audience. As the card is folded so tightly in your mouth, you can talk normally.

Take the cards and act as if you messed up.

Turn over a couple of cards to reveal what was supposed to be their selection. The card will of course be the wrong selection.

Do whatever you want, just make yourself look bad .

As soon as people start to laugh at you, act as if your hurt, as if something inside of you is wanting to get out.

Make the audience curious, and have the suspense build up.

As soon as they reach their peak work the card out of your lips and and slowly spit the card out onto the palm of your hand.

Unfold it, and watch the audience scream as they see that it is the chosen signed card.

It looks as if you somehow swallowed the card beforehand and regurgitated it back up again.

This trick relies a lot on your acting skills.

The Box Levitation

THE EFFECT: You show a cardboard box to your audience and place it onto a table. They can clearly see under and around it.

Opening the top of the box you step into it. Once inside you open two flaps on the front so the spectators can clearly see your feet inside. You start to concentrate and slowly both your feet can be seen to rise off the floor of the box. You rise up to about 7 - 9 inches then slowly return to the ground.

You close the front flaps step out of the box and take your applause!

• Great for stage magic
• Perform like Criss Angel
• Easy to construct
• Gets great reactions

THE SECRET: You know the saying "It's all done with smoke and mirrors" with this trick it really is, well minus the smoke! The cardboard box is gimmicked with a mirror.

CONSTRUCTION: This levitation illusion is really easy to build. You first need to go and buy a fairly large mirror. It is a lot easier to find a cardboard box that the mirror you have just bought fits into rather than having to get the glass cut to fit into the box - trust me!

You need a mirror that has no frame or decoration around the edges. The mirror needs to be about 50cm square. Remember this is an approximate measurement and you will need to find the one that works best for you. You can get a mirror from your local D.I.Y store, some cheaper ones come with frames that can be easily removed.

Once you have your mirror you need to find a cardboard box that the mirror fits into exactly from diagonal corners. The cardboard box you need has to be exactly square. Feel free to download the plan by clicking HERE. You can then print it off or view it on your computer at your leisure while constructing the illusion.

If the cardboard box is not exactly square then the mirror placed diagonally will not reflect perfectly and will look very odd.

You can get a cardboard box from your local grocery store, I'm sure if you ask nicely they will give you one. The box needs to be fairly sturdy with the usual top flaps. This is so that you can shut the box up before and after the illusion to stop anyone looking in from the top.

You next need to cut two doors in the front of the cardboard box with some scissors or an Exacto knife. Leave a small border around the edge of the box. This hides the corners where the mirror fits from your spectators. (pic 1) Thats pretty much the construction done!

TIP: Place some polystyrene pieces or shredded paper into the bottom of the box. This does not look out of the ordinary and helps disguise the line that the bottom of the mirror may create.

PERFORMANCE: Lift up the box and show it to your audience, show all sides of it so they can clearly see you are not hiding anything. Place the box onto a table or platform so your spectators can clearly see under and around it. This also gets the box to more of a level that they can see your feet. Step up onto the table, open the top flaps and step into the box.

Now here is the clever part when you step into the box place one foot either side of the mirror (pic 3). Now when you open the front doors the spectators think they can see both your feet but in actual fact they see one foot and the reflection of the very same foot!

Now all you need to do is slowly lift the foot that they can see up and it will look like you are levitating.

TIP: Before you begin the levitation crouch over slightly so when you start to rise up your feet will look natural. If you are standing bolt upright it looks odd. Hold your arms out to the side this also heightens the effect.

Do this slowly and really act as though it is taking a lot of energy for you to do this. Once you have levitated for a few seconds float back down and close the front flaps. Step out of the box, close the top flaps and take your applause!

TIP: You could if you wish paint the box with stars and moons etc but I prefer to keep it as a plain box. It looks far less suspicious that way. You can draw arrows on the box pointing up, with the words "This way up" That is a normal thing to see on a box and adds a little humor to the illusion.


TIP: Make sure the mirror is perfectly clean for the performance any dirt or dust may reveal it. Angle wise spectators need to be looking exactly front on, not from the sides.

Credits to freemagictrics4u for this trick

Impromtu Rise

THE EFFECT: You choose an assistant from the audience and get them to lay on the floor on their back. You take a large cloth or blanket and drape it over their entire body. Upon your command the spectator starts to rise up off the ground. A full two feet in fact! Slowly the spectator is lowered back down again, the sheet is removed and everything is shown to be normal and unprepared.

• Nothing added or taken away
• Both spectator and cloth can be fully examined
• Impromptu, literally only spectator and sheet needed

THE SECRET: This David Blaine levitation style effect has been around for centuries. Despite its age, performed correctly it still looks stunning! As soon as you discover the secret you may think it’s too simple and will never work - Let me assure you it will.

Although completely impromptu and really simple, this is a very strong piece of stage or street magic. Actually go out and perform it and you will see the reactions this gets.

The first thing you need to know is that the spectator you use is in on the trick, they are a stooge or plant by you. To the rest of your spectators they are just a random person. Do not be put off by using a plant David Copperfield uses them all the time!

Your assistant is the one who really performs the magic, without you having to do very much at all. They have to perform a very simple secret move under the cover of the sheet. Start by getting you assistant to lay down on their back, legs and arms together. Now take a large cloth (big enough to cover their whole body) and hand it out to the audience for inspection. There is nothing to find.

Here comes the move, take back the cloth and stand in front of your assistant with your back to the audience, lift up the cloth with your arms spread in preparation to cover your assistant. In this brief moment when the cloth is shielding the assistant, they secretly roll over onto their stomach! As soon as they have done this, bend down and cover their entire body with the sheet.

TIP: You must cover their entire body do not leave any part of them sticking out or the illusion will be discovered!

Spread your hands and pretend to be concentrating really hard on the spectator to rise off the ground. After a few moments your spectator needs to do a very slow push up but keeping one leg, out straight perfectly parallel to the floor at all times. This is what creates the
illusion of levitation.

When they do their "one legged push up" they should stop at the top of the push up for a few seconds then slowly lower back down again. I know this seems very silly and too simple to work but it does.

After the assistant has returned to the ground simply reverse all the moves at the beginning of the trick. Raise the cloth (still hiding the assistant from the audiences view) the assistant rolls over again onto their back, remove the cloth and let everything be examined!

TIP: When the assistant rolls over at the beginning and end of the trick, they must do it on the spot so they don't seem to have moved when the cloth covers them.

TIP: This David Blaine levitation style effect works because of a couple of subtleties. A random spectator is seemingly chosen at the beginning which dispels any involvement on their part. Secondly spectators see the assistant laying on their back at the beginning and end of the trick. With this consistency they have no reason to think that changes!

Spoon Bending

THE EFFECT: You ask to borrow a spoon or get a spectator to examine one. Taking the spoon in your hands you begin to bend it in half. The spectator can clearly see the spoon bending right round.

With a quick flick of your wrist you show the
spoon to be instantly restored. No bend what so ever can be seen.

The spoon can be handed out once again for total inspection. Nothing out of the ordinary is found.

THE SECRET: So you think you have to be Uri Geller to do some spoon bending right? Think again!

This is perhaps the easiest way to appear to bend a spoon and then restore it in an instant. You simply need to palm a small silver coin in your hand. When you are ready to 'bend' the spoon hold the coin so that just the tip of it is visible. Place the coin on top of the spoons handle and it will look as though you are simply holding the spoon (pic1).



As you pretend to bend the spoon let the handle drop from the back of your hand. As the tip of the coin will still be show it will look like the spoon is bending (pic2). Pretend you are putting a lot of effort into it.

TIP: Spectators must be viewing the trick from the front. Not the side or from behind or the secret will be revealed. Also make sure you do not show too much of the coin or spectators will see it as a coin and not the tip of the spoon.

All that is left for you to do is quickly spin the spoon and hide the coin in your hand in the process. The spoon will look restored and you can hand it out for examination. While the spectators are distracted with the spoon dispose of the coin in you pocket or onto your lap if you are seated.

Here is another cool spoon bending illusion that is perhaps more visual than the first bend.

First you need two spoons. Take one spoon and bend it 90 degrees (at a right angle). Take the second spoon and bend the handle backwards and forwards until the head breaks off. All you need to keep is the handle. Place the first spoon in your hand so the head hangs down and the handle rests on the 'v' between your thumb and pointer finger (pic3).

Take the handle and grip it between your thumb and pointer finger (pic4). If you tilt your hand towards your body the bent spoon will be hidden by the angle of your hand, it will simply look like you are holding a spoon.

TIP: Cheap cutlery is the best to use as it is really easy to bend.

To make the spoon appear to bend simply release your grip on the handle and allow it to slowly fall into your hand. As soon as it touches the 'real' handle pull the spoon out and show that it is bent. Hand this to the spectator to examine and take this opportunity to get rid of the handle in your pocket or onto your lap.

Uri Geller and other mentalists will have you believe they can bend spoons and other metal objects with the power of their minds simply by stroking the object. You may have seen this performed on T.V. Well this is a really easy effect to pull off. All you need to do is prepare a spoon or other piece of cutlery a few seconds in advance.

Simply take the spoon (for this example) and bend the head backwards and forwards until you can see the spoon is nearly ready to break, then STOP. You are giving the spoon 'fatigue' at the bending point. You will notice the spoon gets very hot so be careful.

You may get through a few spoons trying to get it to the 'ready to break point' but not breaking - it's a fine balance, bend it too many times and it will break, not enough and you may have a hard time bending it! I suggest you buy a pack of cheap cutlery to practice. Do not use expensive stuff! One because it costs more and two, it is much harder to bend when you are first starting out.

Once you have your spoon prepared, simply place it back onto a table with the other pieces of cutlery. When you are ready to perform pretend to take any piece of cutlery at random but pick up your prepared spoon. Tap it gently on the table a few times to show it is solid, then begin to rub it at the bend point. Hold the bend point between your pointer finger and thumb. As you rub the spoon apply a little pressure. The spoon will naturally start to bend. Keep working on the bend by rubbing it and applying pressure in both directions.

If the spoon breaks go with it, keep the spoon head and handle still between your fingers, hold the spoon vertically and release your grip slowly. The head of the spoon will start to droop to the side gradually. To finish let the head drop to the table with a bang. This will intensify the effect greatly.

TIP: You can perform these spoon bending tricks with nearly any piece of cutlery it does not necessarily need to be a spoon. However a spoon is perhaps the most recognized when bending cutlery.

Credits to http://www.freemagictricks4u.com/ for this trick.

Anti-Gravity Water

THE EFFECT: You take any drinks bottle and hand it out for examination. It is totally unprepared. You remove the top/cap and tip some of the liquid out to show that it is completely normal.

You say the magic words and turn the bottle upside down. Amazingly the liquid stays in the bottle, not a drop spills out!

As a killer finish to prove there is nothing covering the top you proceed to push a number of matches up inside the bottle neck. As you push each one in they float up inside the bottle. Finally you turn the bottle up the right way again and hand it out for examination once more. Spectators are floored!

THE SECRET: You are going to have to make a small gimmick. This is very easy and cheap to make. It will not take you more than a couple of minutes to construct.

The gimmick is basically a small circle of clear plastic with a hole in the middle of it. You can get a piece of clear plastic from some grocery packaging. The plastic needs to be fairly rigid and totally transparent.

Get your desired bottle. For example a bottle of water, fizzy pop or alchopop and place the plastic on top of it. With a pen trace a circle around the top of the bottle onto the plastic. Then with scissors carefully cut the circle out. You should be left with a circle of plastic that fits nicely on top of the bottle.

Next take the piece of plastic and make a small hole in the center of it with scissors. The hole needs to be just big enough so a match or cocktail stick can fit through easily. Ok, that's it your gimmick is made and ready to go! I told you it was easy to make. :-)

THE METHOD: Borrow a bottle of drink or hand yours out for thorough examination. When your spectators are happy it is completely normal take the bottle and remove the top, tip a small amount of liquid into a glass or onto the floor to show it flowing freely. The gimmick should be secretly concealed in one of your hands. As the gimmick is transparent it is fairly easy just to clip it in your fingers unnoticed.


Place your fingers of one hand on top of the bottle secretly placing the gimmick on the bottle top (pic1).

Turn the bottle upside down and slowly remove your fingers.

You will find that the small circular piece of plastic will actually stay stuck to the mouth of the bottle!

Your spectators will be amazed that the liquid is staying inside the upturned bottle! To 'prove' there is nothing over the opening you can proceed to push a few matches or toothpicks through the hole in the gimmick, up into the bottle. This is the killer move for most people they just can not understand how you can push items in the bottle without the liquid coming out.

Even when you perform this illusion in practice it still looks cool, especially when you push a match into the neck and it slowly rises
up into the bottle.

After you have pushed two or three matches or toothpicks into the bottle place your fingers over the bottle top again and tip it upright. Secretly remove the gimmick and hand the bottle out for examination once more.

TIP: As an alternative ending keep the bottle upside down and give it a little squeeze (or shake if the bottle is glass) make a magical hand gesture at the same time and the gimmick will fall off and the liquid will come flowing out. Because the gimmick is clear it will not be seen falling. When the effect is over secretly pick the gimmick up off the floor.

TIP: For extra fun perform this magic tricks revealed over a spectators head. Just make sure nothing goes wrong!

Threes and Fours

Effect: The spectator takes a card and puts it face up on the table. Then the magician deals the rest of the cards into piles of the cards value the spectator just picked. When the top card of each pile is turned over they all match.

The Trick:: Put the fours on the top of the pack and on top of these put the threes.

Deal the top eight cards face down on the table in a row and ask a spectator to pick any card.Push the selected card forward, still face down.

Pick up the remaining cards from left to right, tucking each card picked up below the previous one, and place the seven cards on top of the deck. No matter which card remains on the table the order from the top of the deck is several threes, then several fours.

Start dealing cards from the top of the deck face down on to the table in one pile. When you have dealt at least seven cards ask one of the spectators to shout stop whenever they wish. Stop dealing when the spectator says and put the cards left in your hand to one side.

Now say that you will deal the cards into a number of piles according to the value of the selected card. If the card is a three, deal the cards into three face down piles. If the card is a four, then deal four piles. When you turn over the top card of each pile it is shown to be a three, quite a coincidence!

Should the selected card be a four you simply deal the cards into four heaps. The four top cards will be the four threes.

You can also change the cards with the card you desired.

Psychic Trick

The Magic Effect:

This magic trick with cards is set up as follows. 12 cards are placed face up on the table ( using any red and black cards from the deck ) in the same pattern you see in the diagram below here. You, the magician, tell someone to secretly pick any BLACK card. After telling them to make several secret random moves, you are able to tell them which card they have moved to.

The Magic Secret:

Tell your audience member to pick any black card. Tell them to next move UP or DOWN to the nearest RED card. Next, tell them to move LEFT or RIGHT to the nearest BLACK card. Next, tell them to move DIAGONALLY To the Nearest RED card. Finally, tell them to move UP or DOWN to the nearest BLACK card. If you follow these directions carefully, your audience member will always end up on the MIDDLE CARD ON THE BOTTOM ROW.

Torn and Restored Card Trick

Effect: A card ( which can even be a signed card ) is ripped into four pieces. The spectator puts a finger on the pieces and the pieces seem to magically restore themselves back into a whole card. !!!

Preparation: Before doing the trick, rip off one fourth of a playing card of the same colour of suit as the one that you will be appearing to tear.
Start the trick with the card facing in front of you and fold it into fourths, creasing the card and then unravelling it.
Explain to your audience that doing this makes it easier to tear the card evenly.

Performance:

Hold the card in front of you, facing the audience, the extra torn card piece should be pressed by your thumb onto the side of the card that is facing you. Rip down the upper middle of the card stopping at the centre. Now fold down the upper right corner and slide out the corner you ripped of earlier as the piece that was ripped of.

( This should look like you have ripped of the corner from the card - the audience cannot see that the real corner is still attached to the card and folded out of their view .)

Now put the torn piece behind the card again, being held in position with your thumb.

Fold what is now the lower right corner behind the card. As you are bending this piece back, slide the extra piece into view again, pretend to rip it off. Place it behind the card and fold the card in half again.

( really it is still together )

Pretend to rip it in half again, but just slide the loose piece off the pile convincingly to look like it has ripped. Place the piece behind the card which is now folded up.

Now even though the card is not ripped, you can fan the pieces to make it look like three or four pieces. Ask a spectator to place their fingers on the " torn " pieces. As you set the pieces on the table, steal the loose piece with your thumb and hide it in your hand by using a finger palm move.

Misdirect and place the loose piece in your pocket. Now ask the spectator to examine the card and they will find that it is in one piece.

Take a bow, as the audience look completely baffled.

Feel the Heat

Effect:

The cards are spread out between the magician's hands and the spectator is instructed to take a card from anywhere in the pack. The card is replaced and the deck is squared. By "feeling the heat" on the backs of each of the cards, the magician is able to tell which was the last card selected.

Read on for a few cool variations. You can practically do the same trick three times with three different endings and it will seem like three completely different tricks!

Secret:

First, let your friend shuffle the deck. Shuffling always adds to an already good card trick. Fan the cards out in the best way that you know how, and ask your friend to select any card from anywhere in the entire deck. As they take it out, square up the deck. Cut the deck somewhere in the middle, taking the top half with your right hand. Tell them to look at their card and remember it.

Outstretch your left hand, and have them set the card down on that half of the deck. While they are doing this, or while they were looking at their card, whichever is less obvious, glimpse the card on the bottom of the pack in your right hand...and remember it! Instruct them to place their card face down on that packet in your left hand. Drop the right hand-packet on top of the left-hand packet. Once again, hand the deck to your friend and tell them to cut the deck and complete the cut. They can do this as many times as they want, but only single cuts at a time. (This will not affect the order of the cards.) Take the deck back.

What you have just done is placed a key card right above their card. You don't know the identity of their card, but since you know the card right above it, it is almost as good! Now, there are several finishes to this trick. All of your work is practically done, and here is where your acting ability is put to use. Make these finishes as dramatic as possible, act as if you yourself are amazed, and what an incredible sleight-of-hand artist you are.

Feel the Heat:

Pretend to feel the heat that they left on the card when they touched it. Set the deck down and slowly feel the back of each card, turning them over and tossing them, face up, into a pile off to the side. They will be watching your eyes, so do NOT look at the pile. Instead, stare at the face down deck, and use your side vision to just glimpse the card. Pretend to be concentrating on the face down deck. The longer it takes, the more dramatic it can be. When you see the "key card" tossed off to the side, pause. Take a deep breath. Say "this is it!", and let them turn over the next card. They will be amazed.

Feel the pulse:

A great variation, although it's pretty much the same trick, the audience will think it is a different trick entirely. Just don't do these two tricks directly in a row.

Spread the cards face up across the table. Ask your friend to point with his index finger. Grab their wrist as if you are going to feel their pulse increase as their finger slides across their card. Make several passes back and forth across the spread. Slowly slow down the motion and stop on the card that is directly above the "key card." Touch their finger to their card. They will think you can really feel their pulse increase. They will be amazed.

Credits to trickmagic.com for this trick.

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Card Between the Jokers

Effect:

The cards are spread out between the magician's hands and the spectator is instructed to touch one card somewhere in the middle of the pack. The touched card is turned face up. The deck is squared up, and the spectator cuts the deck several times. The jokers found the card! One joker is on top of the card, and one joker is right below the selected card. Truly a card masterpeice!

Secret:

First, get the jokers on the top and bottom of the deck as you shuffle the cards (you can pretend to count the cards to "make sure they are all there" or something.) Don't make it obvious. Once the jokers are on the top and bottom of the pack, do a couple fake shuffles. You can do a quick overhand shuffle and just leave the two cards in their place. Every good card trick becomes much better with a good shuffle.

Now, spread the cards out between your hands (like you would if you were fanning the cards in your two hands). Ask the spectator to TOUCH one card.

Then you just outjog it about an inch. (This means move their card toward them, but it still remains in the deck). Now if they touched a card near the middle, you should have about half the cards held in the left hand, and half in the right - but still in the fanned/spread out position. This is the hard part.

Use the cards in your right hand to push down on the right side of the selected card and the left hand's cards to push up on the left side of it.

This should flip the selected card face up.

Square up the cards, have the spectator cut the deck as many times as they want (single cuts only).

Now spread the the cards out again and set them on the table. Pause. Say something like "Ohhhhhh the seven of diamonds!" Right now you should have their card sandwiched between the jokers, and the hard work is done.

Now it's time for the fun. Wave your hands over the deck and do something that looks a little magical. Have a member of the audience speak to the deck and say "Jokers...Find the Card!!"

Now build up the drama...
If you're using a table, move the three cards forward away from the rest of the deck. Turn all the other cards face up to show that there are no jokers in either pile. "No Jokers Here. No Jokers in this pile either!" Have them turn over the card right above and the card right below the face up card. Yes, the jokers have found the card!

Credits to trickmagic.com for this trick!

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A Flying Card

A card is selected from an unprepared pack which has been thoroughly shuffled. When the card is returned the pack is again shuffled. The performer holds the pack in his right hand, and asks the name of the selected card. The answer is no sooner given when the card jumps out of the pack, and high in the air.

Fig. 51

Fig. 52

Before the knack of this trick is acquired, there will be no little practice spent on it. When the selected card is returned to the pack, it is brought to the top by the "pass," and left there, even though the cards are once more shuffled. Then the performer places the pack, face down, on the right hand, the thumb on one side, the first and second fingers on the other. The selected card (which is on top) rests on the side where the fingers are, and its opposite edge, where the thumb is, is raised about a quarter of an inch, and held loosely by the thumb, as shown in Fig. 52. The muscles of the hand which must be kept tense, suddenly press the pack into the position shown in Fig. 53; the thumb slips between the top card and the others, while the first and second fingers glide along the bottom of the pack. Almost at the same moment the top card will spring out of the hand and go flying in the air, as shown in Fig. 54. In its descent it will be found possible to catch the card on the top of the pack, but that means more practice and plenty of it.

Fig. 53

Fig. 54

To Discover a Card Drawn from the Pack

Method 1. A card is drawn, and when it has been replaced in the pack, the one who drew it is asked to square up the cards. When the card is put back the performer watches to see in what part of the pack it goes. He puts the pack behind his back. He knows about where the card is, that is, whether it is near the top, the bottom, or the middle of the pack. Let us suppose it is near the top, and the performer thinks there are nine or ten cards above it. (Let us say, just here, that an expert handler of cards can tell almost the exact number, at a glance.) Holding the pack behind his back he takes three cards from the top, and showing them asks if the drawn card is among them. Of course it is not. He throws the three cards on the table, and then with three more cards taken from the top he goes through the same procedure. To take three more cards from the top would be extremely hazardous, as the selected card might be among them and there would be no way to know it. Instead of pursuing the same course he takes one card only from the top and two from the bottom. Should the selected card be one of these three, he knows at once that it is the card he took from the top. Should the selected card be placed near the bottom the same procedure is followed, but instead of showing cards taken from the top of the pack, he begins to show from the bottom. If the selected card has been placed in the middle of the pack, the performer brings a number of cards from top to bottom so that the selected card will be nearer the top, and proceeds as at first.

There is another way of doing this trick. Some one is asked to draw seven or eight cards and to think of one. These cards are replaced on top of the pack, which is then shuffled without disturbing the drawn cards. Then the pack is placed behind the performer's back, and he takes four cards from the bottom and one from the top and throws them on the table faces upward. He asks if the card that was thought of is among them. If it proves to be, he knows it must be the one he took from the top of the pack. Should the selected card not be among them, he repeats the proceeding just described until he reaches the card thought of.

Method 2. The cards are shuffled and one is drawn. Taking the pack in his left hand the performer holds it at the bottom in an upright position between the thumb and first finger. The thumb is stretched across the back of the pack and the first finger across the front. The cards face toward the audience. With the second finger of the right hand the performer opens the pack about the middle, by drawing the upper part toward himself, as shown in the illustration, Fig. 48. This gives him an opportunity to see the bottom card of the upper part. The drawn card is placed in the opening thus formed. Then the cards are cut or shuffled, and it is simple enough to locate the card as it will be below the card that was at the bottom of the upper part. The cutting or shuffling of the pack will seldom, if ever, separate the two cards.

Fig. 48

Method 3. A card is selected from a previously shuffled pack. The pack is in the left hand and about half of it is lifted off with the right hand, which holds the pack between the thumb and second finger. The selected card is laid on top of the lower packet and the upper packet is placed above it with a little sliding motion toward the body. At the same time the thumb of the right hand slides the top card of the lower packet, which is the selected card, a little out toward the wrist, where the performer may easily turn it upward with the thumb and catching a glimpse of the index, learn what the card is.

Method 4. When the card has been drawn, the pack is bent almost end to end, as in Fig. 49. When the card is replaced and the pack is shuffled, all the cards will be curved slightly except one which is, of course, the one that was drawn. Sometimes the pack is curved lengthwise, as in Fig. 50. In that case when the selected card is replaced and the cards are shuffled they may be sprung from hand to hand without disturbing the bridge and the selected card may be found in a moment.

Fig. 49

Fig. 50

Method 5. If done with care it is almost impossible to detect this trick. A faint line is drawn with ink or a pencil across the edges of the pack at B, as shown in the illustration, Fig. 51. To exhibit the trick the pack is first thoroughly shuffled, and then one of the audience is asked to draw a card. While he is looking at it, the performer turns the pack, so that the line which was near the bottom of the pack is now near the top. When the drawn card is replaced, the performer need only look for the little mark that is on the edge to know the card. Shuffling the pack does not interfere with the accomplishment of the trick, provided of course, that the position of the cards are not changed. More than one card may be drawn when necessary. Of course, the mere telling of what card has been drawn does not amount to much as a trick, unless in combination with something else.

To Pass Five Coins from One Tumbler to Another

Two glass tumblers are used for this trick: one is without preparation of any kind, but the other has the bottom cut out. The performer borrows five half-dollars, and substitutes for them five of his own. In each of these is drilled a tiny hole, near the edge. A black silk thread is tied to one coin and the thread is then passed through the holes in the others. To the free end of the thread is a bit of wax. The wax is held between the roots of the fingers, and the coins, stacked up, are between the finger tips. The coins are dropped, one at a time into the unprepared tumbler, and when all are in the wax is stuck on the back of the glass. The glass is covered with a handkerchief; the bottomless glass is also covered with a handkerchief. The coins are now ordered to leave one glass and go to the other. Taking hold of the handkerchief on the unprepared glass and at the same time of the thread and dislodging the wax, the performer removes handkerchief and coins, the latter concealed in the folds of the former. Picking up the bottomless glass, which is still covered, he places it on his left hand, in the palm of which the borrowed coins are concealed. Pulling off the handkerchief, he shakes up the coins in the glass, and then pours them out into his right hand, and placing the glass on the table, carries the money to the audience to show them that it is entirely unprepared.

The Melting Handkerchiefs

The performer comes forward with a soup-plate in one hand and two silk handkerchiefs in the other. The plate, after being shown empty, is placed upon the ground, inverted, whilst the performer takes the handkerchiefs in his hands, and commences to roll them up in them. He rubs his hands together, and, on opening them, the handkerchiefs are found to have melted completely away. The soup-plate is then raised by one of the company, and the handkerchiefs are found beneath.

The soup-plate portion of the trick is thus easily managed: The performer has balled up under the fingers of the hand holding the plate duplicate handkerchiefs of those he holds openly in the other hand. They are of very fine silk, and so are easily concealed. As he boldly shows the inside of the plate, where the fingers are, the spectators never suspect the presence of the handkerchiefs, or of anything else. As the plate is laid carelessly upon the floor, it is drawn a few inches towards the performer, the side that is towards the company scraping the ground. In this way the handkerchiefs are got underneath. The melting away of the handkerchiefs is accomplished with the aid of the plain-looking implement depicted at Fig. 45. It is constructed of wood, is hollow, and is blackened on the outside. Through the end is a hole, and through that is passed a piece of stout elastic, having a knot on the inside. On the side seam of the vest is sewn a ring, and the end of the elastic, after being passed through this, is brought round the back and left side, and fastened securely to a button in front. This great length is necessary for the facile performance of the trick. When at rest, the wooden holder rests against the ring on the vest. After the performer has finished placing the plate upon the floor, he retires to the stage, and stands sideways to the company. Supposing the holder to be on his right side, that side would be nearest the company. First of all, the sleeves are turned very far back, and then, under cover of the right forearm, the left hand seizes the holder, and, drawing it out of concealment, places it in the right hand, where the handkerchiefs are being held. The performer may get out the holder before this, if he pleases—the proper time for so doing being whenever a favourable opportunity presents itself—and keep it palmed in the right hand. The arm will always prevent the elastic being seen by the company. With his arms outstretched, and the hands together, the performer proceeds to gather in the handkerchiefs by slow degrees, the fingers of the left hand pushing them into the holder. When they are all pushed home, the hands are opened slightly, the left hand only being moved for this purpose, and the holder, thus released, flies back until stopped by the ring. The performer continues rubbing away the handkerchiefs, still supposed to be in his hand, and he must act as though they were being rolled into an ever-decreasing ball, the final kneading being done by the tips of the fingers of the right hand, working in the palm of the left hand. All that now remains is to have the plate lifted. The trick may be prolonged and varied if the performer has a second holder on his left side containing handkerchiefs of other colours to those first used. By getting this holder out and rolling up the handkerchiefs from under the plate, the new handkerchiefs may be got out and the old ones substituted. Or the trick may be done the other way round, and the change executed first, the second handkerchiefs being found under the plate. There is no reason why this trick should not be even more elaborated, and further changes of handkerchiefs made. This may be done by means of a holder, some four inches in length, open at each end, and connected with the elastic by a metal fork-shaped piece, upon which it swivels by means of a pin passing through the centre. Each side can contain handkerchiefs of different colours, the pin through the centre preventing their becoming mixed with one another, and a variety of changes made, which will be intensely bewildering to the spectators, especially as the performer each time gives the handkerchief for examination, and shows his hands empty. The perfect simplicity and completeness of the method of vanishing permits of its being repeated any number of times, each successive change or disappearance causing fresh wonderment. Care must, however, be taken, in each instance, that the handkerchiefs are pressed well home in the holder, as an exposed portion might be seen as it flashed under the coat; whilst there is still greater danger of its subsequently working out and becoming slowly visible to the company. If the great length of elastic which I have recommended were not employed, the performer would not be able to stretch his arms out to their full extent in front of him; and it is highly essential for effect that the hands should be as far removed from the body as possible. The ingenuity of the performer will enable him to employ the holder in many tricks in which handkerchiefs take part.

To Pass an Egg from a Tumbler Into a Hat

For this a celluloid or a blown egg is needed. To it is attached a fine black silk thread, that has a small hook on the free end, which is fastened to the lower part of the performer's vest. The egg is stowed away under his vest or in a vest pocket. When ready for the trick a handkerchief and a soft felt hat are borrowed and laid on the table; near them are an egg and a goblet. The latter are handed out for examination, and as he goes back to his table the performer exchanges the real egg for the imitation one. Facing the audience, he drops the egg visibly into the goblet. Picking up the hat he stands it behind the goblet, brim up. Taking the handkerchief by two corners he spreads it out, as if to cover the goblet. While the latter is thus screened, the performer moves back a trifle, which causes the egg to rise up out of the glass and drop into the hat. The handkerchief is covered over the glass. Taking the hat in one hand and the glass in the other, the performer orders the egg to leave the glass and go into the hat. Seizing the handkerchief between his teeth he drags it off and shows the glass to be empty. The next moment he pours the egg from the hat into the glass. As he turns to put away the glass he unhooks the thread. Finally he returns the borrowed articles, thanking the owners.

It may be mentioned here that a simple and secure way to attach a piece of sewing silk to an egg is to tie one end of the thread to a piece of broken match, about three-quarters of an inch in length, then make a tiny hole in the shell of the egg, about the center, and push in the bit of match. The thread may break but will not pull off.

The Egg Ching Ching

About the year 1866, Colonel Stodare, a very skillful English conjurer, introduced a little trick with an egg and a handkerchief to which he gave the above title. It proved very successful and Carl Herrmann exhibited it some years later at his first performance in New York; and afterward his successor, Alexander Herrmann, often included it in his program. In its first form, an egg was placed in a glass goblet, over which was thrown a large handkerchief. Standing at a distance, the performer picked up a small square of red silk, which he began to gather into his hands.

When it was completely within his hands they were opened, and it was seen that the silk square had disappeared—if that is not a bull—and in the hands was an egg—presumably the one placed in the goblet. On removing the handkerchief from the goblet, the silk square was seen in the glass, but the egg had gone.

The explanation of the trick is simple: the egg that is placed in the goblet has been blown, that is, it is nothing but an egg-shell, the egg itself having been cleaned out by means of two holes, one at each end. By blowing in one hole the contents of the egg comes out at the other. It is not a pleasant job to prepare such an egg, and for that reason many performers use a wooden egg or, what is much better, one of celluloid, which is made specially for conjurers' use. When the performer is about to place the egg into the goblet, it is lying on the large handkerchief, which is spread over his left hand. A fine black silk thread about four inches long attaches the egg to the center of the handkerchief, and between the two is the silk square which is folded into as small shape as possible and concealed in a half-fold of the handkerchief. To fold this properly it is plaited back and forth until it is one long strip, and then the strip is plaited in the same way until it is about an inch and one-half square. Folded in this way, the natural resilience of the silk will cause it to open out when released.

As the performer is about to cover the goblet with the handkerchief after the egg is in, he relaxes his hold of the silk square and drops that in, also. Back of the second square of silk, which is on a table, is concealed a hollow metal egg, with an opening on one side. The silk square and this egg are picked up together, and as the square is drawn into the performer's hands, he works it into the hollow egg, which he finally shows to the audience, who suppose it to be the egg that was placed in the glass. Going to the goblet, the performer lifts up the handkerchief and with it the hollow egg, and shows the square of silk, which has, apparently, passed invisibly into the glass.

In place of a hollow metal egg, the performer often prepares a real egg. This can be done by soaking the egg for some time in strong vinegar. After a while the shell will become so soft that it may be cut, without splintering, by driving a sharp pointed penknife in with gentle taps. When the piece is out, the contents are scooped out, and the egg is washed out with a weak solution of carbolic acid, and then lined with a thin coating of plaster of paris. Prepared in this way, it is infinitely better than any imitation.

Another and better method:—An improvement on this trick is to use a drinking-glass, the bottom of which has been cut out. This must be done, of course, by a glass-cutter or engraver. He should be instructed to leave a narrow rim around the bottom, that is, the bottom should not be cut close to the edge.

Provided with such a glass, the performer may use a real egg and dispense with the duplicate handkerchief, as only one is needed. Besides the egg and the handkerchief a piece of rather stiff letter-paper is required. This is rolled into a cylinder which will fit easily over the tumbler, as a cover, and is fastened together with a small pin.

This method of presenting the trick has long been a puzzle to many professional conjurers. It is now properly explained for the first time.

Everything being ready, the performer, with an egg concealed just under the lowest part of his waistcoat, advances to his audience, and begs for the loan of an egg. Addressing one of the company, he asks, "Will you, sir, accommodate me with a fresh egg?" extending his open left hand at the same time. "Thank you; lay it here, please." As the performer leans forward to receive it, his right hand goes, naturally, to the bottom of his waistcoat and gets hold of the egg. At the same time the closed hand moves to the gentleman's mouth, and the concealed egg is allowed to show itself at the tip of the fingers. It appears as if the egg were taken from the mouth. The egg is placed on the table along-side a goblet.

In the next move the performer obtains the handkerchief. This he produces "magically," by means of a false finger or any one of the many ways.

He now inverts a glass goblet, placing it mouth down on the table, and on the bottom of this he stands the bottomless tumbler. "I place this here," he says, "so that it may be seen easily, and in it I put the egg which the gentleman has lent me." In putting this in, the performer is careful to have it rest on the rim which is left at the bottom of the glass. "I hope you all can see the egg." As he says this, he picks up the tumbler with his right hand and places it on the extended palm of his left hand. "I will shake the glass so that you may hear the egg as well as see it. Listen." In shaking it thus the egg is dislodged and rests on his hand. With the paper cylinder, which is ready, he covers the tumbler and in front of it, on his fingers, he throws the handkerchief; then picking up with his right hand the empty tumbler, still covered, he replaces it on the bottom of the inverted goblet. The egg is now in his left palm, but the handkerchief conceals it. He turns the hand with its back toward the audience, and bringing his two hands together begins to roll the handkerchief into a compact ball, which he presses into his right palm and holds it there concealed. He then brings the egg to the tip of his fingers and shows it. "See!" he exclaims, "here is the egg, and in its place in the glass we find the handkerchief." As he says this the performer allows his right palm to come over the top opening of the cylinder, into which he drops the handkerchief, which passes into the tumbler. At the same moment he lifts the tumbler cover, showing that an actual change has taken place.