Albenice Reel Magic PDF

8/14/2019 Albenice Reel Magic PDF

1/79

REEL MAGIC

A L B E N I C E


2/79

W ILL LMM . I. M .C . L O N D O N )


3/79

R E E L M A G I Cy

A L B E N I C EProfessional M agician and Inventor

ofConjuring Mysteries Par Excellence

* *

I N C L U D I N G

THE PENETRABLE SILKby S P A L D I N G* * *

Edited by: R A L P H W . R E A D* * *

Sixty Six IllustrationsFOURTH PRINTING

L O U IS T A N N E N , Publisher120 W e st 4 2 n d S tre et N e w Y o r k 1 8 , N . Y .


4/79

Copyright, 1941, by Nat Louis

Copyright, 1950, by Louis Tannen

Copyright in Canada and in all countriessubscribing to the Berne convention

*

All rig ht to the material in this book arereserved by the publisher. No part of

the book may be reproduced in anymanner whatsoever wi thout

writ ten permission.

Printtd tbt V S A


5/79

REEL M AG ICand

THE PENETRABLE SILK


6/79

I N D E XFron t i sp ieceF o r e w o r dFrom the PublisherC H A P T E R 1Knot Effects with Handkerchiefs 13-20

T he Serpent Silk 13Visible Self-T ying Silk 15Th e Na ugh ty Knot 16A Suggested Routine with the Vanishing Cane

and Han dkerchief 18Visib le "40th Century" Silks 18

CHAPTER IIPenetrat ion Effects with Handkerchiefs 21-26"Penetro" 23Spalding's Penetra ble Silk 25

C H A P T E R III Color Changes with Si lks 27-30A Smart Color Cha nge 29Th e Quack Rabbit 30C H A PT E R IV W ith P lay ing Cards 31-36Card on Ribbo n 33Risin g Cards Th roug h the Air 35

C H A P T E R V M iscel laneous Tricks 37-44Bu tton, Button , wh o's Got the Button 39Th e Magnetized W and 40Rin g up, Rin g dow n 41Sight and Tou ch Van ish 42Fly ing Dollar Bil l 43T he Elusiv e Bil l 44

C H A PT ER VI The Thornton W indlass 45-50Fly ing Dollar Bil l Acro ss a Room 47Balancing a Chair on T w o L eg s 47Buatier D e K olta's Card Fou ntain 48Th e Floating Cigar __ __4 8Th e Dancing Handkerchief _ _ _ 5 0

C H A PT ER VII The Lightning Pul l 51-56Lam p Chimney and Silk 53Th e Vanishing Bird Cage _ 5 4T h e F ly in g R in g _ _ 5 5


7/79

A D D E N D A 5 7Imp roved, V isible "40th Cen tury" Silk s 58Th e Penetrab le Silk 66

Th e Ef fec ts (Ba sic Principles) 70T he Effec ts (Advanced Principles ) 75Rou tined Act 82Notes 82

f


8/79

I N T R O D U C T I O N T O S E C O N D E D I T I O NInit ia l ly publ ished in 1941, this work has enjoyed great

popularity throughout the years , due entire ly to the subtletyof the methods and the beauty of the effects .

The subject of "Reel Magic" is s t i l l of absorbing interestto the profess ion, and i t i s with great pleasure that this revisedand enlarged edit ion is now offered, inc luding a special pet ofAlbenice ' s which he deve loped subsequent to the publ icat ionof the first edition.

This addit ional Albenice effect has been used in his ownprograms for some t ime , and, as the secre t was not known toothers , i t w a s exc lus i ve ly his ow n. Fu l l detai ls wi l l be foundin the Addenda to the current volume.

Also in the Addenda wi l l be found the comple te manu-scr ipt of "T he Penetrab le S i lk" by Spald ing , w hich w as or ig -inal ly publ ished in "The Sphinx" in the form of a ser ies ofart ic les. Sp aldin g ind epen den tly developed a w ho le ser ies ofpenetrat ion effects us ing a ree l and a s i lk handkerchief , a l l ofw hi ch are ver y effect ive . W e are glad that w e are able toinclude Spalding's work in this edit ion of "Reel Magic ."

L O U I S T A N N E N ,Publisher .


9/79

F O R E W O R DA G R EA T M A N Y of the effec ts in this book were origi-nated by me in connection with my work as a profes-s ional, playing engagements in Night Clubs, Hotels , PrivateClubs, Parties, etc. Th eir eff ect ive ne ss has therefore beenproven in actual performance and the reader is thus assuredof their practical value as entertainment and in the simplemethods which are necessary when working under such con-ditions.

Some time ago I marketed The Serpent Silk, which madea hit with magicians everywhere and actually swept the coun-try by reason of its no velty . On e of the other hand kerchiefeffects described herein was sold to a limited number of per-formers but it was later withdrawn from general sale, since itseemed more desirable to put it and these other tricks in bookform for the benefit of all who may be interested.A s in all things, "nothing succeeds like success". W ith

the thought that these tricks may add prestige and popularityto magic and magicians, increasing the entertainment qualityof magical performances, such acts will be in greater demand,and all of us in the profession will profit accordingly.For these reasons, I am pleased to present these "pets"of mine together with other tricks, old and new, employingreels of all sorts, the intention being to make this work ascomplete as possible.M y sincere thanks are hereby give n to Ralph W . Read ofN ew York C ity for his care in editing and arranging th is m ate-rial, and equal thanks to "Spalding" and the publisher for thevaluable ideas they have contributed.That the "reel" may make your magic look "real", is thewish of the author who believes that there are sti l l many un-discovered mysteries possible with the ingenious l itt ie devicetreated herein.

New York City,January, 1941. A L B E N I C E .


10/79

FROM THE PUBLISHERWe believe we are giving the magic fraternity a treat in

the publication of this volume since it contains the latest de-velopments in this specialized field of magic with reels.

Albenice has been one of our close friends for many yearsand is a performer and inven tor of rare ab ility. H is pr esenta-tion of magic is both artful and original, and, while still ayoung man, he has gone far in his chosen profession.

It is one thing to perform magic tricks, but it is quiteanother thing to invent effects that are truly magicalandpractical. In the case of Alb enic e, his mind is never idle, forhe is always "trying out" some new idea, some conception thatis unusua l and different from the run-of-mill tricks. Y ou areinstantly aware of this when witnessing one of his perform-ances.

In addition to his original effects, now published for thefirst time, he has to his credit, a number of equally clevertricks utilizing other objects and principlesnotably his Ara-bian Bead Mystery, Nite-Club Card Riser, etc.

In view of the fact that most professionals of an inventiveturn, jealously guard their own conceptions and methods, wethink a vote of thanks is due this author for his generosity insharing his secrets with our readers . . . and we are sure all ofyou will join us in hearty agreement.

N A T L O U I S .


11/79

C hapter IK n o t Effec ts w ith H an d kerc hiefs


12/79

The S ta te Library of Vic tor ia" A L M A C O N J U R I N G C O L L E C T I O N "

R E E L M A G I C

THE SERPENT SILK(Albe n ic e )This concept ion took the magic wor ld by s torm when theauth or released it abo ut a ye ar ago . A 24 or 27-inch silk hand-kerchief is twisted rope fashion and a knot tied at its center.Holding the s i lk at one corner by the f inger t ips , the lowercorner vis ibly moves upwards and gracefully gl ides throughthe knot which is thus untied.This is accomplished by means of a Controlled Util ityReel upon one side of wh ich is a disc . W he n pressed dow n thisdisc prevents the extended thread from flying back into thereel. O n the oppos ite side of the reel is a clip w hi ch go esbetween the middle and third fingers thus enabling you tohold the reel concea led in th e palm of the hand. O ne cornerof the han dkerch ief is tied to th e end of th e reel thread . T hevarious moves given below are numbered to correspond withthe i l lustrations , a careful observance of which wil l make iteasy to master the effect.1. T he silk is held in the right hand w ith the reel in posi-tion, Fig . 1. N ot e that A end of silk is tied to the thread, wh ilethe B end hangs down, free .2. Th e left hand grasp s the B end be tw een tip s of fore-finger and thumb, at the same time pull ing the s i lk s l ightly .This draws the thread far enough out of the reel so the cornertip of the A end of silk is held between right forefinger and

thum b. N o w twirl both hand s until the handkerchief isT I G H T L Y R O L L E D A R O U N D I T S E L F , f or m in g a so rt ofrope w hic h yo u pull taut so it will sta y in that cond ition. Itmust be t ightly rolled otherwise the tr ick wil l not workproperly.


13/79

3. Th e right hand no w brings the A end over the backof the left fingers, then over the left thumb, also over the Bend, thence between left middle and third fingers which gripthis A end. A t the same mom ent, the right forefinger andthumb grasp the B end. The left hand is then withdrawn, pull-ing the thread out of the reel at the same time.4. Continue pulling the A end throu gh th e loop until yo uhave a large loose knot in the middle of the silk, or slightlybelow, should it com e a trifle aw ay from the middle. Th e loopof the knot must be large, as if pulled down small, the trickwill not work properly.

loop knot, hold the silk taut in a vertical position between thehands, left hand at the bottom, right hand at the top with thethread from the reel running through the right forefinger andthum b alon g w ith the B end of silk. T he right thum b pressesagainst the thread to prevent the reel from drawing it in, whilethe left hand lets go of the A end. T he handkerchief is thu s

6. T he right thum b releases pressure on the thread, the


14/79

action of the reel causing the lower (A) end of silk to jump up.When the A end reaches the knot, the right thumb tightenspressure on the thread thus stopping the A end at the knot.7. Th e right thum b again releases pressure on the threadwhich permits the A end to glide up through the knot and hitthe fingers of the right handat this moment, the right fingerslet go of the B end which drops dow n. Th e A end stays inright hand, thank s to the reel. Th is switch of ends is so fastthat it is never seen or followed by the human eye.8. T h e silk ha vin g untied itse lf, appears at the finish , asillustrated. Yo u ma y imm ediately repeat the effect, how everthis is no t recom men ded. Roll up the silk and place it in yo urpocket or on the table, ready for the next performance.

VISIBLE SELF-TYING SILK(Albenice)Many are familiar with the manually operated threadmethod in which a twisted silk handkerchief, held at the fingertips, visibly curls up and ties a knot at its center. T hi s formeda part of the effect of G. W . H un ter of E nglan d wh o held aknotted silk in his other hand, this one untying while theother tied its knot. Th is old method w as a bit complicatedand required advance setting, hence could not be done im-promptu.This new method will delight performers and audiencesalike, for it is simple and rapid and may be presented at anytim e. I prefer a 24-inch silk hand kerchief, one corner of w hichis firmly attached to the thread of the tiny Controlled UtilityRee l. T h e right hand hold s the reel and the silk in the posi-tion as sho w n in Fig . 1. T h e forefinger is extended , w hile theother fingers are curled around the reel.

to the position as shown in Fig. 2, at the same time holdingthe thread between right thumb and middle finger, as shown.


15/79

With the left hand, now reach in between the thread and thelong end of the silk, grasp the short, free, end of the silk, pullit through, as in Fig. 3 and hold it.

right hand, and tip the right hand downwards a little at thesam e time. Th e tied end of the silk will shoot up through theloop, being drawn snu gly against the concealed reel. Tipp ingthe right hand causes the silk to slide off that hand and a knotis thus formed in the center of the handkerchief. T he mo men tthe tied corner reaches the reel, your right fingers curl aroundthe silk "to hold it", and you let go of the lower corner, drop-ping your ieft hand, thus making it appear as though the knotwas tied while held by the lone right hand, Fig. 4.

THE NAUGHTY KNOT(Albenice)

This novel effect is a variation of The Serpent Silk, butin this instance the knot instantaneously unties itself whilethe opposite ends of the silken rope are held, an end in eachhand. It seem s imp ossible that the knot could becom e untiedwhile thus held but the use of the concealed Utility Reel causesit to occur with lightning-like rapidity.The 24-inch silk handkerchief is twisted rope-fashion andthe loose knot is visibly tied exactly as in The Serpentine Silkw ith the reel in the usual position in the right hand. H oldthe ends of the silk and display the knot as in Fig. 1.


16/79

It is necessary to switch the ends of the silk which is donein a casual manner, as follows: The left hand transfers thatend of the handkerchief to the right hand which now holdsboth ends, the visible knot han ging b elow as in Fig . 2. Th eright thumb and forefinger hold the thread and the corner towhich it is tied.

After thus exhibiting the knotted silk in the right hand,the left hand grasps the free, untied, end of the silk and bothhands again hold the handkerchief which appears as in Fig. 1,but the path of the thread has been changed by this switchof ends.The situation should now be as shown in Fig. 3, the threadmaking a loop as it goes from the corner of the silk in theright hand, through the top part of the knot and back to thereel in the right hand.

Holding the handkerchief as described, it is only necessaryto release the tied end of silk from the right hand, and the reelwill speedily pull that end through the knot and back to theright hand, the knot seeming to dissolve itself since the actionis too fast to be seen by the spectators.


17/79

A SUGGESTED ROUTINE WITHTHE VANISHING CANE AND HANDKERCHIEFMany performers present the effect of vanishing a canewhich changes in the hand to a silk handkerchief which is thenlaid aside.Instead of stopping there, we suggest the following rout-

ine with several effects described herein, these making a natu-ral sequ ence. T o the corner of the silk in the cane nearest th ecane knob is attached the thread of a Utility reel in the usualmanner. T he thread com es out of the cane with the reel onthe outside, as in Fig. 1.

With the reel in the palm of the right hand, you hold thecane from which you remove the knob and vanish the cane inthe usual maner. Th e reel remains in the right palm with th esilk in full view and ready for you to do The Serpent Silk, theninto the Naughty Knot, fo l lowed by The Vis ible Self-TyingSilk and Th e Visible 40th Century trick. A second reel will, ofcourse, be needed for the set-up of the latter effect.

To cause a silk handkerchief or flag to vanish and later befound tied between two si lks previously knotted together, hasbeen one of the popular tricks for years under the title of"Tw entieth Century Silks". Do uble handkerchiefs have beenused, also a switch of the two tied silks for a set of three tiedones; in no instance did the silk visibly appear between thetwo tied ones.This new method, employing the Util ity Reel, is so farahead of the previous methods that it is rightly termed "40thCentury". A yellow silk is sh ow n and placed in a paper ba gor device from wh ich it m ay be ma de to vanish. A blue silk isheld in each hand and shown separately as the hands are farapart. A t the word of comm and, the ye llo w silk appears likelight nin g, tied betw een the tw o blue silks. T he bag is, ofcourse, found empty.

(Albenice)

VISIBLE 40th CE NTU RY SILKS(Albenice)


18/79

P R O P E R T I E S A N D P R E P A R A T I O N :ATwo 24-inch blue s i lk handkerchiefsBTwo 24-inch yellow si lk handkerchiefsCOne Controlled Util ity ReelDOne double paper bag, or "Magician's Comu-Assuming you are working with an assistant, the prepara-tion and placement of the properties, is as follows:Fi rst : Tie one corn er of a ye llo w silk to the end of the reelthread.Second: Tie the opposite corner of the same yellow si lkto the corner of one of the blue silksabout two inches fromthe corner.Th ird : Foid the same ye llow silk "accordion fashio n" asshow n in Fig. 1. Th us compactly folded, assistant holds thisconcealed in the left hand along with the reelthe blue silkhanging down with a corner sticking up.

Fourth: Assistant now picks up the other blue s i lk withright hand w hich then m ov es tow ards left hand, the right fore-finger pointing to silk in left hand, as you say, "One silk".Right hand secretly takes the reel from left hand, and assist-ant separates his hands causing the thread to come out abouttw en ty inch es, Fi g. 2. A s yo u say , "An other blue ailk", as-sistant's left forefinger points to the silk held in his right hand.The assistant now has a vis ible blue s i lk in left hand whichholds the concealed yellow si lk; his right hand holds a vis ibleblu e silk, and the concealed reel. T h e thread ha ng s about fif-teen inches as in Fig. 2, and the right forefinger and thumbhold the thread near the reel.

copia"


19/79

Everything is now set except the vis ible duplicate yellowsilk which the performer picks up from the table, inserts in thesecret compartment of the paper bag, closes it, twists it upand breaks itCrash

At that instant, the assistant releases the thread in hisright hand and opens the left hand slightly, releasing the con-cealed yellow silk one end of which flies like lightning acrossto the right hand and thus appears to be tied between the twoblue silks. Th e m ovem ent of this yello w slik is so fast that itsappearance is truly ma gical. T he right hand, of course hold sits end of the yellow silk so that it appears to be tied to theblue one in that hand, the string being held by the assistant asshown in Fig. 3.The paper bag is shown to be empty, or any other vanish-ing method may be used by the performer. T he trick may beperformed without an assistant by a simple change of routine.The folded yellow silk and reel may be concealed in the bluesilk to which they are connected, and the whole loosely heldtogether with a pin so this yellow silk and the second blue silkmay lie on the table. The other yellow silk is first put in somevan ishing device and laid dow n. Th en the performer picks upthe prepared blue one, and the free blue one, proceeding asabove described.


20/79

C hapter IIPenetration Effects w ith H andk erchiefs


21/79

PENETRATION EFFECTS WITH HANDKERCHIEFSLong before the present vogue of "reel" magic, various

penetration effects were accomplished by means of thread orwire arrangem ents in bo xes , cabinets, screens, etc. Later de-velopments brought about a s i lk penetration using these sameprinciples with empty hands and a s imple thread attachmentto the handk erchief, no reel bein g em ployed . Th e recently dis-covered methods using a reel are a definite advance, being sim-pler in operation as well as faster and more effective, as youwil l note from the fo l lowing:

PENETRO(Albenice)

The basic principle of such apparent penetrations is wellillustrated in this effect which, though simple, is one of theprettiest i l lusions of this type. T he Uti l ity reel w ith fingerclip is used, it being held in the usual position in the righthand at the base of the m iddle and third finger s. T h e silk isfastened to the end of the reel-thread, and is exhibited as inFig . 1 (v iew from the rear, as seen by the performer). Th eleft hand holds a ring about 6 inches in diameter, such as isused in the Linking Ring Trick.

The left hand brings the ring over in front of the silk sothe fingers of the right hand can grasp the ring at a point nearthe point gripped by the le ft f ingers, Fi g. 2. A s the right fin-gers grasp the ring, the left fingers release it and simultane-ously reach in through the front of the ring and grasp the tiedcorner of the silk which is brought through the ring from theback to the fron t and again grasped by the right fing ers. T heleft hand at the same moment, grasps the ring which now en-circles the silk, this series of moves requiring but a second toexecute.


22/79

The right hand is held still while the left hand moves thering down and up the silk several times for a distance of fiveor six inches. Th is action con clus ively demon strates to theaudience that the ring is actually around the handkerchief(which it is), but it causes the thread to be drawn out of thereel on the downward movement of the ring, and to go backinto the reel on the upward mov em ent. Th e condition is asshown in Fig. 3 which, for clarity, is a side view with thethread slackened.

At the end of the last downward movement of the ring,then about five inches below the upper corner of the silk, theright fingers let go of the tied corner of the silk which fliesdo wn throu gh the ring and back up to concealed reel. Th eright fingers are still in position as though holding that end ofthe silk, and the ring, now free, is drawn away and exhibitedin the left hand.To the spectators, it seems as though the ring melted rightthrough the silk, since the rapid movement of the tied corneris no t apparent to them. If th ey are con sciou s of anyth ingtaking place, the impression is that of a mere ripple in the silkas th e "m elting" takes place. T his , as well as other suchtricks, should be practiced before a mirror so you may observethe effect as the audience sees it.


23/79

SPALDING'S PENETRABLE SILKAlthough this effect was described in The Sphinx magic

magazine (August, 1940), no book on reel magic would becomplete without a brief description of it, and it is thereforeincluded herein.

The effect: A large silk handkerchief, held by oppositecorners between the performer's hands, is caused to visiblypenetrate a cane held directly above the silk by an assistant.

Concealed in the right hand is a reel attached to one cor-ner of the silk. Yo u display the silk, then the left hand gra spsthe tied corner between forefinger and thumb and draws thesilk tow ard s the spectato rs. T hi s action draw s out the threadas the right hand remains stationary. Fro m your right side,your assistant steps up and holds the cane in front of you, andunder the thread. T h e tied end of the silk is then passed u n-der the cane and placed in the fingers of the right hand. Th esilk is now permitted to slip through the left hand which isbrought forward until the opposite free corner comes betweenthe fingers of the left hand wh ere it is held. Slack en the silka bit, drop the right hand a little and release pressure on thereel-control, then elevate both hands until the silk is abovethe cane.

Penetrations may be also made downwards by reversingthe process, and of course through other objects, as describedin the magazine referred to above.


24/79

C h a p t e r I I IC o l o r C h a n g e s w i t h S i l k s


25/79

COLOR CHANGES WITH SILKSThe following effects were discovered 3ince the comple-tion of the original manuscript for this treatise. T h ey are sonew that only two or three people have ever seen them, andthen on ly in private dem onstrations. Th eir extrem e nov eltywill appeal to all "reel" performers.

The right hand holds a 24-inch Rainbow handkerchief byone corner, this corner being green. Th e left hand strokes th esilk a couple of times when the green corner suddenly changesto red. Th e eff ect is qu ite startling .As you may surmise, the Utility reel causes one corner to

chang e places w ith a nearby (not opp osite) corner. T he firstposition is the same as in T he Serpent Silk. T he thread is at-tached to the red corner which, with the reel, is held in theright hand. Th e left hand grasps the red corner, dra win g itand the thread to the left while the right hand slides along thesilk until the green corner com es into the right fing ers. T h epresent situation, as seen by the performer, is shown in Fig. 1.

Have the thread slack and let go of the red corner so thesilk now hangs by the green corner from the right hand, Fig. 2.The fingers of the left hand now loosely encircle the silk andstroke the green portion below the right hand a couple oftimes. W hi le strokin g w ith the lef t hand, let go of green end(and thread) and in the twinkling of an eye, your right handholds a red corner instead of a green one

A SMART COLOR CHANGE(Nat Louis )


26/79

THE QUACK RABBIT(Nat Louis )

Magicians are familiar with the 24-inch silk known as the"Rabi-Duck" si lk. It is a s ing le handkerchief wh ich, wh enfirst exhibited, bears a grote squ e liken ess of a duck. Sinceevery magician is expected to produce a rabbit, the performerflips the s i lk in his hands causing the duck to instantly trans-form itself into the desired bunny.

The use of the Util ity reel s implifies the operation andma kes the change more magical than ever. T he performanceis made easier by using the wedge for locking the reel withthe thread extended (see "Card on Ribbon", described later).The s i lk is held between the hands so the duck shows, the po-sition, as seen by the performer, being as in Fig. 1. Note thatthe thread is attached to the corner marked "C", the threadbeing s lack and running up through the right fingers, thenceto the reel which is concealed in the right hand.

To make the change, the left hand firmly holds corner"A", while the right hand releases the thread and corner "B"so it drops in frontoTthe silk. T h e reel ya nk s corner "C" intothe right hand, thus altering the position of the design so itno w appears as a rabbit. Ju st before the right hand releasesthe thread and silk, a little back and forth wave of the handswill free the thread from contact with the back side of the silkas it runs from corner "C" to corner "B". The finish is illus-trated in Fig. 2.

D


27/79

C h a p t e r I VW i t h P l a y i n g C a r d s


28/79

WITH PLAYING CARDS

Card on Ribbon(Albenice)This novel method of producing a chosen card is quitenew . A spectator selects a card wh ich is then torn to pieces.

The performer causes the pieces to vanish, when, suddenly thecard, fully restored, appears on the center of a length of ribbonheld by its ends between the assistant's hands.The ribbon is a double one, being one yard long and IV2inches wide with vari-colored stripes or bands runing cross-w ise the full length. Th e two single yard length s are placedone on top of the other and stitched along both edges, or joinedthere with the new "Liquid Thread." The ends are left openand a slit is cut crosswise through the center of one ribbon,the s l it running almost from edge to edge. Th e edg es of theslit may be treated l ightly with Liquid Thread to preventraveling and avoid any rough ness. Th e s lit can not be no-ticed due to the colored stripes, although, for the sake of clar-ity, the slit is shown wide open in Fig. 2.

H -441 In . z

Other requirements consist of:One Utility Controlled Reel.One mechanical card (picture card) which folds into

quarters, its rubber hinges causing the folded card to openout full size when released.One "Forcing" pack of cards, all alike, and the same

denomination as the folding card.One "Devil's Handkerchief", "Conjurer's Cornuco-pia", "Card Box", or other device for vanishing the tornpieces of card.


29/79

With a needle, run a thread through each of the four cen-ter "corners" of the foldin g card, Fig . 1. Th e button ha s beenremoved from the end of the reel-thread which is drawn outof the reel and with a needle is run into the double ribbonand the needle pushed out through the ribbon about lViinches away from the slit. The end of this reel-thread is thentied to the thread at the back of the folding card which is nowfolded into four and poked into the ribbon through the slit,the whole ribbon and card arrangement being now complete,as shown in Fig. 2. The assistant holds the reel palmed in theright hand, at roots of middle and third fingers while the fore-finge r and thum b hold the ribbon and the thread. T he lefthand holds the other end of the ribbon the slit side of whichfac es the audience. B e sure there is a little slack in the threadso the action of the reel will quickly jerk the card out and intofull view, expanded, in the center of the ribbon, when thethread is released at the proper moment.

Th e performance is now obvious the performer forces thecard whic h he then tears up, placing th e pieces into the vanish-in g device. H e say s, "Go " the assistan t releases the threadand the card appears on the ribbon as though materializedfrom thin air, and there must not be any movement of the as-sistant's hands during the operation.

Anxious to give these effects the broadest application, oureditor, Ralph W . Read, su gg ests a very s imple but m ost in-genious method of locking the reel with the thread extended.Merely press down the controMlisc on the reel and insert asmall woo den wed ge as show n m Fig . 3 . Th us locked, youmay set the ribbon in advance, place it on the table and do thewh ole trick witho ut an assistant. T hi s same idea m ay be ap-plied to other tricks in which it is necessary to lock the reel inadv ance and h ave it placed fo r later pick up. T h e thu mb readilypu shes the wed ge out of position and is l igh tly held against th ereel after the release is made.


30/79

RISING CARDS THROUGH THE AIR(Albenice)

While this trick comes well in the middle of the book, itwas for causing cards to ascend through the air from a packheld in the left hand, to the right hand held high above, thatthe reel w as origina lly devised many years ago. Indeed it w ascalled the "Card Reel" and is even now referred to by thatnam e by ma ny in the ma gic profession. It w as not "con-trolled", and the standard routine was to place the reel in thevest pocket.The cards were selected from the pack, replaced, and got-ten to the top (back) of the pack by the performer who secret-ly secured the waxed button and pressed it against the rearcard of the pack. Th e thread ran up throug h the finger s of theupper (right) hand, and when released, the reel drew the cardup to the waiting hand above.The author has never seen the trick performed otherwise,and always regarded the method as clumsy due to the manymoves involved in the procedure. Experimenting with the Util-ity Controlled reel, we have devised a method so simple that itrevolutionizes the presentation of the trick.Remove the waxed button that comes with the reel andreplace it with a larger button 3/8 or 5/16 of an inch in diam-eter, the edges of which will protrude over the sides of the reel.Place the reel clip between the fingers of the right hand so thereel l ies about middway between tips of f ingers and palm,

Fig. 1.

Take the pack, face down, in right hand (over the reel) ,spread the cards and have two or three selected and returned


31/79

to pack wh ere yo u get them to the top, face down. Yo u n owhold the pack, face towards the audience, in the right hand,and ask, "Is tha t (front card) your card"? T h e exact posi-tion of pack and right hand is shown in Fig. 2, however this isa SIDE VIEW in order that you may note how in this natu-ral position, the waxed button comes right up against the de-sired spot at the top of the rear card (the first one selected).

As you ask the question, and the spectator says, "No, thatis not my card", your left hand comes up to the pack, the leftthumb going back of the pack where it can easily press againstthe extended edge of the button and thus affix it to the rearcard. T he lef t fing ers are on the front of the pack wh ich, thu sheld in left hand, is lowered, while the right hand (with reel)is raised, causing the thread to unreel.

Upon releasing the left thumb, the first card ascends tothe hand above, is shown, and the button secretly removed byth e righ t thum b. T h e card is laid aside, the right hand ag aintakes the pack as in Fig . 2 and the left hand casually waved tosh ow it is empty. T he left hand again takes the pack as be-fore and the succeeding cards made to ascend in the same man-ner. It has been a lon g habit to hav e three cards selected bu ttwo are ample for any demonstration.

THE CARD FOUNTAIN(Buatier De Kolta)

This card effect employs a Thornton reel and is thereforedescribed in Chapter V devoted to the various tricks whichmay be performed with that particular device.


32/79

Chapter VMiscellaneous Tricks


33/79

MISCELLANEOUS TRICKSButton, Button, W ho 's Got the Button?

(Nat Louis )Th e publisher sure devised a red hot number wh en he con-

ceived this snap py improm ptu trick. It is so subtle that themethod is never even suspected, yet it is very easy to do whenyou have the secret gimmickthe reel having a safety pin at-tached.

At any time or place, you show an ordinary button on thepalm of you r right hand. Y ou pass you r left hand over thebutton for a fraction of a secondthe button has vanished,leaving no trace and both of your hands absolutely emptyAnd it does not go "up your sleeve", since you can removeyour coat and immediately repeat the trick with arms bareto the shoulder.

To prepare, remove the vest button that is fourth fromthe top, and tie it to the end of the reel-thread in place of theregular wa xed button. Pi n the reel inside the ves t just belowthe right armhole and draw out the thread so the button canbe pushed through its proper buttonhole where it will be heldin its usua l position . See Fig . 1 w hic h sho w s the thread slackfor clarity.


34/79


35/79

Some performers prefer to use a reel with a pin on it soit can be attached on the vest near right sleeve armpit, thethread Tunning dow n the sleeve . On the end of the threada loop of fine catgut is attached in place of the waxed button.

Fig. 3, and the color of the catgut is such that it blends in withthe skin's color. A mere bending of middle finger at the finishlets the loop fly back to the reel.

RING UP, RING DOWNThis is a clever impromptu stunt that can be performedby using one of the small reels and preferably a magician's

miniature wa nd whic h is easily carried in the ves t pocket. Aborrowed lead pencil can also be used but the smoothness ofthe little wand makes it work much easier.The reel may be placed in the lower right vest pocket, orpinned under the ves t just below th e right armpit. In eithercase, the thread is run across the body and up through the un-der side of the third or fourth buttonhole on the vest wherethe waxed button rests until wanted.A small ring of celluloid or glass is used, or a smooth fin-

ger ring is borrowed. W hile this is being done, yo u exhib it thelittle wand holding it upright in your right hand with thew axe d button pressed again st the low er end, Fi g. 1. W ith


36/79

the left hand, grasp the wand at the top end which is broughtdownwards to the left, while the right fingers slide along thewand , carrying the thread w ith it. Th e left hand push es thewand through the right hand which is now at the bottom end

of the wand, Fig. 3.Now, by placing the left hand at the top of wand and withthe right arm pressing against the clothing (over the con-cealed thread ) the reel action is stopped. Th us, if the han dsmove slightly so as to make slack in the thread, the weightof the right will cause it to glide down the wand, and the upand dow n mov ement of the ring may be repeated. Th e buttonis finally flipped off the wand, and is drawn back, out of sight.

SIGHT AND TOUCH VANISHJames F. Herpick

In this amazing vanish of a half-dollar, the spectators seethe coin and feel its presence right up to the last secondthen, Pr est o it's gone.The strong, fast acting Wrist Reel is needed for this effect.Faste n the wrist strap around the right w rist up inside the coat

sleeve but dispense with the finger ring which accompaniesthe reel. Just before doin g the trick, secr etly reach up insidethe sleeve, secure the waxed button, draw it down and hold itbetween the right forefinger and thumb.


37/79


38/79

Now place the bill at the opposite end of the table withthe left hand pulling out the thread from the reel. Th e righthand remains still , on a level with the table, and holds therelease, Fig . 1. Up on releasing pressure with the right hand,the bill will fly back tike lightning, whereupon it and the reelare replaced in the pocket. Your thu mb detaches the buttonunder cover of the pocket and you need no instructions whatto do with the bill thereafter. Th is novel stun t should beworked as a surprise.

The dollar flies invisibly in this trick and winds up withina sealed tube which requires some time for the spectator toopen.In the right trouser pocket is the ingenious brass BillTu be ready for the secret inser tion of the bill. In the samepocket is a Utility reel from which the thread is drawn aroundyour back into the left trouser pocket. A dress hook sew edjust inside this pocket retains the wa xed button. If the pre-viously described wedge is used to lock the reel, no hook isneeded. All is now ready.Borrow a bill, have it marked and its number noted. Yo ufold and roll up the bill tightly, looping a small rubber bandaround the upper part. The left hand openly puts the rolledbill into the left trouser pocket. Qu ickly and secretly, youaffix the button to the bill and allow it to fly, unobserved, intothe right pocket. Y ou have been hold ing your right arm andhand extended, but it now goes into the right pocket, de-taches the bill, inserts it into the tube and closes the secretcompartment.

You instantly bring out the tube and hand it to the billowner who must unscrew the crosswise bolt and then thescrew -cap, or cover, to get it open. Inside , he find s his m arked

nTHE ELUSIVE DOLLAR

James F. Herpick

N

bill


39/79


40/79

T THORNTON WINDLASSThis is a much larger and more powerful device than anyw e hav e described heretofore. It has an extrem ely lon g "pull",the thread being drawn out forty-two feet (not inches) whenfully extended. M any effects m ay be accomplished by its aid,among them the fo l lowing:

FLYING DOLLAR BILL ACROSS A ROOMThe reel is carried in the vest pocket and the bill is placed,or wit h seem ing "carelessness", dropped on the floor som ewh ere.You walk away from the bill , discover that it is missing, andsud den ly see it acro ss the room. ^Vith a w av e of the hand,you release the thread and the bill flies clear across the roomthrough the air and into your waiting hand through which thethread runs. Th e effect is the same as the previous effect ona table, but this time the flight is a long one and in the airmost of the time.

BALANCING A CHAIR ON TWO LEGSWith the Thornton Windlass in your pocket, you secretly

get hold of the waxed button in the right hand while the lefthand tilts a dining room or kitchen chair slightly backwardsso it rests on its hind legs, the chair back being towards you.You hold the chair back with both hands as you get it to bal-ance as nearly as possible. A ctua lly the chair is tilted a trifleforward from an exact balance and is held in that position bythe thread which you have secretly affixed during the opera-tion. Bo th your hand s are held up, free and wa ving as t ho ug hto control the balance of the chair. A t the finish you q uick lystep towards the chair and your right hand catches hold of thechair back which would otherwise fall away from you with theslackening of the thread. T he button is easily removed, andanother miracle has been accomplished.


41/79

RISING CARDSSome have used the Thornton Windlass for the ris ing cards

through the air but with ordinary sized cards it is not nearlyso smooth and deceptive as the Albenice method given else-where in this book using a smaller reel.

With the large Jumbo sized cards, the Windlass will liftthem from hand to hand with proper adjustment of the tensionbut ver y fe w have attempted the trick with such cards. An -other and a very beautiful rising card effect is known as . . .

BUATIER DE KOLTA'S CARD FOUNTAINDe Kolta used no windlass or reel but some modern per-

formers have worked the trick with a Thornton Windlass .Three chosen cards are shuffled back into the pack which isplaced in a gla ss gob let on the table. Up on comm and, theselected cards rise one at a time from the pack. T he n the au-dience is asked to call for any cardsmore, more are called for,until the performer anno unces h e will ca use all the cards to risefrom the gob let. And they start at once to literally fly up outof the goblet until not a card is lef t in the glass. Th e meth odof threading is rather complicated and much too long to de-scribe here, however your magic dealer can supply the neces-sary data shou ld yo u w ish to try it. Bu t the difficu lty in set-ting and controlling the windlass action is even more difficult,and failure has followed most attempts to perform the trick bythis me thod . It is men tioned here for the sake of com plete-ness.

THE FLOATING CIGARThis trick requires some pains in preparation, and, ofcourse, in presentation, to get the desired effect, but it is so

pretty and uncanny that it is well worth the effort.


42/79


43/79

hand elevates the thread s lowly so the weight of the c igar wil lcause it to gl ide along the thread away from you as you walktow ards the ash tray into wh ich the c igar f inally lands. Y oupick it up, disengage it from the thread which you s l ip off i tsfastening on the ash tray, letting the thread go back to thereel, and you are free for other tricks.This tr ick is most e f fec t ive when done in very d im l ightdim enou gh so the f ire on the c igar is eas i ly seen. T he l ightmay be on full at the start, but lowered when the f loating, etc .s tartsand the dim light lends much to the weirdness of the

effect.A cigarette may be used but needs the added weight of ashort, heavy nail inserted in the puffing end, beforehand, tomake it glide on the thread.

THE DANCING HANDKERCHIEFWhen the performer has ass istants behind the scenes tomanipulate the thread, there is no need of a reel, however,

working alone, the tr ick can be done using the Thornton reel .The silk is tied with a knot near one corner so as to resemblea doll or puppet. T h e knot m ay be t ied in full v ie w aroundthe thread, or the hooked wire used in the Floating Cigar maybe stuck into the knot and thus suspend the "doll" on thethread.The thread arrangement is practically the same as in theprece ding trick to w hi ch illustra tions yo u are referred. Sin ceit is best to lay or drop the handkerchief on the floor after youhave hooked or knotted it onto the thread, the end of the thread

should be attached at a suitable height at one side of theStage or roomand not too far forward, otherwise the threadmay be seen by the audience.By manipulating the thread with your hands, as in theFloating Cigar, you can cause the handkerchief to "rise fromthe dead", bob its head abouti nod, seemingly in response toyou r remark s, dance about, etc. If the wire hoo k is used , thedoll may be made to glide along the thread as though it weretrying to escape your grasp then wit h a quick fl ip yo u w ouldactually catch it and thus end the trick.If a table or heavy stand is on the stage so the thread maybe attached to it, you can easily disconnect that tied end at thefinish and let it run back to the reel in your pocket.


44/79

C h a p t e r V I IT h e L i g h t n i n g P u l l


45/79


46/79


47/79

The hook is held in the right hand, the cage picked upfrom the table and exhibited and the hook secretly attached.A foulard is then thrown over the cage, the full round shape ofwhich is plainly visible, and a last view of the cage is givenby lifting the foulard. Th e spring is released by a slight ya nkon the cord which draws the cage from beneath the foulardand under coat where it remains up against the ring on theback of the ves t. T h e foulard hides the cage for the m om entnecessary in its flight, and a wave of the foulard shows it to beabsolutely empty and subject to any amount of inspection.

This method is entirely different from that used in con-nection with the modern bird cages which are usually rectan-gular in shape and for the disappearance of which no reelsare used.

THE FLYING RINGWith the pull in the right trousers pocket, the cord is ledup across the back of the vest and down the left coat sleeve sothe clip or hook , is within ea sy reach. A fing er ring is bor-rowed and placed on any finger of the left hand. In this hand-ling of the ring you have secretly attached the ring to the cordwhich is on the palm side of the hand, while the back of thehand is exposed.A spectator wraps a handkerchief over the left hand andties it with cord around the wrist "to prevent the escape of thering". B ut at the last mo m ent before the tyin g, yo u releasethe pull wh ich speed ily dra ws the ring from the left hand up thesleeve and into the right trousers pocket where the right handsecretly palms it and this hand is similarly tied with a hand-kerchief.The spectators name any finger of the right hand on whichthey wish the ring to fly from the left handand of course,this is easy of accomplishment, since you can slip the ring onto

the desired finger under cover of the handkerchief around theright hand. T he han dkerch iefs are removed by a spectator,first from the left, then the right hand, and the miracle hasbeen accomplished


48/79

A d d e n d aImproved Vi s ib l e "40 th Cen tu ry" S i lks

The Pene t r ab l e S i lk


49/79

IMPROVED, VISIBLE "40th CENTURY'SILKS

(Albenice)This form of the trick is a later development of the "Vis-

ible '40th Century* Silks" described earlier in this work, andadds some novel and distinctive touches which will appeal tothe critical artist. A red silk va nish es whi le all ey es are on it ,and in the same instant appears between two yellow si lkspreviously seen to be unpreparedthus every phase of theeffect is actually visible to the spectatorssomething notpreviously accomplished while the silks are held in the hands.As the performer can not have three hands, he tucks acorner of a yellow silk into his outer breast pocket, holds theother yellow silk in his left hand, and the red silk in his righthandall silks in full view . H e tos se s the red silk into th eairit vanishesat the same moment the red silk appears tiedbetween the two yellow ones, making a snappy opening effect,and we doubt if any opener could be more astonishinganddifferent.

PROPERTIES:218-inch yellow silk handkerchiefs218-inch red-silk handkerchiefs1Util ity Reel1Pocket Reel1Elastic "Pull" VanisherThe Elastic Pull is made from heavy s i lk covered "cordelastic" starting with a piece about 42 inches long, exactlength to be determined by tests described further on. O neend of the elastic is formed into a loop to go around your leftwrist. T o the other end of the elastic is fasten ed a tin y br assring, enabling yo u to form an elastic loop here. Fig . T w o.

PREPARATION:One corner of one red silk is attached to the thread of theUtil ity Reel; the diagonally opposite comer of this same si lkis fastened to the thread of the larger Pocket Red, Fig. One.


50/79


51/79

end wi th the Util ity R eel is brought up to the left hand. N o wwith right hand, fold the other half of the red silk into pleatsuntil the larger Pocket Reel comes up to your left hand, Fig.Three. Rem ember, you are doin g th is pleatin g w hile the e las-tic is at tension, so you should have the tension adjusted soyou can stretch your arms in these movements .The small Util ity Reel is now placed into the outer breastpocket of you r coat. It will remain there, near th e top, duringthe action, but you may wish to have a l itt le pocket ins ide the

breast pocket, to ma ke it secure. H ol di ng the large Po ck etReel in your left hand, your r ight hand tucks the folded redsilk under your left armpit as far as it will go. T hi s actio ncau ses the threads to pull out of both reels. Pr ess yo ur leftarm against your body, thus holding the folded s i lk snuglyconcealed under the armpit, Fig . Four. T he threads wil l notbe noticed against dark clothing, and the spectators are look-ing at the things your hands are doing, anyhow, as they don'tknow wh at yo u intend to do. Go throu gh this arrangem entand placement of the reels and red silk a few times, and youwill qu ickly get the knack of it and find it quite simple. A n yedge or end of this red silk that may protrude from beneaththe armpit, just poke it back in, out of sigh t. T h e end s of th isred silk should be on the outside or top and bottom of thepleated silk, as the bundle goes under the armpit, and onceproperly placed, will remain that way under pressure of theleft arm. W it h all of this preparation, y o u w ill no te that you rarms sti l l have freedom of movement to pick up the other s i lkswithout seem ing awkward. Place the tw o ye l lo w s i lks and theduplicate red silk on top of the reel in your left hand, and youare all set to present the trick.

TO PERFORM:Make your entrance, or come forward, and closely followthe action as here described. W ith you r right hand exh ibit th ered silk and toss it over your right shoulder.Your r ight hand then takes one yellow s i lk from the lefthand, exhibits it with a wave, and tucks just one corner ofit into your outer breast pocket, a longside the concealedUt il ity R eel in that same pocket. T he left hand display s the


52/79


53/79

other yellow silk which it holds, and this left hand then dropsdown to your left s ide, the set-up now as in Fig. Five.

Now for the vanish of the visible red silk and the flashappearance of the red s i lk between the tw o ye llow si lks . T heempty right hand reaches up and grasps the red silk on theright shoulder. D urin g this action, th e right thum b is in-


54/79

serted into the loop of elastic around the two fingers, Fig. Six.This opens the loop and makes it easy to slip it over the centerportion of the red silk which you grasp as you remove the silkfrom you r right shoulder. N ow , wi th your right thumb andfirst two fingers, grasp the silk near the center and hold itout in front of yo u. Fig. Sev en. T hi s illustration sh ow s howthe elastic loop slides off your fingers and encircles thehandkerchief. A sligh t pull w ill tigh ten the elastic aroundthe handkerchief, thus preventing it from slipping out.

You are all set for the co-ordinated actions that producethe b ig effect. Yo u, of course, have practiced these co-ordi-nated movements many times, so you know exactly what to dowitho ut h aving to think about it . W ith the visible red s i lkheld in the right hand, the elastic pull attached to it as ex-plained, drop the right hand to your right side, release yourhold on the red silkand at that same instant, raise your rightarm and your left arm, simu ltaneou sly. T h e red silk flies,unseen, up your right coat s leeveboth arms now extendedat shoulder height, and horizontal with the floor, at the com-pletion of this vanish. At the same instant that the visiblered silk vanishes, the duplicate red silk from under your left


55/79

armpit, becomcs released, and suddenly appears extended andsuspended between your left finger tips and the breast coatpocket. The double action is so fast that the appearance of thered s i lk in this position looks truly m agical Th e spectato rsassume that the red silk is actually tied between the yellowsilks, and this impression can be furthered if your right hand

now reaches down and grasps the lower corner of the yellowsilk as it hangs from the pocket, lifts up this lower corner andholds it up over your right shoulder, so the three silks are ina diagonal line from the right shoulder down by the breastpocket and thence down to the left hand. To the spectators,it looks like a lightning flash miracle.


56/79


57/79

THE PENETRABLE SILKb y S P A L D I N G

( C o p y r i g h t , 1 94 1-4 2 b y S p h i n x P u b l i s h i n g C o r p . )

INTRODUCTIONReels and motivated threads have long been used in con-juring. H ow eve r, havin g the opinion that the exten t of theiradaptation has never been fully appreciated, I experimented

in an endeavor to create something new and artistic employingthem.The result is the "Penetrable Silk." I tested the effectbefore audiences for approximately a year and then releaseda description of the basic principles to The Sphinx for publi-cation in the Au gu st 1940 issue. Th ereafter the popularity ofthe effect became established with the magical fraternity andnumerous requests for personal instruction were received.The demand has been large for an illustrated written descrip-

tion enlarging upon the original routine.My request of you, the reader and eventual performer, isthat you pay particular attention to the details of description,and practice the effe cts described befo re a mirror. I am surethat then you will master a routine which will enhance themystery and artistry of your act.Permit me to say that I have no one to thank for the prin-ciple, m ethod s or effec ts described. H ow ever , I ow e an ex -pression of deep appreciation to the members of The Order ofthe Wand for acting as a patient and helpful audience duringthe experimental stages of the Penetrable Silk.

S P A L D I N G


58/79

The Penetrable SilkIn General:

T H E E F F E C T : A large s ilk handkerchief vis ibly appearsto pass through various solid objects such as the arm of anassistant, a cane, a large ring or hoop, or the arm of a chair.R E Q U IS IT E S : A large s ilk. For all general purposessuch as parlor, platform, or stage, a twenty-four inch square

silk is the mo st practical. It should be of the grade and weig htusu ally stocked by m agical dealers. It should not be too lightin color, either a rainbow blend of the darker colors, solidChinese red, purple or green are the best.

R E E L

W I T H F I N B E R G R I P

W I T H S P R I N G C L I P

1

A reel. Fo r all general pu rposes the small, threaded, con-trolled type of reel known as the Utility R eel is the best. T hestandard m odel is furn ished wit h a finger grip. For greaterfacility in handling, the author has removed the finger gripand replaced it with a spring clip which, when clipped to thefinger, gives free use of all fingers and also eliminates the pos-sibil ity of the reel slipping . Illustration 1.


59/79


60/79

M E T H O D O F H O L D I N G R E E L F O R A L L E F -F E C T S: If the reel in its standard form, i.e., with the fingergrip, is used, it should be placed flat against the middle fingerof the right hand just at the second joint of that finger, withthe grip section of the reel between the index and middlefinger held between those fingers just above the second joint.The small hole in the reel for the thread should be outward,toward the tips of the fingers.

If you are using the reel with the finger clip, fasten theclip just above the second joint of the middle finger with thethread hole of the reel outward, toward the fingertips.In either case, you will note that the position suggestedallows freedom of the thumb to operate the release control onthe reel while the effects are being performed.Strive to assume a natural position of the fingers of theright hand and whenever the silk is exhibited in that hand,grasp the corner of the silk between the index finger andthumb just above the reel with the back of the hand towardthe audience. Illustration 2.


61/79


62/79

To cause the silk to pass through the cane or arm, dipthe right hand an inch or two, at the same time releasing theright thumb completely from the reel control and immediatelyraise both hands upward until the silk is well above the cane

or arm. T he rapidity of the mo tion in raising both hands isdepend ent u pon the rapidity of the action of your reel. Th eslower the better, for effect, but not so slow that the pointwhere the corner of the silk passes around the cane or arm


63/79

is noticed by the audience. Illustration N o. 5 is a view fromthe performer's right side after completing the penetration.E FF E C T N O. 2: Using tw o hands, to pass the s ilk down-ward through a cane or the arm of an assistant.To accomplish this effect, use the same procedure as inEffect No. 1 with the followin g c han ges:a. The cane held by, or the arm of, the assistant shouldbe over instead of under the thread extended between the two

hands of the performer.

b. The performer carries the tied corner of the silk heldin the left hand over instead of under the cane or arm to be-tween the right thumb and reel control, allowing the silk toslide through the left hand by the same method as in EffectNo. 1, until the left thumb and index finger grasp the cornerdiagon ally opposite the tied corner. Th e silk is also allow edsom e slack over the cane. Illustration N o. 6 will indicate thecorrect position at this point, as viewed from the performer'sright side.

A U D I E N C E


64/79

c. To cause the silk to pass downward through the caneor arm, drop the right hand an inch or two at the same timereleasing the right thumb completely from the reel control andimmediately dropping both hands downward until the silk isw ell be low th e cane or arm. Illustration No. 7 is a view fromthe right side of the performer after the completion of thepenetration.

EFFECT NO. 3: To pass the s i lk upward, using onehand, through a cane or the arm of an assistant.To accomplish this effect use the same procedure as inEffect N o. 1 with the followin g cha nges:(a) A fter the point w here the silk has been draw nthrough the left hand and the untied corner taken between thethumb and index finger of the left hand, both hands are raisedtogether to meet about ten or eleven inches directly above thecane or arm, Illustration No. 8. The untied corner of the silkin the left hand is transferred to between the tips of the indexand middle fingers of the right hand, Illustration 8A, and the


65/79

left hand dropped naturally to the side. Ve ry sligh tly releasepressure on the reel control, when the right hand is in posi-tion, until the slack in the thread is taken up.(b ) T o cau se the silk to pass' upward through the caneor arm, dip the right hand just an inch or two at the sam e tim ereleasing all pressure on the reel control and immediately raisethe right hand so that the loop formed by the silk is we ll a bovethe cane or arm. A ga in the rapidity of the m otio n of raisingthe right hand is dependent upon the rapidity of the action of

your reel.

EFFECT NO. 4: To pass the s i lk onto a cane or the armof an assistant.To accomplish this effect use the same procedure as inEffect No. 2 with the following changes:(a) A fter the point wh ere the silk has been drawnthrough the left hand and the untied corner taken between thethumb and index finger of the left hand, both hands are raisedtogether to meet about ten or eleven inches directly above thecane or arm, Illustratio n N o. 9. T he untied corner of the silkin the left hand is transferred to the tips of the index andmid dle fingers of the right hand, as in Illustratio n 8A. T he lefthand now takes the bottom of the loop formed by the silk and

carries it forward and upward about eight or nine inches,allowing the audience to see that the loop is not abound thecane or arm. Du ring this action, very sligh tly release pressureon the reel control until any slack in the thread is taken up.


66/79

Illustration No. 10 will indicate the correct position at thispoint as viewed from the performer's right side.(b ) T o ca use the silk to pass onto the cane or arm, w itha slight throwing motion of the left hand (which holds theloop formed by the silk) toward the cane or arm, release thesilk at the same time releasing all pressure on the reel control.Immediately upon the return of the tied corner of the silk tothe reel, press the right thumb against the silk and middle

finger of the right hand and tug upward several times to showthat the loop of the silk is around the cane or arm.

Advanced Principles:The preceding effects have illustrated the basic principles

of the Penetrable Silk. In the effects which follow, the mov esto accomplish the same results are much more subtle, a littlemore difficult to master but worth the trouble as they areadaptable to almost all conditions under which the averageperform er works. In m ost of the se effects, evidence of the reeland thread is alm ost en tirely covered. Th e principle invo lvedin all of the following effects is the drawing of the thread ofthe reel while the silk is being exhibited in both hands, usingthe folds of the silk to hide the thread, and the corner of thesilk in the right hand to hide the reel. The movements through-out should be graceful and flowing rather than a stilted seriesof motions.There are just two methods which are used to get the silkinto position to exe cute th ese effects. In both cases, you stan dfacing your audience.


67/79

M E T H O D A : Used in Effects Nos . 5, 6 and 7:The silk and reel are held in the right hand, as in Illus-tration N o. 2, arm dropped to the side. T he righ t hand is nowraised to a position a little higher than the waist, and with aslight waving motion, throws the silk outward over the indexfinger while the tied corner of the silk at the reel is heldagainst the finger by the thumb, back of hand, of course,tow ard the audience. At the same time, the lef t hand is raisedto meet the right, and the tied corner of the silk is grasped

betw een the index finger and thum b of the left hand. Bo thhands are now moved away from each other on a straight linetoward the sides, drawing the silk through the fingers andthumb of the right hand with the silk coming out of the palmof that hand by the little finger. This motion is continueduntil approximately three quarters of the diagonal length ofthe silk has been drawn throug h the right hand. IllustrationNo. 11 will show the correct position of the hands at this point.Now the index finger of the right hand is raised allowing theremaining one quarter of the silk to fall over the middle finger

and the remaining silk drawn through the right hand up to apoint where the index and middle fingers can grasp the silkabout an inch or so from the corner. Illustr ation N o. 11A willshow the correct position of the right hand at this point. Th ethumb of the right hand now should press the reel control,because the action of the foregoing has drawn the thread outof the reel. All of the foreg oin g action should be don e in onesmo oth operation with out any hesitan cy throughou t. I amsure a little practice will enable you to accomplish this.


68/79


69/79

The penetration is executed similarly to Effect No. 3; i .e. ,dip the right hand just an inch or two, at the same time releas-ing all pressure on the reel control, and immediately raise theright hand so loop formed by the silk is well above the cane.

EFFECT NO. 7: To pass the s i lk upward, using onehand, through a solid ring or hoop.

One additional requisite for this effect is a ring or hoop.The writer is of the opinion that a ring or hoop, about eightor nine inches in diameter, is bes t suited for th e effect . Itshould be fairly light in weight for facility in handling andalso so that the strain on the reel thread is not too grea t. Itmay be made of transparent material such as bakelite or luciteto show the absence of mechanical device, but unless made sothat the joint is visible, it is expe nsive. A w ood en ring w ithedges well rounded, of the following dimensions, sprayed withDuco of a color contrasting with the color of the silk, isrecommended:

T o start this effect, hav e the silk and reel in the right ha ndat your side, as in Illustration No. 2. The ring should be onthe left arm just at, or slightly above, the wrist, with theleft hand held at about wais t level. N o w bring the right handup to the left and draw the silk through the right hand asdescribed in M ethod A. Illustration No . 13 sh ow s the set-up

Outside diameterInside diameterThickness of wood&y2 inches7% inchesinch


70/79

at this point. N o w raise the left arm above the level of theright hand and tilt the left wrist to allow the ring to slip offthe wrist, over the left hand onto the silk, lowering the lefthand to the same level as the right hand when the ring hasarrived at a ha lf-w ay point on the silk. Bo th hands are nowraised to meet at about upper chest level, and the tied cornerof silk in the left hand is transferred to between the reel con-trol and the th um b of the right hand. If yo u do this effectwithout an assistant, take hold of the ring between the indexfinger and thumb of the left hand (show the flat side to theaudience, not the edge of the ring) and lower the right handto about ten or eleven inches above the ring, at the same timeslightly releasing the pressure on the reel control to take upan y slack in the thread. (I t is ob vio us that if an assistan t isused to hold the ring, the left hand should be dropped naturallyto the side.)

The penetration is executed similarly to Effects No. 3 and6, Le., dip the right hand just an inch or two, at the same timereleasing all pressure on the reel control, and immediatelyraise the right hand so that the loop formed by the silk is wellabove the ring.

M E T H O D B : Used in Effects No . 8 and 9.The silk and reel are held in the right hand, as in Illus-tration N o. 2, arm dropped at the side. Th e right hand is nowraised to a position a little higher than the waist, and, with aslight waving motion, throws the s i lk outward over the indexfinger, while the tied corner of the silk at the reel is heldagainst the finger by the thumb, back of the hand, of course,toward the audience. A t the sam e time , the left hand is raisedto meet the right, and the tied corner of the silk is graspedbet w een the index finger and thum b of the left hand. (U pto th is point the m ethod is" similar to M ethod A.) N ow , asthe silk is grasped by the left index finger and thumb, the tiedcorner should be toward the inside of the left hand and thesilk over the top of the first joint of the left index finger. Thispermits the four fingers of the left hand to slip between thesilk and the reel thread. T he hands are no w moved aw ayfrom each other on a straight line toward the sides, drawingthe silk through the fingers of the right hand, coming out ofthe palm of that hand by the little finger. As this action takesplace, the four fingers of the left hand are circled inward to-


71/79


72/79

straigh t up and do w n in front of the performer. Du ring th isaction the cane or arm is allowed to come between the threadand silk and stops when horizontal to the floor at about thelower chest level of the performer. The positions of the handsare now adjusted, until the right hand is about ten or eleveninches directly above the cane or arm. The performer, main-taining pressure on the reel control, now withdraws themiddle, third and little fingers, of the left hand, and the rightthird and little fingers from between the thread and the silk.The left hand carries the tied corner of the silk in front ofthe cane or arm, up to between the reel control and thumb ofthe right hand. T he n the untied corner of the silk is takenfrom the right fingers, with the index finger and thumb of theleft hand, and both hands are lowered in an arc until the silkhangs just above the cane, and the left hand is about twelveinches in front of, and the right about eight inches behind,the cane or arm. If every thin g has gon e right, the set upshould now appear as in Illustration No. 6. The execution ofthe penetration is similar to Effect No. 2; Le. to cause thesilk to pass downward through the cane or arm, dip the righthand an inch or two, at the same time releasing all pressureon the reel control and immediately dropping both hands untilthe silk is we ll below the cane or arm. See Illustration No . 7for the completion of the penetration.

E F F E C T NO . 9: T o pass the si lk onto a cane or the armof an assistant.To accomplish this effect, use the same procedure as inEffect No. 8 up to the point where the tied corner of the silkis transferred to between the reel control and thumb of the

right hand. T he com pletion of the effect is similar to Effec tNo. 4; i .e. , the left hand now takes the bottom of the loopformed by the silk, and carries it forward and upward abouteight or nine inches, allowing the audience to see that the loopis no t around the ca ne t>r arm. Du rin g this action, veryslightly release pressure on the reel control until any slackin the thread is taken u p.See Illustration No. 10, for the position at this point.To cause the silk to pass onto the cane or arm, the sameprocedure is used as in Effect No. 4; Le. with a slight throw-ing motion, towards the cane or arm, of the left hand, whichholds the loop formed by the silk, release the silk, at the same


73/79

t im e releasing all pressure on the reel control . Im m edi ate lyupon the return of the tied corner of the silk to the reel, pressthe r ight thumb against the s i lk and middle f inger of the r ighthand, and tug upward several t imes to show that the loop ofsilk is around the cane or arm. .

ROUTINED ACTA few words are now in order for routining the presen-tation. In these artic les nine eff ec ts are l is ted. A ctu allythere are only f ive different effects insofar as the audienceis concerned, but there are alternate methods for the accom-plishm ent of four of them . T h e follo w ing is a routin e thewriter has found particularly effective .1 . Effect No. 7 (Pass the s i lk upward, using one hand,through a solid r ing.)2 . Effec t No. 5 (Pass the s i lk upward, us ing two hands ,through a cane.)3 . Effect No. 9 (Pass the s i lk onto a cane.)4 . Effec t No. 6 (Pass the s i lk upward, us ing one handthrough the arm of an ass istant. )

NotesIt is well to mention at this point that if the effects de-scribed have been ardently practiced, undoubtedly the thread

in your reel has broken and your reel has become a l itt lenoisy . In consid eration of the m anu factu rers and d istr ibuto rsof the reels , I do not feel at l iberty to go into the nomenclatureof the reel , or a description of its takedown and reassembly.However , the fo l lowing sugges t ions are in order and wi l l he lpto minimize your problems with regard to broken threads andnoisy reels.I have exper imented with a good many types o f thread,of cotton, s i lk and Nylon base , for use in the controlled Util ityreel . Alt hou gh som ethin g m ay be sa id for the me r its o f o thertypes , i t i s my opinion that the advantages o f Nylon threadoverbalance anything that may be said for the other types .


74/79

Th erefore, I recomm end the use of s ize "A" of Clark's N ylo nSewing Thread for the re-threading of the Util ity reel , as itis easily obtainable and the best for all practiced purposes inthe performance of these effects. The tension of the reel andlength of thread were commented upon earlier.Generally, the noise of the reel may be occasioned by twoth in gs. T he first is the action of a loos e control disc. N oisefrom th is source can be great ly reduced b y affixing a sm alldaub of magician's wax on each of the opposite edges of thedisc, spread sl ightly over and under such edges where thedisc is under the lip of the reel conta iner. If yo ur first app li-cation seem s to s low th e action of the reel, use less wa x. T hesecond is the slapping of the reel drum against the bottom ofthe reel container. N ois e from this source can be greatly re-duced by inserting a second (the reel in standard form alreadyconta ins one) wa sher at the bottom of the reel container. T hiswasher can be made of a piece of a regular playing card, andin form, of course, should be the same as the one already inthe bottom of the reel container. Th ese wa shers should begiven a slight coating of a fairly light machine oiL


75/79

R E E L M A G I C


76/79

R E E L S F O R R E E L M A G I C

1. Utility Reel J. WtUt Reel 3. Packet Reel 4. Sleeve ReelIllustrated above are several types of reels which are usedto accomplish various tricks described in this book. . .

N o . 1 U T I L I T Y C O N T R O L L E D R E E LThis tiny reel measures about one inch in diameter byy 4 inch thick, being easily and securely concealed in the handby means of the finger clip. The action of the reel may bechecked at any point by finger pressure on the control disc.

N o . 2 W R I S T R E E LThis one straps around the wrist inside the coat sleeve,the thread running through an eyelet on a finger ring againstwhich the button rests, ready for instant use.N o . 3 P O C K E T R E E LHas the usual thread and waxed button but no otherattachments. Placed in the pocket, i ts own resistance isusually sufficient to keep it there while in use.N o . 4 S L E E V E R E E LA medium sized reel, attached to which is a safety pin forfastening inside the coat sleeve, or under the vest, coat, etc.

S E E Y O U R M A G I C D E A L E R. . . for prices and. deta iled info rm ation regard ing reels, silkhandkerchiefs, cards, wands and all other accessories used inconnect ion with "REEL MAGIC" effects .


77/79

The T A R B E L LC O U R S E

I NM G I C

ii th*F I R S T

C H O I C Eamong boola onThe A r t o f M a g i c ,S l e i g h t o f H a n d ,P o c k e t , P a r l o r a n dStage Tricks, I l lusions,tc.

Dr. Ha r la n Tarbe l l, author, Ra lp h W . R ead , ed i tor , an d Louis Tannen,publ i sher of these g re at works, have co m bin ed to g iv e you . . .

ALL THE SECRETS OF THE MAGIC ARTThe popu lar i ty of the Tarbe l l books i s ind ica ted bythe ract that, to date, the staggering total is . . .

4 5 9 7 OPIES PRINT EDSee the next page for fu l l deta i l s

H A R L A NT A R I E L L

Author

- u * t M > L0 'S TANNENPublisher


78/79

T H E T A R B E LL M A G I C L IB R A R YVolume 1 19 Lessons 410 Pa ge s 918 I l lustrations 7.50

1. H i i t o r y o f M a g i c2 . M ag i c , a t a S c i en ce3 . S l e i g h t o f H a n d w i t h C o i n s4 . C o i n T r i cb5 . M o r a C o i n T r i c b6 . T H a T h u m b T i p7 . I mp ro m pt u T r ic k s8. Bal l Tt ick s9 . M a t h e m a t i c a l M y s t a r i a s

10 . E ff ec ti v e C a r d My s t a r i a s1 1. Im p r o m p t u C a r d M y s t a r i a s1 2. M a n t a l C a r d M y s t a r i a s13 . C a rd S l a i g h t s1 4. N o v a l C a r d M y s t a r i a s15 . R e s t o r i n g T o m Pape r s16. R o pa & T ap e P r i n c i p l a17 . H an d k e r ch i e f T r i c k s18 . Kn o t t y S i l b1 9. E g g s a n d S i l b

Volum e 2 14 Lessons 4102 0 . H o w t o P l e a se Y o u r A u d i a n c a2 1 . M a g i c w i th W a n d s2 2 . D o u b l a P a p e r M y s t a r i a s m a n ydecep t i v e a f f ec t s2 3 . M a g i c w i th C o i n s2 4 . C i g a r a t t a M a g i c , w i t h l i g h t a dan d u n l i g h t ad c i g a r e t t e s2 5 . S l a i g h t o f H a n d w i th C a r d s back pa l m, s a co n d s , a t e .

1087 Illustratio ns 10.002 6 . S e l e c t e d C a r d M y r t a r j a s2 7 . R U i r. 9 C a r d s ( 1 7 m e t h o d s )2 8 . E g g M a g i c T a r b e l l ' s E g g B a g U n b r e a k a b l e E g g , a te .29 . B i l li a r d B a ll Ma n i p u l a t i o n3 0 . H a n d k e r c h i e f M a g i c , D a L u i a3 1 . R o p a M a g i c n e w , c la v ar3 2 . G h o s t l i t a M y s t a r i a s33 . I l l u s i o n s l o w co s t a f f ec t s

Volume 3 12 Lessons 4183 4 . R o u t i n i n g a M a g i c S h o w3 5 . H o w t o M a k a P a o p l a L a u g h3 6 . I n t i m a t e M a g i c3 7 . C o n j u r i n g w i t h C u r r e n c y3 8 . M o d e r n C o i n E ff e ct s3 9 . F u n d a m e n t a l C a r d S l e i g h t s

1116 Illustrat ions 10.004 0 . C a r d M y s t e r i e s4 1 . C a r d S t a b b i n g4 2 . N o v e l t y H a n d k e r c h i e f M a g i c4 3 . C o l o r C h a n g i n g S i l b4 4 . R a b b l V a n d D o v e M a g i c45. I l lu s ions

Volum e 4 13 Lesson s 4184 6 . N o v e l t y M a g i c , w i d e v a r i e t y4 7 . T h im b l e M a g i c c o m p l e t e a c t4 8 . S w a l l o w i n g N e e d l e s & B l a d e s4 9 . U n i q u e C a r d M a g i c5 0 . N o v e l t y R i s i n g C a r d s5 1 . C a r d T r a n si t io n T r i c b5 2 . M a n t a l & P s y c h i c M y s t a r i a s

1140 Illustra tion s 10.005 3 . T he T h u m b T i e 1 0 M e t h o d s54 . C h i n e s e L i n k i n g R i n g s5 5 . M e g i c W i t h R i b b o n56. S i l ken T r i ckery , D e L u i e57 . S l a t e T r i cb , n ew & n o va lM e th o ds w i th I & 2 s t a tes , a te.5 8 . I l l u s i o n s F u M a n c h u ' s

Volume 5 13 Lessons 4185 9 . U n i q u e M a g i c6 0 . M o r a U n i q u e M y s t e r i e s61 . F o u r - A ce Ef f ect s6 2 . M o d e r n M a n t a l M y s t e r i e s6 3 . H a t a n d C o a t P r o d u c t i o n s6 4 . O r i e n t a l M a g i c6 5 . O r i g i n a l O r i e n t a l S e c r e t s

1152 Illustr atio ns 10.006 6 . T a r b e ll H i n d u R o p a M y s t e r i e s6 7 . M o d e r n R o p e M a g i c6 8 . M a g i c o f t he B a m b e r g s69 . M a g i c w i t h B o w l s an d L i qu i d s70. I l lu s ions71 . P u b l i c i t y an d P r o m o t i o n

T in above 5-Volume Encyclopedia of M ag ic 45 .00


79/79

Albenice Reel Magic PDF

Documents

Transcript of Albenice Reel Magic PDF