After long wait, I finally got some custom made gimmicks for my penny to keychain trick.
These were worth the wait and way better than what I had been using for the trick. Having been in magic and creating magic for a while, I’ve got a network of magic builders that I can reach out to for custom projects.
I had a few of these made, as the cost to make one is pretty high, but getting a dozen isn’t much more. I’m hoping to write up instructions for these and have a few of them for sale soon!
I came across the book Something from the East by Haruhito Hirata in a box of magic stuff that I had bought recently. There wasn’t a lot of stuff that I liked in the book, but one thing did catch my eye. There’s an oil and water trick in there that has a slightly different mixing procedure that most.
I like the two columns of cards and then mixing them one at a time. I don’t like how much process and how confusing the whole routine is. I also don’t like that you can’t show the second packet at the end.
I tried to streamline the effect to make it less confusing and here’s what I initially came up with:
I do have two more versions that are inspired by Haruhito’s routine, and I’ll post about them later. These two version are very different in method, but keep the two columns of cards.
Here’s one of the problems with AI, it’s that you have to check it. Basically, you are doing the work anyway. A good example of that is from an event that I performed at. Despite having provided them with an introduction and one being available on my website, this event decided to have AI write it.
I worked as a street magician when I was in high school, but wouldn’t say I’ve worked as one in the last almost 30 years. I have never appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brian, which I’m assuming is just a misspelling of Conan O’Brien.
This is why AI isn’t useful, if I need to go back an “fact check” everything it’s more work than actually doing the research correctly, or simply asking someone for their intro.
The newest addition to my vanishing birdcage is also one of the most interesting to me. This one came from a Potter and Potter auction and there really wasn’t much bidding action on it. I got it for $150 (gavel price) and they simply listed it as from the 1920’s and German.
This cage has some very fine detail work on it. Like the super tiny sleeve guard, there were two, but one is missing. The screws that hold it on are very fine!
This cage is missing a bar and it appears to have been repaired at some point. I also don’t think that the ring that the pull attaches to is original.
Another fun this is that this cage has a perch and this perch is a spring! I guess that is a lot easier to attach than a wooden one, and more flexible!
I must be getting better! I did a show for middle school kids at 7:40am and it went great!
Middle school (grades 6-8) are notoriously one of the hardest age groups to perform for. They don’t really relate to silly humor that I’d use for younger kids or smarter humor that I’d used for older kids. It’s just a small age group that I find really hard to perform for. Then add in the 7:40am when they’re still waking up and it sounds like a rough gig.
The show went well. Whenever I perform for a group of kids I try to aim my material slightly older than younger than the group. I’ve found kids will “age up” much easier than down. If I do material that’s designed for younger kids it will turn them off quickly and they’ll dismiss the show as a “kid show”, which they’re above.
I opened the show with my Any Card at Any Number and that immediately had their attention. I know a lot of magicians think that ACAAN is a boring trick and many are, however for this group, if it was, they’d be asleep by the time we got to the card! ACAAN done correctly, I’m not talking about routine/patter, but method is an amazing and compelling trick. Once you start adding procedure into it like rolling dice or a calculator, then it becomes less amazing. Simply saying, “name a card, name a number” and that’s where their card it without any BS is a great trick!
The moral of the story is sometimes taking a show that you know will be a challenge will help you grow as a performer.
A friend gave me the bound version of The Bat magazine that has issues 1-50. The opening trick in the first issue of the magazine is an interesting math trick. Basically if you use the number 142857 and multiply it by 1 through 6 you will get the same number, just “cut” like a deck of cards. The sequence is the same, it’s just the starting point isn’t the one (unless 1 is picked).
The trick in The Bat is OK, it uses two stacks of number cards. One is in that order and you false shuffle them, then lay them out as a “random” number. It’s multiplied by a number 1-6 from the other packet and that’s the audience’s number . The first packet is mixed and dealt out and and it matches the audiences number.
It’s an OK, and mathy feeling trick. I think it can be improved a little bit to hide the method. Here’s my idea, you basically do the same trick, however you give them the option to multiply OR divide the two numbers. That’s asked at the beginning. If they choose to divide, you work backwards. you have the number 1-6 picked first, then you use the number 142857 and cut the packet so that it’s in the right order for that number. Divide them and you end up with 142857.
I think the free choices of multiply and a dice roll add layers to the trick that would make it harder to backtrack. Also the dice has less cards in the trick, and could give it more of a “game” feeling. I guess a coin with an X and ÷ could add another prop to the routine. Also with only six outcomes, a multiple out type prediction could work. If you had six dollar bills in your wallet that had the serials numbers each matching an outcome, that could be a fund ending.
I think it’s an interesting math problem, but the challenge is to make it not feel like math.
I love it when I’m performing in the San Francisco area and have a friday night off! Whenever I do, I swing by the Magic Garage and hang out!
One of the unusual tricks we ended playing with was an Eddie Fields card trick where a selected card is found by spelling the spectator’s name. It can be any name, and you don’t need to know it in advance, the best part is that it’s self working!
It’s a ton of fun and a great hangout with other magicians. There are people there with all sorts of skill levels and experiences in magic!
I’m using the Play-Duh props in my library and summer camp shows. The fair I was performing at last week I did the routine for some kids between shows.
Recently I came across a T. Nelson Downs throw out card! These were used as promo items by the magician, but this particular one was sponsored by Bicycle Playing Cards!
I’m not sure if this was something that would have been given out by Bicycle or just Downs.
I’ve thought about doing a batch of playing cards like this. Not functional cards, but as promotional items that I can autograph after shows. I think it’s cooler than a postcard, and smaller, so I can carry more for the same weight in my suitcase.
It’s a cool piece that’s a great addition to my collection!
When I have down time when I’m on the road I pop by junk shops and try to find old magic props or unopened bicycle cards from Cincinnati. Usually I don’t find much, but the other day I found a Deland Deck:
I also found this lid that looks like the top of a dove pan!
The lid was lacking the spring clips inside, so a quick search on Google and I learned it’s the lid from a serving tray. I guess that the dove pan is actually something in real life…well halfway. The metal bowl isn’t something that would have been with it, it would be paired with a flat tray.
I always love finding the real life item that props are trying to mimic!
