close up magic – Page 18

Vintage Magic Trick: Emerson and West Presents Gene Anthony’s Pentra-Bill

A while ago Matthew Johnson’s trick Melt got the modern card thru dollar trend going. It feels like since Melt came out or so there have been a lot of version of the trick. The plot is much older and here’s Gene Anthony’s Pentra-Bill trick from 1983!

The plot is very simple, a card is pushed thru a bill. No strange folds, it’s a very clean effect. Here’s what it looks like:

@louiefoxx Vintage Magic Trick: Penta-Bill by Gene Anthony #magictrick #magic #moneymagic #cardmagic #louiefoxx #emersonandwest #closeupmagic #vintagemagictrick #antiquemagictrick ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

The cool thing about the trick is that the card can be examined before and after and the bill can be borrowed. There is a gimmick you’ll add to the card, and the instructions hint at how to do it with the card examined before the trick, but don’t go into details on it. It should be pretty obvious you simply stick the gimmick onto the card after it’s been examined and you’re folding the card in half.

I like the opening the flap of the dollar to show the card in the dollar before the penetration. It very much feels like Timothy Wenk’s Misled trick from the 1990’s. Here’s David Copperfield doing Misled:

Pentra-Bill is a great way to do Card Thru Bill and I think in many ways it’s superior to the modern ones. Also it’s fun to see an Emerson and West product that’s not a packet trick!

-Louie

AirPod Magic Routine

Almost a year ago I started thinking about doing a little routine/sequence with AirPods. I haven’t been consistently working on it for a year, it’s been something that I’ve thought about time to time.

I finally put the routine together and I think it’s a good little sequence!

@louiefoxx Super fun thing with some old airpods! #airpods #appleairpods #sleightofhand #louiefoxx #magic @Ellusionist.com #magician ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

The main difference I would make in a live, close up magic setting would be the final transposition from the case to my hand, I’d probably put the case into a spectator’s hand. That adds a “condition” to the final transposition, from their hand to mine.

This little routine is a great example of taking something that exists, it’s basically a coin routine with AirPods in place of the coins. Then the properties of the new item will lead to new possibilities. This is very effective way to create magic that feels “new”.

-Louie

Silver Release by Stuart Judah

I love my vintage magic tricks and this is an interesting idea that was created by Stuart Judah called Silver Release. Here’s what it looks like:

@louiefoxx Vintage Magic Trick: Silver Release by Stuart Judah #magictrick #vintage #magic #antique #stuartjudah #louieFoxx #historyofmagic ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

It’s interesting that I’ve come across this now as I’m working on something that uses a similar principle in a wacky way to have a coin disappear and reappear somewhere else.

As for the trick, I think a huge improvement would be using bigger coins, like a Scotch and Soda set. However I do understand that from a marketing angle, using a Scotch and Soda coin set would immediately tip the method. Also making the trick with Dime and Penny sets makes the much cheaper to make.

-Louie

Walnuts to Glass Magic Routine: UPDATE

I’ve been working on a walnut to glass routine for a little while and there’s one challenge I keep hitting: Why walnuts?

Using balls with cups and balls makes sense as it looks like the shell game which people are aware of. Even though it’s cups and balls and the shell game visually are very different to people who do them, to the general public who have never seen them in real life, it’s appears to be the same.

The challenge with using nuts is basically I’m fighting the whole routine being a testicle joke. I can’t call them “nuts” in the routine, they have to be walnuts. However every time I handle them, I think I’m going to be fighting people in the audience making their own jokes. I really just don’t want that.

I’m switching over to using my Cee Lo dice and cup routine and doing the hat load of the giant metal nut. I’m also using a devils hank for a vanish of all three dice instead of doing a two in the one in the pocket sequence. The bits I have planned for the devil’s hank before the vanish will hopefully help the routine play larger!

I’m hitting the road in a few days and I’ll know if it plays or not soon!

-Louie

New Magic Trick by Louie Foxx

I’m excited to release my first card trick in a long time, this is called Placeholder!

Effect: You show a deck of cards that’s in new deck order. A card is selected, but kept in place in the deck of cards, so the whole deck stays in order. Now the spectator spreads the cards and their card is now blank card in its place in the deck that’s in new deck order!

One of the the things that this routine solves when using a special deck is how to get that deck in play without. In this routine the deck of cards is in order and stays in order throughout the trick, so you can openly take out the deck and there’s a reason why it’s not used for everything else and that it’s in order and you need to keep it that way.

Here’s a demo of the Placeholder routine:

Right now I’m having an introductory sale on Placeholder. It will retail for $20, however now through May 31, 2024 you can get it for only $15 with USA shipping included!

For more information or to order Placeholder visit:
https://www.magicshow.tips/placeholder/

-Louie

Self Vanishing Headphones by Ellusionist

Way back in June I put together a quick little sequence with my Airpods. There’s nothing crazy here, it’s a sponge ball sequence and a matrix move. However it’s a solid impromptu sequence.

@louiefoxx Airpod trick! The 10 and 2! #airpod #headphone #appleairpod #apple #trick #10and2 #sleightofhand #louiefoxx #magic #magician #technology ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

I think that needs more and a while ago at a magic club meeting someone had Ellusionist’s Self Vanishing Headphones. Here’s what the trick looks like:

They are describing the trick as a modern ball vase, however they totally missed what makes the ball and vase great. In the ball and vase you can take the ball out of the vase, you can’t take the airpods out of the case. I altered my case by drilling some holes in it so that it can actually hold the Airpods.

Now I’m able to do the classic ball vase where I take out the Airpods, put them in my pocket, they reappear in the case, then vanish from the case and reappear in my pocket. Now it’s a ball vase. That’s not what I do with the trick, but with the simple addition of adding some holes to it so that it actually holds the Airpods makes the prop soo much more versatile!

Whenever I get a gimmick, I always try to think of how it could be better for me and what I want to do with it. Being able to start my routine with the Airpods in the case is HUGE!

-Louie

Getting Them Talking About My Show!

When I was at an industry tradeshow on Wednesday pitching my show, one of the things I did at my booth was my card routine. This is the meat of the close up magic that I perform. It’s basically a multiple revelation of a signed card. It ends with the signed card as a sticker.

People at trade shows will usually put these on their shirt of badge and wear them all day. They end up being a walking billboard for me. people will ask them about the sticker and they’ll talk about me. I think I originally got the idea for having something visual that sticks around long after the trick from Michael Close. He talked about it in his lecture 20ish years ago and I think did a thing with a bill that turned to a bunny and left that with people.

When I’m at a booking trade show, especially when I’m new to the market, my goal is to get people talking about me. My sticker card trick is a great way to do that!

-Louie

Painting a Magic Prop…

One of the tricks I’m working on uses a fake lime slice. The one on the left is how I get them. It looks good, however the white rubs off fairly quickly and from a short distance it’s not obviously a lime.

For the one on the right I went to an art store and the lady there helped me pick out a paint to use that should be more permanent. So far the new white paint is holding up a lot better than the original paint.

Sometimes it’s the little things like white paint on a fake lime that makes a huge difference in the trick!

-Louie

Finger Off Extreme

I love fun little sight gags and Finger Off Extreme by Luca Bono is FANTASTIC! It’s a silly little gag where you pull you finger off.

@louiefoxx Sleight of hand!! #sleightofhand #magic #magictrick #pinky #degloved #louiefoxx #brokenbone #ouch #wtf ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

What’s great is the visual of the bone is soo unexpected. The trick isn’t hard to do, you do need to palm the piece, but that’s really not a big deal. The props are well made, the packaging is fun (if that’s important to you).

I highly recommend Finger Off Extreme!

You can get it at: https://kranzomagic.myshopify.com/products/finger-off-extreme-by-luca-bono

-Louie

Cards for Color Changing Card Backs

When I was buying some props at a Walmart I came across the Nertz game that is put out by Bicycle. It’s got different colors of the rider back cards. These would be great for making color changing card tricks. The only downside is that these appear to only come in jumbo index.

Cards for color changing backs magic trick

and a funny little thing that I noticed is on the back it lists all the colors and which ones are new. It lists red as a new color?!

If you’re working on a color changing card effect, I think it’s worth it to pick up a pack of these!

-Louie