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TheArt01Close-UpLevitation

Copyright1998TheUnderground

All RightsReservedMindyourmannersanddon'tcopythis!

(Yourmotherwouldbeproud)

Introduction

FloatingFingerRing

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161- StrippingOuttheFiber 3

1--1FloatingTootsieRoll 511

TheFloatingBill 8

StaticBuild-Up 12

=1Hover 15....TotalSuspension 17Face-Off 19.

161. TheKnotofthePhoenix 22----- -MakeA ThreadReel 25

WelcometoTHE UNDERGROUND! Jon JensenandSteveFearsonhaveteamedup in Las Vegasandcreateda brandneworganizationdedicatedto bringingyouthebestfromthemagic"underground".Everycityhasamagicunderground,a secretivegroupof hardcoremagicians.Guyswhoeat,breathe,andspitmagic.Thesearetheguyswhodon'tgiveuptheirbeststuffeasily.Butwe'regoingtogetit fromthemforyou,evenif itmeanspryingthetricksfromtheircold,deadfmgers.Wepromise.

Whenwegetanewideafromsomeoneit is presentedtoourTrickResearchandDevelopmentCenter.Webrainstormontheeffect,knockingheadswith variousmagiciansandscanningagiganticlibraryof magicto developalternativehandlingsandpresentationsbeforethetrickis fmallybroughtto market.Thisprocessguaranteesthatyouwill receivethefmestpossiblefinishedproject.

No expensewassparedin puttingtogethera brainstormingsessionwithsomeofthemostcreativemindsinmagic.Theresultis this bookon trulyoriginalfloatingeffects. Our objective:levitationsthathappenrightin frontofthespectator.Wefeelthateachandeverytrickinthisbookisareputationmaker.

We wantto thankall themagicianswho tookpartin thebrainstormingsession.WewanttoespeciallythankPhil KannenwhoflewtoLasVegasinbetweencorporateshowstojoinus.

This bookis dedicatedto GaryDarwin,a truefriendandagentleman.Garyis oneofthoseexceptionalmenwhowouldgiveyoutheshirtoffhisback.Hehelpedwiththisbookin manywaysincludingacontributionandcountlesshoursorresearch.Wetrulythankhim.

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StrippingOuttheFiberManyof thetricksin thisbookutilizeinvisiblethread.

This threadis actuallya fibermadeup of individualstrands.Beforeperforminganyof thesetricks,youwill needto separatetheseindividualstrandfromthefiber.Thisis easytodo,butyoumustdevelopaknackforit.

1) Thefiberisstoredwrappedaroundacard.Thisfiberlookslikeregularthread;however,it ismuchmorethanthat.Thefirstthingyouwill needtodoisunwrapaboutfourfeetofthefiberfromthecard.

2) You will noticethatthisthreadis notinvisible.If youlookcloselyatthethread,youwill seethatit is madeup of manyindividualfibersfromthethread.

3)If youpluckattheendofthethread,you will be ableto pull out a singlefiber.At firstyoumaygrabontothreeor four fibers,butkeepon separatingthemuntilyouhavea singlefiber. Itwill be easierif you do this underalightandif youholdtheblackthreadoverawhitepaper.

4) Gentlypull outthesinglestrandan inchor two fromthebundle.Becausethesinglefiberwill bealmostinvisibleto theeye,youwill needtowraptheendof thefiberaroundapieceofscotchtapeandthenwrapthestickpartof thescotchtapearounditself.Nowitbeeasytokeeptrackoftheend.

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5) You will needtocontinuetostripoutthefiber.Holdthetapewithyourlefthand,andusingyourrighthand,gentlypulldownthebunchof thread,exposingthesinglestrand.Whenyoufeelthethreadbeginto bind,gripunderneaththebundleandpullgentlydown.

6)Continuedoingthisuntilyouhavestrippedoutaboutfourfeetof a singlestrand.You arenowgoingtobreakoff thisindividualstrandfromthebundle,butyouwill firstwanttowrapthisendofthestrandaroundanotherpieceof thescotchtape.Thisfourfootlengthof singlestrandis whatyouwill useinthefollowingtricks.

7) You will wanttowrapthestrandbackaroundthecard,butfirstpullthebundledthreadbacktoitsoriginallength.Becarefulnottogetkinksinthethread.

8) Theindividuallengthsofthreadaredelicateandcareisneededwhenyoutravelwiththem.An easywaytocarrystrippedoutthreadaroundwithyouistowrapit aroundaplayingcard.I will usuallymakeupadozenthreadsatatime,placinganormalplayingcardbetweenthethreads.

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To stripoutlonglengthsof thread,it is besttoapplypressuretothethread.Unwrapthedesiredlengthof threadandthenputthecardunderabook.Findanindividualstrandfromtheotherendofthethread.Gentlypullonthisindividualstrand,creatingpressure,andyouwill findthatthebundleslidesrightdownthethread.

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outoflifeashecan.Hedoesn'tperfonnmagicprofessionally,buthedoestrytocreatethatunexpectedmagicalmoment.Thistrickis anexampleofjustthat.

THEEFFECT:

Themagiciantakesaboxofcandyoutofhispocket.Theboxis openedandthespectatorscanseethecandyin thebox.Thenoneof thepiecesof candytakesona lifeof it's ownandbeginstomovearoundinthebox.Thepieceofcandyfloatsoutoftheboxandthenfromhandtohand.Thecandythenfloatsbackintothebox,theboxisclosedandplacedbackintoyourpocket.

THESECRET:

1) Thistrickworksbestwithaboxoftootsierollcandiessuchasyouwouldfmdatthemovietheater.If youhavea tootsierollphobiaor forsomereasonyoudonotwanttousethisdelectablecandy,othercandyorobjectscanbeused.

2) You will needapproximately18inchesof strippedinvisiblethreadwithscotchtapeonbothends.You canalsousewaxorstickytacontheends.

3) Openuptheboxanddumpoutabouthalfofthecandywhichwon'tbeneeded.You cansharethiswithyourfriends.If youhavenofriends,werecommendthatyoufirstread'"Howtowinfriendsandinfluencepeople,"beforeattemptingthisoranytrick.

4) Take out oneof thecandiesandcarefullyun-wrapit, keepingthepaperintact. Startingabout9inchesfromoneendof thethread, roll the threadaroundthe middleof thecandycoupleoftimes.

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5) Pressthethreadsoftlyintothecandyandthencarefullyrewrapthepaperaroundthecandy.

6) Placethepreparedtootsierollbackintothebox. Usingthescotchtape,tapetheendofthethreadclosesttothecandytotheinsideofthebox. Theotherendofthethreadwill gotoyourmouthwhenyouperform.Whenyouarenotperforming,youcanstickthethreadtooneof yourshirtbuttonsorunderyourcollar.

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7) Witha littleimagination,youcanusethishook-upformanydifferentapplications.TwoofthevariationsI haveusedthatworkedverywellare:

a. Hookupadrinkingstrawandplaceit inaboxof straws.

b. Hookup a cigaretteandplaceit in a box of cigarettes.Thisworksespeciallywellif youareatabarandsomeoneaskstoborrowasmokefromyou.

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1) Secretlyobtaintheendof thethreadonyourbuttonandplaceit in yourmouth.Taketheboxoutofyourpocketandplaceit inyourhand.Opentheboxandshowthecandyinthebox.

4) An effectivemoveistocausethecandytofloatfromhandtohand.To dothisyouhavetolessenthetensiononthethreadandswayyourbodyfromsidetoside.

2) Movetheboxawayfromyouuntilyoufeelaslighttensiononthethread.Youarenowreadytocausethecandyto floatin thebox. Slowlymoveyourheadbackwhileat thesametimemovingyourhandawayfromyou.

3) As youcontinuetopullbackonthethread,thecandywill riseupoutoftheboxandfloatintheair. Youhavetotalcontrolof thecandybyadjustingthetensionofthethreadandthemove-mentofyourhead.By movingyourheadside-waysyou causethecandyto movesideways.Makeallthemovementssmoothandfluid.

~5)At thefinishof thetrick,havethecandyfloatbackintothebox.Closetheboxandplaceinbackin yourpocket.Aftera while,secretlytakethethreadfromyourmouthandhookit backonyourbutton.

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Perry Maynardprobablyknowsmoreaboutinvisiblethreadthananyothermagician.HisLite-Flightisanalltimebestseller,andseeinghimperformtheFloatingBill is likewatchingrealmagic.

THEEFFECT:

You areatthebeginningofyourjourneyonawonderfuladventure.Partofwhatmakesthistricksogreatis youareusingaborrowedobject,adollarbillthattheyknowis freeofprepara-tion;theyknowthereis nohiddenelectronicmagneticgeneratororsolarpoweredweightlessemulsifier,justaborrowedbill.

Theeffectisstartlingasyourollaborroweddollarbill intoaballandplaceit onyouropenpalm.Thebill slowlyrisesfromyourhand.Your handscirclearoundthefloatingbill, dispellinganythoughtonhowit mightwork. You thenhandthebill backforacompleteexamination.

THESET-UP:

1) Forthistrickyouwill needapproximatelyfourfeetofstrippedoutthread;theactuallylengthyouwill needwill varydependingonyourheightandperformingcondi-tions.

2) Thistrickusesatwopointhook-up,meaningthatoneendof thethreadisattachedtoatableorwallandtheotherendwill be placedin yourmouth.Withthethreadinyourmouthyouwillbeabletofeelthetensiononyourlip.

3) Attachtheotherendofthethreadtoatable,wallofwhateverisappropriateandwaisthighusingasmallpieceofscotchtape.You candothissecretlyaheadoftimeandletthethreadhangthereuntilyouarereadytoperform.

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1) Whenyouarereadytoperformthefloatingbill,takethetapedendthatis danglingtowardthefloorandplaceit intoyourmouthbetweenyourcheekandgum.You candothiswhilenooneislookingor whileapparentlycoveringyourmouthwhileyouareclearingyourthroat.Don'tmakeabigdealaboutthis. No oneknowswhatyouaregoingtodo,sothereisnoheaton youwhenyousetup. Actnaturalandthethreadwill neverbedetected.

2) Slowlybackupuntilyoucreateaslighttensiononthethread.Youwill feelthistensionacrossyourlip. Althoughthethreadhasalittle'give"toit,if youpullbacktoofaritwill break.

3) Borrowa dollarbill fromoneof thespectators.It doesn'tmatterwhatdenominationbill you borrow,butthelargerthebetter.Becausethethreadis invisible,youwill haveto formanimaginarylinefromyourmouthtoyoursecondaryanchor.Holdthebill bytheendsineachhandunderthisimaginaryline.

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. 4) Bringthebillup,usingbothhands,andcrumplethedollarbill aroundtheinvisiblethread.Oneoftheproblemsyouwill encounteristhatthebillwillslidedownthethread,so it will beimportantforyoutotwistonthebillasyoucrumpleit intoaball.

I havefoundthatthemostcommontimethatthethreadwill breakis whenyouareputtingthebillonthethread.I havefoundthatleaninginalittle,creatingsomeslack,greatlyreducesthechanceofbreakingthethread.

5)Placetherolledbill intotheopenpalmofyourhand.Slowlycreateaslighttensiononthethreadbymovingyourbodyback.Asyoumoveback,thebill will slowlyfloatoff thepalmof yourhand.Don'tmakeanyquick,suddenmovements.

I usuallyrubmyrightforefingeragainstmyshirtasif I ambuildinga staticcharge.I thenplacemy

fingeragainstthebill andit appearsasif thestaticchargeis whatis causingthebill tofloat.Then,whenyouremoveyourfingerandthebill isfloating,itreallyfriestheirmind.

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6) Letthebill stabilizeonthethreadsothatit isn'tbouncing,andthenslowlymoveyourhandsawayfromthebill. It will appearasif thebill is floatinginmidair.

I only leavemyhandsawayfor a few secondsfor tworeasons.Thelongeryouleaveanobjectsuspendedinmid-air,themorelikelythechancethatpeoplewill suspectit ishangingfromathread.Thespectatorisalsomorelikelytograbthebill.

7) Therearea coupleof movesyoucanuseto disprovein thespectator'smindthatyouareusingthread.Thesemovesaresimilarto a stagemagicianusinga ring to provethereis nosupportwiththefloatinglady.

Using bothhands,(becarefulnot to touchthethread),slowlyandmysteriouslymoveyourhandsaroundthedollarbill to"prove"thatnothingissupportingit.

8) Touchingyourthumbsandforefingerstogether,youcanforma ringwith yourhands. With thethreadrunningthroughthecenterofthering,moveyourhandsdownaroundthebill. Donottouchthethreadasyoumoveyourhands.Thisisaveryeffectivemove.

9) By movingyourheadandbodyyoucangivemovementtothebill. Rememberthatthespectatorsarewatchingthebill sotheywill notnoticeanyheadmovement.You cancausethebill tofloatfromhandtohandordowntothetable.

10) Whenyouarefinishedperforming,unrollthebill fromthethreadandhanditbacktothespectator.Whiletheyareexamin-ingthebill, pullthethreadfromyourmouthandletit justdropdown.

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THEEFFECT:

Thistrickis worththepriceof thebook. Thisdynamiteroutineis thebrainchildof GeneMarvinandallowsyou toperformthefloatingdollarbillapparentlyimpromptu.

A dollarbill is borrowedandrubbedwith a battery,buildingupa staticcharge.You thentrapthestaticchargeandcausethebill tofloat. Thebill is thenhandedbackforexamina-tion.

Whatmakesthistricksogreatis youaremisleadingthespectatorwithapseudo-explanation.I haveseenpeopleliterallycomebacktoGenewithadollarbillandabatterytheyjustboughtandtellGenetheirbatteryis brokenbecauseit won'tfloattheirbill.

THESECRET:

1) Thebeautyof thistrickis thatit is self-contained.You canwalkaroundandwill alwaysbereadytoperformthistrick.Yourhook-upis fromyourtopshirtbuttonor underyourcollar,to abattery.Thebatterywill actasthesecondaryanchor.You cankeepthebatteryinyourpocketuntilyouarereadytoperform.

J2) Thethree-to-fourfootlengthofthreadisrunningfromyourtopbuttontothebattery.Thelengthofthreadyouusewill dependonyourperformingconditions.You canactuallysetup severalbatteriesaheadoftimeforaquickresetincaseofbreakage.

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ThePerformanceI) Borrowadollarbill fromaspectatorwhileyoutakethebatteryfromyourpocket.Talkaboutthepropertiesof staticelectricityasyourubthebatteryagainstthebill.

Genewill trytoborrowahighervaluedollarbill andtakeadvantageofthemetallicstripembeddedinthebill. Heexplainsthatthemetalstripis foranti-counterfeitpurposes,butthatis alsoattractsamagneticcharge.

2) Setthebatterydownonthetable.Thisgivesyouatwopointhook-upwiththethread.Theotherendofthethreadishookedtoyourtopbottom;thisdoesn'tgiveyouasmuchsensitivityasif thethreadwenttoyourmouth,butyouwill stillbeableto feelthetension.

3)As youexplaintothespectatorthatyouaretrappingthestaticelectricityin thebill, wrapthebill aroundtheinvisiblethread.ThisgivesyoutheI "'-perfectreasonto roll thebill intoaball.

4) Setthebill intheopenpalmofyourlefthand.Rubthefore-fingerofyourrighthandonyourshirt,tobuildupastaticcharge,andplaceitnearthebill. Youcancausethebill tomovebymov-ingyourbodyback.It shouldlookasif thebill isbeingrepelledbyyourfinger.

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5. Rubyourforefingeronyourshirtagainandthistimecausethebill to"cling"tothetipofyourfinger.

6) Slowlyremoveyourforefmgerandallowthebill tofloat.Thiswill totallyconfuseyouraudience,especiallyif theyboughtintothestaticelectricityexplanation.Youcanthengothroughallthemotionsoftheoriginalfloatingbill.

7. Whenyouaredone,removethebill andreturnit to thespectator.As thespectatoris examiningthebill, pickup thebatteryandplaceit backin yourpocket.You arenowreadytorepeattheperformance.

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Thistrickisgreatbecauseyouareperfonningitawayfromanypossibleexternalconnectionwhichmakesthisperfectforwalkaroundmagic.A creditcardisborrowedandcausedtohoverinmid-air.Thecreditcardactuallyfloatscompletelyaroundyourbodyandlandsintheoppositehand.

THESECRET:

I) Hoveris theonlytrickin thisbookthatutilizesa onepointhook-up,meaningthatthethreadis attachedstraightfromyourbodytotheobject.

2) Youwill needa2footlengthof strippedthread.Youwill alsoneedtwosmalldotsof magician'swax(availableatanymagicretailer).Stickthewaxtobothendsofthethread.

3)Hookoneendofthethreadtothebackofyourrightear.Theotherendofthethreadisstucktothefingernailoftheforefmgerofyourrighthand.Whenyouarenotperfonningthistrickyoucanhookthethreadtoyourbeltbuckleorlowerbutton.

1)Borrowacreditcardfromoneofthespectators.Asyouarelookingatthecreditcard,secretlypressthedotofwaxontoThecenterofthecardYouwillwanttoensurethatthethreadisplacedontheexactcenterofthecardsothatit isperfectlybalanced.

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ThePerformance2) Hookthethreadthroughthecrotchofyourrighthand.Whileholdingthecreditcardwithyourlefthand,extendyourrighthanduntilyoufeelaslighttension.Spinthecreditcardusingyourlefthandandthenletitgo. Itwill hoverinmidair.

3)Youcancausethecreditcardtofloatuptoyourrighthandbyslowlyextendingyourhand.Thisisaverymagicalmove.

4)To causethecreditcardtorevolvearoundyourbody,holdthecreditcardinyourrighthandandflickyourwrist.Thethreadwillcauseit tocircleyourbodyandyoucancatchit inyourlefthand.Flickitwithyourlefthandanditwill gobacktoyourrighthand.

5) Secretlyscrapethewaxoff thecreditcardandhandthecardbackto thespectator.You canperformthistrickwithplayingcards,beercoasters,orsimilarobjects.

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Mostofthetricksinthisbookutilizeinvisiblethread.Fora changeofpace, DanHarlanhascontributedtwolevitationtrickswithouttheuseof thread. TotalSuspensionis uniquebecauseitusesnogaffsofanykind.

THEEFFECT:

A singlecardisplacedbetweenyourhandsanditproceedstofloat.Thecardremainssuspendedtwotothreeinchesintheair,floatingaboveyourhands.Thecardthenfloatsbackintoyourhandsandeverythingcanbeexamined.

1)A cardis freelyselectedfromadeckof cards.Hold thecardbetweenyourtwothumbs.Yourhandsarecuppedtogetheroneabovetheother.

2) Whileholdingontothecardwithyourthumbs,tilt up yourhandswhileatthesametimespreadingyourfmgers.This is agreatmovebecauseit showsthattherearenogimmicks.

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3) Bringyourhandsbacktogetherin thecuppedposition.Your lefthandshouldbeunderyourrighthand.

4) Slowlyworktheringfmgerofyourlefthandbetweenthepinkyandringfingerof therighthand.Thisactionis hiddenbytheplayingcard.Dothisslowlysothatthereisnohandmovement.

5) Continuepushingyourringfingerthroughuntilitrestsonthecenterof thecard.Positionthecardsothatit is balancingonyourfmger.Youmayneedtomanipulatethe positionof the cardusingyourthumbs.

6)Afterthecardis balanced,slowlymoveyourhandsawayfromthecard.Straightenoutyourhandsuntiltheyareflat. Fromaboveitwill appearasifthecardisfloatingthreeinchesoff yourhands.withnovisiblesupport.

7)Afterafewmoments,bringyourhandsbacktothestartingposition.Disengageyourfingerfromthecardandbringit backtoitsnormalrestingposition.Havethecardimmediatelyexaminedandshowbothsidesofyourhands.

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ThisisDanHarlan'ssecondcontributionandit hastobeseentobebelieved.I recentlysawDanHarlandothisata localmagicmeetinganditdevastatedeveryone.

THEEFFECT:

A cardis shownandplacedontothefaceof thedeck.The cardslowlyfloatsawayfromthedeckandmysteriouslymovestotheright.Thecardthenfloatsbackuntilitrestsagainonthedeck. You turnthecardfacedownandhandedout forcompleteexamination.

THESECRET:

Face-offutilizesahiddenhingewhichcausesthecardtofloatawayfromthedeck.Thehingeconnectsadoublebackcardtothebackofaregularcard.Youcanpurchaseadoublebackcardfromanymagicshoporgluetwocardsfacetoface.

Thehingeis cutfromaplayingcardtothedimensionsintheillustration.Scotchtapeis usedto hingetheplayingcardstogetherformingarectangle.

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Tapeoneendofthehingetothebottomlefthandsideof thedoublebackcard. Tapetheothersideof thehingeto themiddleof thebackof aregularcard. ill ourinstructionwewill assumeit is theJackof Diamonds.Thedoublebackcardandtheregularcardneedtobeperfectlyaligned.Thebestwaytodothisistoalignthetwocardsbeforepressingthetapeon.

I) Beforetheperformance,set-upthedeckwiththegimmickontopof thedeckwiththedoublebackcardfacingout,placetheduplicateJack of Diamondson topof thegimmick.Youaresettoperform.

2) You canforcetheduplicateJack of Diamondsbyyourfavoritemethodor simplypickupthecardandshowit. Placethecardbackface-downontothedeck.Do atripleturnovershowingthehingedJack of Diamonds.Leavethegimmickedcardon thebackofthedeck.

3) Holdthedeckbetweenyourthumbandfmgerswiththehingedcardfacingtowardsthespectators.GentlytiltthedeckallowingtheJackofDiamondstoswingawayfromthedeck.Thisshouldhappenveryslowly.Itmayhelptogetathumbbreakbe-tweentheJackandthedoublebackedcard.Asyoutiltthecardforward,theJackofDiamondswillswingawayfromthedeck.

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4) Continuetiltingthedeckuntil theJack of Diamondsis completelysuspendedawaytromthedeck.If youtwistyourhandslightly,thecardwillcontinuetofloattotheextremerightedgeofthedeck.

5) Reverseyouractionsandthecardwill floatbacktothedeck.Thereis aknacktodoingthissmoothlybutit is nothardtodo. Thereshouldbeverylittlehandmovementandeverythingshouldhappenslowlyanddeliberately.

6)Doanothertripleliftbringingtheduplicatecardtothetopofthedeckandhandit outfor examination.Thistrickis unbelievableandwell worththetimeitwill takeyoutomakethegimmick.

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GarvDarwinAtfirst GaryDarwin'sversionof thecutandrestoredropewillseemimpractical;however,I haveseenGarydothismanytimesandwhentheknotfloatsintotheair,youliterallyseejawsdrop.

THEEFFECT:

This trickstartsoutasthestandardcutandre-storedrope;howeverattheendof thetricktheknotfloatsup intotheair andtheropecanbecompletelyexamined.This is a totallydifferentcutandrestoredrope.

THESECRET:

Invisible threadis used to performthe actualfloating.This makesa greatstagetrickandyoucanusea thickerdull blackthread.On stageyouwill needtwoassistantshiddenoneithersideof thestage.

Theeasiestwaytoperformthistrickistopositionyourselfin adoorwaywithanassistanthiddenoneithersideof thedoor. Eachassistantholdsontooneendofthethread,causingtheknottofloat.

Aftertheropeis cutandrestored,theassistantslift up on theirrespectedendsof theinvisiblethread.Theknotwill floatupintotheair. Theknotcaneitherfloatoutof sightorthemagiciancanpluckit outof theair. This trick shouldbe practicedseveraltimestocoordinatetheactionsofall involved.

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THEPERFORMANCE1) You arenowgoingtoperformthestandardopeningto yourfavoritecutandrestoredrope.Holdingthetwoendsof theropeandthecenteroftheropeintheotherhand,bringthemiddleoftheropeupandsubstitutethemiddlefor aloopoftheendoftherope.

2) Cut the"Center"oftheropewithapairof scissorsandallowthetwolongendsoftheropetofallaway.It will appearasif youcutthecenterof therope,youhaveactuallycuta smallpieceoftheend.

3) Youarenowgoingtotieafalsepopknotaroundtherope.Atthesametime,youaregoingtotieontheinvisiblethread.

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4) Holdontoeachendoftheropeshowingtheknotatthecenteroftherope.Withaslighttugontheendsoftherope,youwill disengagetheknotfromtherope.

5) As youlowertherope,theknotwill floatintotheair. Havetheassistantsraisethethreadcausingtheknottofloatupandoutof sight.

6) You candothistrickusingonlyoneassistantbynailinganailpartiallyintothedoorjamatthecenterabovethedoor.Thethreadwill gofromtheassistanttothenailandthenstraightdowntothemagician.

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SteveFearsonSteveFearson is known internationallyfor his

inventivemind. He is able to takeordinary objects,breathea littlemagicintothemandproducemiracles.Thefollowingtwoitemsfit intothiscategory.

Threadreels,devicesthatautomaticallyreleasethreadarenotoriouslyexpensiveandhardto repair.SteveFearsonhadinventeda methodof buildingyourownthreadreelwhichonlycostsacoupleofdollarsandtakesminutestobuild,andiswellworthyourtime.

SteveFearson'sdeviceis madeof of aclothtubewithtwometalrings.Themetalringsrideupanddowninsidethetubewhichreleasesthethread.You canuseordinaryinvisiblethreadwhichis muchthinnerthanwhatisordinarilyusedinthreadreels.

Thetubeismadeofaclothtube4 incheswidebyapproximately1footlong. Thetubeneedstobemadefroma slickmaterialsuchaspolyester.The clothissewntoformapocket.Thispocketis thenattachedtotheinsideyourjacketusingsafetypins.

THEBRACELETS:

You will needtwoorthreeheavydutybracelets.Thebraceletsshouldbe3to3 1/2"in diameterandyoushouldbeableto findthematanartsupplyorjewelrystore.You canalsousethesinglesfromasmalllinkingringset.

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THETUBE:

Thewidthofthetubeisdeterminedbythediameteroftherings.Thewidthofthetubeshouldbeslightlywiderthanthediameteroftherings.

Cutthematerialapproximately10"by14"andfoldit inhalf.

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2) If youdonotwanttosew,youcanuseiron-onfabrictape.Lineupthefabric tapealongthelongsideandoneof theshortsideandironit. Thisformsapocket.Foldthetopedgeofthetubeoutwardsandusetheiron-onfabrictape.Thiswill giveyouasmoothedgearoundthetop of thepocketso thatthethreadwill notcatchonit.

g3) Placetwo safetypinsalongthetop andonesafetypinalongthebottom.Thesafetypinsonthetubewill beusedtoattachthetubetotheinsideofyourjacket.

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4) Safetypinthetubeintotheleftsideof your jacket.The openpartof thetubeshouldbe locatednearthearmpitofthejacket.Thesafetypinsmakeuteasytoputit indifferentjackets.Youcanalsoputit inavest.

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You will needapproximatelyfivefeetof strippedinvisiblethread.Attachoneendof thethreadtotheinsideof thejacketabovethetube.Theotherendofthethreadis placedthroughthe two metalbracelets. Thetwobraceletsarethenplacedintothetube.Allowthebraceletstoslidetothebottomofthetube.

Attachtheotherendof thethreadtoadeckofcards.Afterputtingonthejacket,placethedeckofcardsintoyourrightjacketpocket.Youarenowreadytouseyourthreadreel.Thethreadisrunningacrossyourbodyandcanbeusedformanydifferentfloatingeffects.Youcantakethedeckofcardsoutandplacethemonthetableandyouhaveatwopointhookup.You canuseit foraanyeffectyouwouldnormallyusearegularthreadreelfor.

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SteveFearsonI first sawStevedothisseveralyearsagoandI

still rememberthelookon thespectator'sface as herringfloateddownintoherhand.Thishastobeoneofthemostbeautiful,logicalpiecesof magiceverin-vented.

THEEFFECT:

A fingerring is borrowedandcausedto balanceon theendof yourfinger. It thenfloatsfrom handtohand. Thespectatorholdsouttheirhandandthefingerringslowlyfloatsdowntoherhandandshecanimmedi-atelyexamineit.

THESECRET:

For this trick you will needa threadreel. Wehighly recommendSteveFearson's threadreel, how-ever,if youwanttospendmore,whoarewetojudge?

You will needtoset upthethreadreel so thatthethreadruns diagonallyacrossyourbody.

1) Secretlywrapthethreadaroundthebottomthreefingersof yourrighthand.

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2) Borrowafmgerringfromaspectator.Donotusearingwithalargestoneoredgesthatcantanglethethread.Placethefmgerringonyourfirstfmger.

~') . 3) Movethethreaduparoundyourfirst~: fingerandreleasethethreadfromyourbottomthreefm-., gers.This trapstheringwiththeinvisiblethread.4)Rotateyourhandforwardandpulltheringoffthefirstfingerretainingthethreadaroundthefinger.Youwantthethreadtolooparoundthetipofyourfirstfinger.

5) Switchthethreadsothatitnowwrapsaroundyourthumb.Bringtheringtoyourleftallowingyourrightthumbtoactasapulley.Separateyourhandsbyaboutafoot.

6) Balancetheringontheforefingerofyourlefthand. Itwill lookasif theringismagneticallyclingingtoyourfinger.Bymovingyourrighthandyoucancontrolthetensionofthethreadandcontrolwheretheringissuspended.

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7) Moveyourlefthandawayandallowtheringtofloatinmidair. Thisisaverymagicalmomentbutdonotdothisforverylong.

8) Moveyourrighthanddownandtheringwill slowlyfloatdownintoyourrighthand.Thisisdonebyacombi-nationofgravityandaslackintensioninthethread.

9) Havethespectatorholdouttheirhandandhavetheringfloatdownintotheirhand.Youareactuallyguidingtheringintotheirhandusingyourtwohands.Theyarewatchingtheringandwill notevennoticeyourhands.

10)Aftertheringfloatsintothespectator'shand,releasethethreadoffofyourrightthumbandallowthethreadtoberetractedintothereel.Astheringisgoingtowardstheirhand,haveyourhandgetclosertotheringsothatthereisverylittlethreadtoberetracted.Allowthemtoexaminetheirring.

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