Infinity Magic Blog

I’m asked…

I’ve recently learned the double lift and Elmsley count. But I have a HUGE problem with flashing the cards and ruining the trick. I’m thinking about trying some roughing powder to make the cards easier to handle, but am not sure if this will solve my problem or make it worse. Also, I find that using brand new cards make it a lot more likely to flash the cards, but I also want to stay away from older decks that look too beat up. Is there anything I can buy to solve this problem?

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Hey Sean,

It’s always great to hear from you! So I have to tell you that I was having the same problem you are when I first picked up double lifts and especially the Elmsley count. Brand new cards tend to slip and older cards tend to bend and flash. Roughing powder/spray will actually make it tougher in my opinion to pull these moves off and will tip your audience that something funny is going on if you hand out the cards for inspection. My best advice for you is to make sure that your hands are nice and dry when performing. You’ll find new cards will behave a little better in dry hands. But what you really have to do is practice like crazy until you can control those moments when you know flashing of a card might happen. There was a time when I was convinced this was not possible with finely waxed new cards, but believe me when I tell you that one day you’ll be practicing and hit that sweet spot where you’ll have total control of all the cards (regardless of a new deck or not) and KNOW that flashing is not going to happen. When it came to the Elmsley count during practice I tried varying the position of my hands and fingers when holding the cards and eventually found that a little pressure with my fingers during “the move” and changing the way I was holding the cards brought everything into that sweet spot. I now prefer new decks of cards when performing as it is easier to control a deck when the cards slide easily.

With double lifts, I would also suggest trying different amounts of pressure and hand orientations. Try pushing the double lifted cards against the meat of your hand right below your thumb when showing the top card and practice shaking your hand while holding it to convince yourself that it will not flash and give yourself a little more confidence when performing.

Finally, you can always rely on a little misdirection when performing any trick to take the heat off your hands. Look the spectator in the eyes and make a comment during an especially “difficult” move to draw their eyes away or even look away yourself - drawing attention and heat away from your hands.

I’m sorry I have no specific products to offer that may have helped in your troubles. It seems in this instance practice really is your best bet along with varying your technique to find that sweet spot. BTW..I wouldn’t suggest plastic cards. They are generally a little tougher and grittier, but really feel different and may draw unneeded attention to the deck after a performance when handing out the cards for inspection. I look forward to hearing from you again!

–
Chris (Owner, Infinity Magic)
http://InfinityMagic.com

I’m asked…

I’m after two David Blaine tricks, I recently saw him perform on his latest
tv show “What is Magic?”
One where he puts a coin in the palm of the Spectators hand. He then marks 3
crosses around the coin on the spectators hand. He then seems to rub the
crosses out with his finger, then they all seem to appear underneath the
coin, to everyones amazement.

The 2nd trick is when he gets someone to think of a card, and then asks them
to eliminate two of the suits. When the spectator names the two suits, let’s
say for instance clubs and spades. He holds the deck and u can actually see
the packs thickness shrink in size leaving the left over two suits in the
pack, the hearts and diamonds, the clubs and spades have vanished from the
deck!!
If you know of the two tricks I am describing, I’d be extremly grateful if u
could tell me, I was totally blown away when I saw them.

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The invisible thread reel can be a really powerful part of your routine and makes it seem like you are producing magic from two empty hands. First, you should find a comfortable place to clip the reel, under your shirt collar or underneath a sweatshirt near the front of your neck.  Second, you need to remove the wax with the threads end wrapped inside and place it under your finger tip.  I like to use the middle finger of the right hand. It is very important that thread goes over the top of your hand (the bottom of your fingertips should be facing the floor), over the lower part of your middle finger, and off to the right before being stuck to the fingertip of your middle finger.  (Let me know if this doesn’t make sense) 

The true beauty of the thread reel is that you can now move your hand closer to your body or away in normal motions and no one will suspect that you have invisible thread attached anywhere. The thread reel will make the thread shorter or longer at your command. You should still make slow deliberate movements until you know exactly how much give the thread reel is willing to support so you don’t accidentally break the thread.

When you are ready to float an item, simply show both of your hands empty, front and back, take the item to be levitated, and slip the wax onto the item.  As long as the thread is wrapped over your finger as described above, you should be able to float the object no problem.  When you are finished spinning and floating the object, just slide the wax off and onto your fingertip again and hand the object back to the spectator. Again, show your hands empty, front and back and walk away.

You never need to cut the thread into pieces and should put the wax back onto the reel when not in use. Never let the invisible thread get loose of the wax or you will have a really hard time finding the end again within the reel.

~Chris (Owner, Infinity Magic)
http://InfinityMagic.com

I’m afraid I can’t speak to exactly what kind of oil is used in the
lubricated wand, but I can tell you that it has been around and in use for
many many years.  The lubricated wand is considered an upgrade to the
standard needle balloon wand and works much more professionally.  I
personally think the oil makes this version safer than the standard as the
needle is much less likely to get stuck during performance.

I would trust this type of wand to a 12 year old only if they show a
committment to practice and really want to learn the needle through
balloon trick.  Generally, if a respect for the magic trick is shown, then
my experience has been that kids will be less likely to use the needle
within the wand for anything other than what it is intended for. They
don’t want to ruin their new trick.

Thumbtips, HotRods, and coin tricks like scotch and soda have also been
really popular with the 12 year old age group and you should take a look
at these as well if you are concerned.  Just follow the links below. Hope
this helps!

~Chris (Owner, Infinity Magic)
www.infinitymagic.com

Thumbtips
http://infinitymagic.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=9553

HotRods
http://infinitymagic.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=9645

Scotch and Soda
http://infinitymagic.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2532

Close up levitations can mean a lot of things to a magician. You can levitate a playing card or credit card volunteered from a spectator. You may be looking to levitate small or invisible items that become “visible” under a handkerchief. Finally, you may be looking to actually levitate yourself, which does take some practice.  Actually, I have several suggestions for all three. 

For levitating a playing card, the thread genie is your best bet. It retracts and extends as you need it and has a built in system for dealing with storing the unused invisible thread very easily. You can also go with the Hummingbird card, or even the Amazing and Easy to Learn Magic Tricks - Floating Bill (which includes an instructional DVD full of levitation ideas) 

For levitating larger objects, I would suggest Loops by Yigal Mesika. He is world famous for his levitation routines with sunglasses, decks of cards, and anything else found on your person and performs a lot of these feats with his Loops product. Loops will take some practice however to master. I would also suggest any zombie ball routine. Here a solid metallic ball comes to life and bounces back and forth behind, on top, and below a large spread out Hanky that you hold with both hands. The audience is left to wonder how the ball could travel all over with both your hands visible the entire time. My final suggestion is The Thing - Platinum Edition. This is a very pricey item at $200, currently on sale for $180 here at Infinity Magic Shop, that I find amazing everytime I see it and well worth the price if you are performing for cash. My description wouldn’t do this product justice so I recommend checking out the Demo video on the site. But again, this is by far the priciest of your options and will probably go on most magicians wishlist rather than the add to cart. 

Finally, if you want to levitate yourself there are several good options. The first is the basic Learn to Levitate DVD that runs about ten dollars and teaches you a technique that is very angle sensitive, but effective if performed under the right conditions. The Skywalker DVD runs about $20 and teaches a slightly better levitation that has been fairly popular. By far the most involved levitation is taught by Criss Angel on his Masterminds Volume II DVD and involves purchasing and building several props. Its expensive at around $100, but is the most professional levitation you will find at this price.

Send all your questions to Chris@infinitymagic.com

Just listened to a Jay Noblezada interview where he talked about New Years resolution goals and encouraged listeners to take up an instrument and get out of the house and exercise.  Wasn’t really sure what this had to do with magic, but it’s always fun to listen to a fellow magician coming into his success.  Actually, the most interesting part of the interview for me was finding out that he is now in the San Diego area and practically right outside the shop’s backdoor. Who knows…I may be running into Jay within the local magic scene.  I’d love to pick his brain about magic DVD productions like “Sponge.”  Pretty exciting stuff!

Our first parcel to England was sent off today.  It was a slightly comical affair as no one knew just how the address was to be filled properly.  The cities, region, and area code are very different from that in America and I’m pretty sure that while the package will arrive in perfect condition, the recipient will be left wondering if a third grader addressed the label!  Of course I’m exaggerating, but if  you are from the states and REALLY bored, you should try googling how a letter should be properly addressed to international regions and see just how wonky the rest of the world is!  Anyone else experience this?

I’ve been excited about having a blog within the magic shop for some time now!  There are a lot of maintenance issues in running an online shop that have kept me from activating this blog until now.  Things appear to be running smoothly and time now allows for regular postings here in the weeks to come.  So bookmark this site and I’ll attempt to keep you entertained with the back door stories of running an online magic shop here in sunny Oceanside, CA!  Thanks for stopping by and please leave your comments for posting!