Bob Ostin - A lifetime of magical inventions

Compiled, Written and Partly Illustrated by

Stephen Tucker

Published by Alakazam Magie
www.alakazam.eo.uk

ttlt!i~t!1t~J~~1u~r!!

Bob Ostin
A11 Lifetime
Of Magical Inventions"

The Magie Of Bob Ostin
Compiled, written and partly illustrated by Stephen Tucker

an alakazam magie publieation

www.alakazam.co.uk

A few quotes ...

Knowing Bob's reputation amongst magicians, I am delighted to know that his amazing
routines will be eompiled and made available to those who love fine magie.

- Michael Ammar.

Bob was the first real magician I ever met. He's a charming guy with an utterly devious
mind when it comes to ereating magie effeets. And best of all, they're all wonderfully
praetieaL This book is long overdue.

- David Britland.

I met Bob many years ago, at Ken Brooke's magie studio, and still have his interesting
book Fingertip Fantasies, from whieh his routine for the eoin through the hanky is my
favourite. It is straight, direct and nearly impromptu. I like these kinds of routines, and
look forward to reading his latest ideas in his new book

- Magie Christian.

One of the happiest periods of my magieallife eoincided with the heyday back in the late
1960s and early1970s of Ken Brookes Magie Plaee. Bob was one of a loyal, but unofficial
team of baekroom boys, spurred on by the redoubtable Ken to keep him in regular
supply of new ideas that had to be baffling and eommereial to lay audienees but also, of
course, saleable to magicians. Bob is an inherently modest man with the result that today
his name does not resonate like some of the others in that select ereative team, which also
included Roy Johnson, [im Hooper, Dick Koomwinder, Ken Perks, Terry Herbert and the
immortal Fred Kaps. However, I shall never forget the mystery and fun generated by
inventions earrying the Ostin hallmark like Beam Shot and The Submarine Card, effeets
that will ensure a distinetive niche in magie' s ereative hall of fame for someone I shall
always remember as the small kindly wizard with the twinkly eyes. His book, Fingertip
Fantasies is a minor classie and long overdue for reprinting. In the meantime this new
volume will hopefully bring to an even wider audienee due reeognition for the magieal
talent of an engaging man.

- John Fisher.

Bob Ostin is one of the best close-quarter magicians in the business. His work has a
classic simplicity and direetness that ean't be improved upon. His new book is one of the
few I will look forward to reading. Bob's work is outstanding and deserves a wide
audienee.

- Karl Fulves.

This book, eontaining a eomprehensive colleetion of the originations of Bob Ostin, is a
very welcome addition to the eomparatively small amount of quality magiealliterature.
Bob Ostin is a very amiable person, whose work is clever, original and entertaining.

- Roy Walton.



Bob Ostin

HA Lifetime

Of Magical Inventions"

A collection of the unpublished and published works of Bob Ostin.
Including ... updated variations on many of his published ideas, plus

a large collection of his marketed items.

© Alakazam Magie April 2005
Published by Peter Nardi and Alakazam Magie

First edition April 2005
www.alakazam.co.uk

Other Publieations By Bob Ostin:

Fingertip Fantasies
Sleightly Surprising
Transatlantie Triekery

Videos:

Ostin On The Oeean (Repro Magie)
The Bob Ostin Leeture (International Magie)

Bob Ostin

"A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions"
"A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions"
"A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions"

Compiled, written and partly illustrated by Stephen Tucker

Hard Cover and Dust Jacket Design By Jon Robinson, Agent X Creative,
[email protected]

Illustrations by numerous artists including Alexander Allen,
Jonathan Arkley, David Britland, Colin Gronow, Dennis, Laurie,

Eric Mason and Ken Perks.
Layout and page set by Stephen Tucker

From The Pub lisher ...

I became vaguely aware of Bob Ostin not long after I had discovered
my passion for dose-up magie. I would occasionally see a great trick
(the seemingly endless production of coins from between two normal
cards, a killer coins across ending, a 'submarine card' that just seemed
to melt through two others, etc, etc.) and the performer would wink
conspiratorially and say quietly, "Bob Ostin".

My interest was sufficiently aroused to track down a copy of his
seminal 1960s book, Fingertip Fantasies. It is without doubt a dassie
little book of card and dose-up material and yet I am certain that it has
not had the recognition it deserves among the general magie
population. This is possible due to many factors; the main one of which
I'm sure is Bob's modesty and absolute lack of interest in self-
promotion. Rather than see the creation of new material as a way to
pursue a book-publishing, lecture-touring or prod uct-releasing 'career',
Bob simply views the creation of magie tricks as an entertaining way to
solve magical problems that he is constantly setting hirnself.

As Jerry Sadowitz has pointed out elsewhere, Bob consistently comes up
with brilliant non-card dose-up magie. This is certainly the happy
result of his approach to the creation of new effects - one borne of
curiosity fed by experimentation and intelligence. There are many
brilliant new plots contained in the book you now hold, as weIl as
Bob's thinking and approach to some established effects. Conforming to
'Darwin's Law' his work on the material of others always significantly
improves either: the effect, presentation or method. You are in for a
treat!

This book is much more than a sequel to Fingertip Fantasies. It collects
together all the material he has created and published over the last 40
years: magazine contributions, lecture notes, booklets, private notes,
and more. It is a testament to the brilliance of Bob's thinking that there
is such a wide variety of material he re and that all of it is practical and
entertaining. This book is, I feel, a truly fitting career retrospective to
the works of Bob Ostin.

Peter Nardi
April 2005

Contents The Easy Coin Routine 42 cn
The Poor Man's Fire-Wallet 44 0
Key to Contents The "Helical" Card Trick 45 c
Cheers! 46 c
c = Card effect cn = Coin effect Jumping Cigar Band 47 0
m = Mental effect g = Gag effect Ambitious Cut 48 c
Uses For The Faulty Follower 48 c
o = /Other" r = Reference Pipe Dream 48 c
Corner- To-Corner Dice Stack 49 0
Foreword by Jerry Sadowitz 10 A Better Cigarette Pull 50 0
A Few Words From Max Maven 11 The "Four-In-One" Routine,
From Stephen Tucker 12 Plus One! 50 0
Introduction by Bob Ostin 13
Dedication 14

One From The New Phoenix 15 c Ten From The Magician 51
Twisted Twins Topsy Turvy 52 0
On Holiday Thanks to Roy 55 m
One From The Conjuror The Gone Card Trick 57 c
The Ring In The Glass Of Beer 16 0 Bandinage 59 c
The Green Die Mystery 61 c
Three From New Pentagram 18 c Die Easy (Phil Goldstein) 62 c
AddOn The Green Die Rolls 63 c
Shooting aBullet Through 18 c Sign of Five Prediction 64 m
a Signed Card 19 0 Secret Enclosed 66 0
Liquid Production From Cup Twister 67 c

Stack To Stack 20 c Two Routines For The 69 c
The Hand Of Destiny 20 c Pecking Bird 70 c
Squeaker 21 g The Searcher 71 0
The Vanishing Deck 22 c The "Colour Conscious" Force 72 0
The Table-Hopper's Check Card 73 c
Six From Pabular 23 Sleightly Haunted 73 c
Vampire 24 m Thought Transmitter 74 c
Focus 25 m On Edge 75 m
Focus 2 25 m Star Trek
The UFan Hide" Move 26 c
Tickets Please 26 g Ten From Abracadabra 77
Off The Handle 27 0 The "Optical" Coin Production 78 cn
The Signature Fiddle 79 0
My Double Lift 28 c The Serendipity Card Change 80 c
Picking Up The Pieces 29 cn Inner Secret 81 0
Challenge Coin Across 29 cn The UNo Load" Dice Cup
With Thanks To Jennings 30 cn Production 83 0
The Thumbtip Loading Box 34 0 Predestination 84 c
Spectator's Choice Coin
Three From Spell-Binder 35 Penetration 85 cn
Demonology 36 c Signature Transposition 87 c
The Pinky Peeker 38 m
Silent Sleight 40 c

Ring And Cord 89 0 Hofzinzer's Key Fob 132 c
The Cridge 89 c Match-to- Flower 133 0
Improved "Lie Detector" 90 c The 'Romantic' Card Trick 134 c
The Multi-Card Gimmick 90 c Skullocation Routine 135 c
Magical Ca$h Cards 91 0 Sponge Ball to Dice 135 0
The Nautilus Card 93 c
Coins Through Table And 136
Basket Vanish Two From Magie Magazine 136 0
The Credit Card 94 cn The Vanishing Hole 137 cn
Card Case Hold-Out 95 cn The Perfeet Shell
96 c 137 g
Four From Talon
Postmaster WeH Done! 138 c
Araby Location 97 The "Thanks To Gus" Rising 139 c
Tilt To Countdown 98 m Cards
Paper Prison 100 m The "Stand Up" Coin 141
102 c 142 0
Pandora' s Boxes 103 cn Items Previously Marketed
144 0
Two From Diseoverie Inebriation 145 0
One Cup, One Ball 105 0 Stephen Tucker's Routine For 147 m
Paperclip Force 148 0
Bob Ostin's Inebriation 149 c
One From Seerets Bamboozled 151 c
The Lucifer Load 106 0 Dicey 153 m
108 c Flash Cigarette Vanisher 154 c
Click Loophole 155 c
The Shredder The Backward Card Trick 157 g
The Satanic Disc 666 109 0 Predict-A- Trip 159 0
The Thimble Box Pendulum 161 c
110 cn The Peg 163 0
Four From The Crimp 112 c Transfusion 164 0
Nuts Thru The Hole 113 m Clear Deception 165 c
A Bit On The Side 116 0 Beam Shot 169 c
Ostin's Orifice The Flugle Bug 170 0
The Frog Princess 117 Colour Changing Thimble 171 0
118 0 Submarine Cards 173 0
A Chinese Ghost Story 119 c Card Bug 174 m
The Envelope Hold-Out 119 c Wishing Paper 176 c
The Devil' s Dictionary 120 c The Ostin Card-Index 178 g
Status Quo Spooky Dice 179 m
Truly Invisible Thread 122 0 Punchboard Prediction
Bob' s Magical Definitions 124 0 Ostin's MIlO 181 r
Magic Of The Mind 125 m Bob's Wilting Flower 182 r
126 c Dice Prediction 183 r
Two From Babel 127 g
"Is There Anyone There?" 127 g In Conclusion
The Perfect Vanish 128 m Information
Seeing Is Believing
129 The Final Word
130 0
131 0

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Foreword

As a human being, Bob Ostin is charming, witty, profound, delightful, modest, and
utterly loveable. What areal joy it is to spend time with him. His constant thinking
about magie and his enthusiasm is on a par with Dai Vernon. And like Vernon, you
want to take him home and keep him!

As a conjuror, he is THE personification of the ultima te close-up magician someone
who eats, sleeps, breathes, and THINKS about magic 24 hours a day! It's that last
quality, however, that separates him from the boys. He will think of an idea and
worry about it FOR YEARSIF NECESSARY,until it satisfies his criteria: direct
entertaining magic, which is based on subtlety and cunning as opposed to elaborate
gimmicks and gratuitously tough sleight of hand.

What is even more impressive is how diverse and off-beat his effects are! And how
many of them he has composed! In a typieal session with Bob, you are likely to see a
new effect with diee, a triek involving paper-tearing, an improvement on a coin
move, a routine with a newly invented "prop", magic with an "impossible object"
and an original card effect! Each effect will "kill" you, and Bob willlaugh in delight
at your stunned silence, without alienating you in the least because he's so
endearing.

His classic book FINGERTIP FANTASIESis only the tip of the ieeberg he has not
stopped thinking about magie since its publication, and all who know Bob will
testify to witnessing brand new close-up miracles every time they meet him. Bob,
however, comes from a different and better generation he loves magie for its own
sake, and is not always desperate to publish and sell everything he comes up with
for money or accolade. And like the best magicians of his generation, he is modest,
and has a mastery and deep understanding of ALL aspects of his craft. Close-up just
happens to be his passion (thank God for us!)

Apropos of the aforementioned book - my definition of a classie book is one that
you return to again and again. I've read Fingertip Fantasies many times over the
years and I know that his new book will also be an instant classic.

Bob Ostin is truly one of my heroes.
Jerry Sadowitz.

Page 10

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions
Page 11

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

From The Author ...

Together with David Britland, and the late [oe Dignam, Bob was one of my early
magical mentors. He constantly encouraged me to "think laterally" and his words,
"the world has enough card tricks" still ring in my ears to this day whenever I muse
that a certain principle could be applied to playing cards.

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions started out life titled The Collected
Works Of Bob Ostin, but it soon became apparent that without years of research I
would never be able to track down everything that he has published during his 64
years in magic. I also realised that, even if I did, Bob comes up with a new routine
virtually every time I see hirn, so this could never be a complete collection.

However, It is not that far off being complete, and there is such a wealth of fine
material between these covers on virtually every aspect of magie, that I defy anyone
not to find dozens of routines that they can instantly use. I can also assure you that
nothing in this book could be described as a pipe dream (apart, that is, from Bob's
Pipe Dream routine). Quite the opposite in fact, as everything has been thoroughly
tried-and-tested by Bob out there in the real world.

Many of the magic books published recently have been tomes containing much
deep philosophie al thinking from the author, with in-depth descriptions covering
every conceivable detail of the routines. However, to my mind (and Bob's too), with
very few exceptions, this is merely padding. Bob prefers to give you clear
descriptions of everything you need to know, but does not treat you like an idiot. He
thinks that you should be involved in making some of the minor technical
adjustments that will make the routine in question more suitable for you.

One of the greatest tricks I have ever performed was the transformation of a dog-
eared folder full of hand-written notes, badly drawn (sorry Bob) illustrations,
magazines printed in every font and format imaginable etc. etc. into this magnifieent
hard-backed book. I can't say that I have enjoyed every single minute of the task,
because an awfullot of hard work has been necessary with regard to scanning and
correcting ancient instructions, typing up hand-written notes, illustrating many of
the routines, tracking down some of Bob's lost items etc. However, I could never
have completed the task without the help of Bob's wife Ena who, though not in the
best of health herself, kindly typed up some of Bob's notes for me. My thanks to her.
My special thanks also to both David Britland and Walt Lees for emailing and
posting me copies of several'missing' items.

Finally... the number 23 figures prominently with Bob and I. The restaurant table
where we sat each month discussing the book was table 23. At arecent family
reunion one of Bob'schildren turned up with a large number 23 emblazoned across
his sweatshirt. Strangest of all, Bob was born on September 23rd, so was my mum,
and I married my wife, Maggie, on September 23rd!

Stephen Tucker.

Page 12

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Introduction

There are so many people whom I would like to thank for making this book a
possibility Firstly, my old friend, Stephen Tucker, whose hard work and dedication really
made it every bit as much his book as mine - and what a task it turned out to bel I hope
that in the following I have not missed anybody out. If I have, please forgive the failing
memory of an ageing man.

My good friends Peter Kane and [oe Dignam, now both sadly departed, started the
ball rolling by urging me to gather together as many of my published items as I could. I
was also encouraged to do this by my wife Ena and our children. However, it was
Gordon Bruce who first searched through all his magical files for anything of mine, and
managed to find quite a few. I then sifted through my own files and found even more.
My friend Kevin Fox's enthusiasm for the task spurred me on to delve deeper and
deeper, until I had collected together many items that appear here for the very first time,
and virtually everything that I have ever published. I say virtually as I am sure that I must
have missed a few.

So now I had assembled a bulging file of magazine artides, hand-written notes etc. I
then met a magician, someone I didn't know, who offered to undertake the task of
transforming the contents of this bulging file into the book that you are now reading. To
cut a long story short, I was most disappointed that the task did not proceed as promised.
He obviously hadn't realised just how much work would be involved. I then had to rely
on the kindness of Gordon Bruce again to send me further copies of what he had already
sent me, as I was now having a great deal of trouble getting my bulging file back. Paul
Ingram and Trevor Lewis eventually intervened and the bulging file was returned to me.

I next received a letter from Stephen Tucker, who had been a dose friend for a great
many years, before moving away from Liverpool. Though we would often have achat at
his convention dealer stands, Stephen had last visited me nearly ten years ago. For no
apparent reason, he had decided it was time for areturn visit. At this stage he knew
nothing of my proposed book. During his visit I showed him the bulging file, and told
hirn how I had been let down. Having already written books of his own, and more
recently the Dobson's Choice trilogy for Wayne Dobson, he offered to think about the
possibility of taking on the enormous task. A few days later he wrote to say that, for a
mutually agreeable fee, he' d be happy to tackle it. Stephen then worked tirelessly on the
book for over six months. He then approached several possible publishers, on my behalf.
Peter Nardi of Alakazam Magic decided that he would like to release the book, and I will
be forever indebted to Peter for his faith in my magic, to Stephen for seeing the task
through to the very end, and to them both for helping me to realise my dream of having
almost all my magic between these two covers.

The contents of my first book, Fingertip Fantasies, are not induded (another long
story). However I hope that the release of this book may inspire the current copyright
holder of Fingertip Fantasies to produce a long overdue reprint.

I'd like to thank all the magazine editors, creators and illustrators who, without fail,
gave me permission to republish my items; [erry Sadowitz for his touchingforeword and
his permission to publish a variation of one of his cherished routines; Max Maven for his
kind words and for allowing me to reprint Phil Goldstein's Die Easy routine; those who
supplied the very kind quotes, listed earlier in the book; and finally... all the members of
Liverpool's Mahatma Magie Cirde and those of the newly formed Liverpool Magic Cirde
for their constant encouragement in this venture. - Bob Ostin.

Page 13

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my dear wife Ena,
who has been such a help over a11the years.
And remembering Peter Kane - my magical soul mate.

Page 14

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

380 MAY 1963

When Hubert Lambert met Milboume Christopher in London and leamed that he
would not play Ireland, a party of Irish magicians travelled over the Irish Sea to
Liverpool to see Milbourne' s show, where the Mahatma Circle and the Irish Society
did honour to the American, and the members of both societies mingled for the first
time.

Arising out of this, and some correspondence, Bob Ostin recently visited Ireland
and gave a wonderfullecture for the Society of Irish Magicians. During one of the
'private sessions' of that weekend, Hubert Lambert trotted out a card 'force' that Bob
didn't know. He was shown, went horne to Liverpool, and in a letter soon after
passed back a very nice, direct card item based on the force. Here it is....

Twisted Twins

There is a small set-up on top of the deck: three of spades face down; any two cards
face up; three of clubs face up. Shuffle the deck in any manner which willleave the
set-up still on top.

Have the deck lying on your hand. Ask the spectator to cut off as many cards as
he likes, turn them face up, and place then on the rest of the deck in your hand.

Run through the face up cards until you come to the first face down card. Point
out that this card could be 'any card'. Have the spectator remove his card and place
it face down on the table.

As he does this, you turn all of the face up cards face down and drop them back
on top of the remainder of the deck. Immediately place the deck down in front of his
selected card.

Ask the spectator to turn his card face up. Mentioning the peculiar sympathy that
exists between the 'twins' in a deck of cards, you point out that the three of clubs is
now face up, so ... ribbon spread the deck and there in the centre of the spread is the
three of spades, FACE UPl

This is direct, clean and easy. Give it a tryl

wm

Page 15

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

(The Conjuror Vol.1 No.2 Decernber 1995)

Reprinted here by the kind permission of David Jones.

About forty years ago I was looking for sornething different to put into rny
club/dinner act. My good friend at that time was an extraordinary rnagician called
Bob Bridson. Apart frorn a very few he is hardly remembered today, but to those
who do rernernber hirn, he has becorne a legendary character about whorn rnuch

could be written. WeIl, as I rnentioned earlier, I was looking for a novel routine
and between us the following was born - more Bridson than Ostin I rnay add, and

I describe this routine as a tribute to hirn.

Effect: A ring is borrowed and placed inside a small box, which is shaken so that
the ring may be heard rattling inside. The box is handed to a spectator and a glass of
beer is removed from a position in which it has been on display. This glass of beer
has the top sealed off with a piece of tissue paper held in place by an elastic band.
The glass is stood on the left hand whilst the right hand picks up a piece of wire that
has been bent into a hook at one end. The spectator is asked to open the box and
take out the ring, only to discover that it has vanished! The right hand now breaks
through the tissue with the hook, which goes down into the beer and is then
withdrawn again with the ring hanging from it! The effect is very different and
always well received.

Method: You will require an Okito Glass with a central tube wide enough to
ensure that however big the ring you borrow is, it will pass through it. You will also

~--3" •.

____•.. •. Level with the

1Y2' top of the glass

rDepth below lid %" ~ ~--9"--~

Press here and weight c <:)
• in base rattles
•
""-2" ---..

Page 16

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

require a box to vanish the ring of a type, which I think used to be called a Rattle
Box. This was originally meant to vanish a coin but, as a ring is to be used, it needs
to be fairly deep to ensure that the ring does not catch und er the lid. Mine was
specially made, but if you can obtain a coin box, I'm sure it could be made deeper.
Incidentally, the top of the tube in the Okito Glass should be level with the top of the
glass. Again, I had mine made by having a hole cut into the bottom of a typical pub
glass, then I fitted the tube myself. Okito Glasses are generally available, but may
not match a pub glass very well, so look around before buying. If you go to the
trouble of getting the right props, the routine goes like this ...

Fill the glass with a dark beer - Guinness or Mild, place the tissue over the
mouth and hold it in place with an elastic band. This glass is now placed in a
prominent position away from your working area. A ring is now borrowed and
placed into the box. The ring is stolen by the left hand, as the right hand lifts the box
away and (thanks to the concealed mechanism) rattles it. You can make a little gag
here such as, "Can you hear that? I think the stone has fallen out." The spectator is
thus deceived by both sight and sound (to put the ring under a handkerchief for the
vanish would ruin the whole concept). The box is immediately handed to a spectator
as you quietly say, "Just hold it, don't shake it." The ring is now lying on your left
fingers as you walk over to the glass, which is picked up and placed onto the left
hand and over the ring as you draw attention to its sealed condition.

The spectator holding the box is asked to open it and remove the ring, and
discovers that it has vanished. The wire hook is picked up - making sure that your
right hand is seen to be empty, and you then break the tissue seal and hook the ring
off your fingers and out of the glass. The spectators can see the ring coming up
through the sides of the glass - it looks as though it comes out of the beer. You pass
the ring, still on the hook, back to whoever loaned it and quietly say, "!t's not even
wet." This helps to prevent them drawing attention to the fact!

One final comment - in all the years I have been performing this effect, I have
only recently discovered a way of preventing the glass from being knocked over as
my props are being carried off stage. I work from a box, and it couldn't be more
simple. I have a tube fastened upright to the inside of the box and when the glass is
placed inside, it goes over this tube and cannot fall over. This unusual use for an
Okito Glass is most effective and, although you may have to make props of the
dimensions shown, it really is worth the effort.

Bob Bridson, whom I mentioned earlier, was mainly known as a superb cardman,
well ahead of his time. I thought it may be an interesting idea to tell all you
cardmen, who have worked through the above, of a card effect that I saw hirn
perform many times. I can only tell you the effect, as I do not know how he did it!

The deck was divided into two halves. The left hand held its packet face up and
the other half was face down in the right hand. The hands were now turned, so that
the position was reversed - left hand now face down and right hand face up. As this
was done, the face cards change places! Possible solutions were that the complete
packets changed places (it was done quite quickly, with hands elose together) or that
double facers were employed, but I just don't know. So, you cardmen out there, try
to solve the Bridson Problem.

Bob Ostin is a very inventive and respected performer. His book Fingertip
Fantasies is a classic and is highly recommended. Thanks to Bob for his

contribution to The Conjuror. - David Jones.

Page 17

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

A d dOn (New Pentagram Jan'1972)

This is not a trick but a method of adding a card to the deck in an open mann er,
without the spectator being aware of what you have done. I use it to add a fake
card for the rising cards, and to my mind this subtlety may be of far more value to

you than yet another new trick. Here it is...

Have the card you wish to add to the deck in your left hand coat pocket. You
now perform the effect, which for years I believed was called The Faulty Follower,
but my more learned friends tell me is Vernon's Variant (See Ultima te Card Secrets,
page 226, submitted by Hubert Lambert).

This is the effect in which a number of spectators each have four cards and try to
follow the performer in moving cards from the top to the bottom of their packets,
reversing them etc. so that at the conclusion the spectators each have one card
reversed whilst the performer has all his cards facing the same way! It is not mine to
describe here, but cardmen will know what I mean, and those to whom it is new can
always look it up using the reference above. (There is a method using double
backers, but it is the sleight-of-hand version I am referring to).

After the initial failure of the spectators, everyone tries again, but once more they
fail. At this point they always laugh and relax, thinking the effect is over, and whilst
they are off-guard. you palm one of your four cards and quite calmly place it into
your right coat pocket. You then say, "Shall we all try one more time?"Count your
three cards as four, by means of an Elmsley Count, and then go through the routine
again. At the conclusion the spectators once again find one card reversed whilst you
Elmsley Count again with your three, to apparently show all your cards face the same
way. You now say, "Actually I do have one card reversed, but I have made it
disappear." Dramatically drop one, two, three cards onto the table. End of effect

This lovely idea was shown to me by a magician in Scotland about twenty years
ago, but sadly I cannot recall who it was. However, here is the important bit.
Immediately continue your patter with, "Did you see it jump into my pocket?"Now
simply remove the fake card from your left hand pocket and place it back with the
other three, which are gathered up and returned to the deck.

The fake has been added right under their noses, and you are ready to proceed
with your next routine that makes use of it!

Occasionally Joe Dignam and I used to travel to Manchester to have a session with
Gus Southall and Peter Kane. Gus once said that he always carried some self-

adhesive dises, about the size of a 2p piece, as these were useful for marking cards
etc. and had the great advantage of being easily peeled off again afterwards. The

following effect was a result of that conversation.

Shooting a Bullet Through a

S gn e dCa r di (New Pentagram Jan'1972)

You will require a small toy gun (preferably one which will fire flash paper, as
this greatly increases the effect), some "stickers" (as mentioned above), and one card

Page 18

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

with a hole bumed through it. The best way to
make this "bullet hole" card is to punch the hole
first and then burn the edges. The position of this
hole is important and it should be as shown in the
illustration opposite.

Working: First show one of the stickers attached
to its backing paper, and explain how useful they
are. Have someone sign the sticker and then partly
peel it off its backing - the "signing" and "partly
peeling off" are done now, so that the action will
not be slowed up during the effect itself.

The next thing is to introduce the gun and
finally the deck of cards, which is removed from
the case. Now, you are going to force the card with
the hole in it, but it is never actually removed from
the deck. The easiest method is to have it on the
bottom and use the Hindu Shuffle force, although
any other of "touch" type force will do (sometimes I use a force, shown to me by
Fred Robinson, in which the force card commences in fourth position from the top.
Many readers will be familiar with this force).

The main thing is that the card, on being touched by the spectator, is left at the
bottom of a small packet held in the right hand so that this packet must be raised by
the right hand for the card to be noted. What happens next is very simple, the right
first or second finger feels for the hole before the packet is raised so that, when the
card is seen by the spectator, the finger tip covers the hole! The fact that the finger
can instantly locate the hole by feel makes the whole trick. The packet is raised
without any hesitation, so that the spectator may see his card. He is then asked to peel
the signed sticker off its backing and place it on the card. This is made easy for hirn
(and quicker for you) because it is already partly detached.

The small packet with the "selected" card now bearing a sticker on its face is
dropped face down onto the balance of the deck. The deck is then handed to the
spectator and in doing so is turned "end for end" so that, when the bullet hole is
later discovered, an impression is given that the area of the card which is perforated
had been in good order when the sticker was stuck in place!

All that remains is to build up the effect, fire the gun, and then ask the spectator
to run through the face down deck until he finds a card with abullet hole. Ask hirn
to turn the card face up and there, staring hirn in the face, is the signed sticker.

Please don't pass this effect up as being too simple, it is very direct and effective.

Liquid Production From Cup

('Mini Foo' Gimmick - New Pentagram Dec'1976)

A fake, resembling a Foo Can, is stolen from the back of the table at the
conclusion of a dice stacking routine, and is loaded into the dice cup. It is retained in
the cup by means of a magnet in the top of the fake and a piece of tinplate set into
the top of the dice cup. The liquid can then be poured out into a glass as a finale to
the dice stacking.

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Stack To Stack

This is a simple idea but most useful. Basically a stacked deck is used which, at
the completion of the effect for which it was devised, has re-stacked the deck for a

further effect.

To explain the concept I shall describe two routines which are linked together to
achieve the second stack.

The first effect is my 'Lie Detector' routine which appears in my book 'Fingertip
Fantasies'. For this effect a selected card has to be controlled to twentieth position
from the top of the deck. To do this I have nineteen cards beneath a crimped card at
the bottom. The deck is undercut for the return of the selected card and, after
various-cuts etc. is finally cut at the crimp and the selected card is then twentieth
from the top. In other words a numerical stack is being used to find their card.
Various questions are asked as the cards are dealt onto the table in response to their
replies.

To set the deck so that you are ready to proceed with a second effect with a stack
using the value of the cards, use for instance the wonderful Stuart James' 'Further
Than That' routine (which I mostly use), or the Dai Vernon 'Progressive Poker Deal'
(see Epilogue, March 1969).

What you do is this. Set up your second effect stack and place it on top of the
deck. Have your crimped card at the bottom of the deck. Now count out nineteen
cards for the Lie Detector reversing their order and place them beneath the crimp.
This is all you need to do. As the Lie Detector is performed, the original stack is
reformed in the dealt cards and at the conclusion of the Lie Detector you are all set
to do the next effect by simply dropping the dealt cards on top.

As the crimp will still be at the bottom you can of course do a couple of cuts etc.
ensuring that the crimp returns to the bottom before proceeding.

For those readers who have obtained these notes after my lecture, here is a
reminder of the two follow up stacks which I mention above.

'Further Than That': 2,3,4,5,6,7 of Spades, followed by AD, AC, AH, AS, then
8,9, 10, J, Q, K of Spades.

'Vernon Poker Deal': KD, AC, JS, KS, lOS,KH, AH, AD, QS, AS.

The Hand 0/ Destiny

Effect: A deck of cards is spread between your hands, and someone is asked to
remove one. "Please look at it then replace it... right here!" you say, as a small,
skeletal hand emerges from und er the cards and taps the top card of the lower
section!

Required: For this great sight-gag, which is ideal for Halloween, you need to
make a strange gimmick from a thimble and the arm of a small, plastic skeleton.
Your local joke shop may seIl a suitable miniature plastic skeleton. They may also
seIl a great money-box where a skeleton's arm emerges, grabs a coin placed into a
slot, then darts back inside the box with the coin. This is the arm (without the box)
that Bob uses. You could also try an Airfix-type anatomical kit.

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Preparation: The illustration opposite shows the arm taped
to the outside of the thimble. Obviously, if you prefer, you
could drill a hole in the centre of the thimble, insert the end of
the arm and use Araldite to make a more lasting gimmick.

Set-up: If you hold your left hand out before you, so that
you are looking at the back of your hand, then insert the tip of
your left middle finger into the thimble, so that your finger
nail is in line with the imaginary 'X' in the illustration opposite,
you will be wearing the thimble/arm correctly.

Performance: With the thimble/arm on and your middle
finger bent inward against the palm, the plastic arm is hidden
as you spread the cards between your hands for a selection to
be made. Once you have made the spread, you can extend the
left middle finger and allow the plastic arm to be hidden
below the right hand fingers, and it will also be hidden by the
spread of cards. Once they have removed a card, separate the
deck at that point, bending the left middle finger in again, and
when you come to deliver your line... simply extend your left
middle finger so that the skeletal hand emerges from under
the cards in the left hand, then tap it against the lower half!

Notes: The gimmick is stolen from your pocket, fixed into
position, used then later ditched under cover of the laughter.
You could, of course, approach a group with it in position!

Squeaker

There is based on a very old gag, where you

ask someone if they like your tie. Regardless of

their reply, you press it and ... it squeaks! You then

deliver the punch line, "It's a Tootal!" For those

shrugging their shoulders, Tootal is a company

that, amongst many other things, manufacture

quality ties.

In the original version the squeak came from a

toy squeaker which was hidden inside the tie. It' s Squeaker inside pocket. Tie.

a very nice bit of business.

The original method is fine, though the secret can sometimes be discovered (see

later). With this in mind, try it this way ...

Buy a large squeaker from a crafts shop, which sells felt etc. for making dolls and

feIt animals. The one I use is about 2 1/2" in diameter. Place it inside your shirt

pocket, and you're all set to spring the gag.

At any time in your performance, bend your left fingers inward to press the tie,

but at the same time, the heel of the hand contacts the pocket, as shown in the

illustration above. This shows the action from your view, as you look down.

The hands are therefore empty, as the squeak is produced and should a child, or a

less inhibited adult, reach for the tie with a, "You've got something in there!"

remark. .. they'll find that you haven't!

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The Vanishing Deck

Bob uses this to open a short routine consisting of the vanish of the cards
themselves, leaving him with just the jokers, then the use of the jokers for his
Optical Coin Production, and finally the use of both cards and coins for a matrix.

The deck is, in fact, only half a deck - having been cut in two diagonally. A hole
is punched in the lower end of each card so that the entire deck can be threaded
together and attached to a wrist-to-wrist pull. By placing an ordinary joker on the
face of the deck and one on the rear, it can be fanned and riffled as if it were
ordinary. Place the deck in its case. Bob, being right handed, has the pull attached to
his left wrist with the cord passing up his left jacket sleeve, across his shoulders, and
down his right jacket sleeve to the cased deck.

Bob recently discovered that the cased deck can be placed into the right side
jacket pocket, and although connected to the pull the right hand can be slipped into
your right trouser pocket. Or, if you prefer, the right hand can remain outside the
pocket, giving the performer a little freedom to handle other objects before the start
of this effect if need be.

Bob approaches a table with his jacket unbuttoned, and his right hand casually
resting inside his trouser pocket, as he gestures with his left hand. After his initial
patter, he removes his right hand from the trouser pocket, uses both hands to button
up his jacket, then reaches into his right side jacket pocket and removes the cased
deck. It is amazing that an this can be done with the pull attached to the deck! This
is the advantage of using a wrist-to-wrist pull, rather than one depending on elastic.

The deck is removed from the case, and the case is pocketed with your left hand.
The deck is now fanned, squared and .riffled as you perhaps make some comment
about the number of cards in the deck.

Now for the vanish. The deck is held face down in glide position as the lower
joker is removed with the free hand. As this is done, and the joker is being tabled to
the left, the right hand moves to the right. This results in the deck being drawn up
the right sleeve under cover of the right hand joker. Before the spectators very eyes,
the rest of the deck has vanished!

Notes: If performing to a standing group, ask two people to hold out an empty
hand, and simply place the jokers onto their hands as the deck vanishes!

For an alternative idea to using jokers see Seeing Is Believing later in the book.

Notes on pulls: Use model yacht rig shortener to adjust.

~

Deck and pull. Before the effect. The vanish. ~~

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

The following six items were first published in Pabular magazine
and are reproduced here by kind permission of Martin Breese.

Vampire (Pabular Vol. 1, No. 4, December 1974)
Focus (Pabular Vol. 1, No. 6, February 1975)
Focus (Pabular Vol.l, No. 7, March 1975)

The "Fan Hide" Move (PabularVol.l, No. 9, May 1975)

Tickets Please (PabularVol.l, No. 9, May 1975)

Off The Handle (Pabular Vol. 2, No. 7, March 1976)

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Vampire

A method for a living and dead test.

A spectator is handed a number of small white cards
and is instructed to write the word "Vampire" on any

one of them and to fold the card in half so that the
"Vampire" is hidden. This being done the card is
stapled together so that it cannot be opened. The
remainder of the cards are now also folded and
stapled, and they are then thoroughly mixed so that
no-one knows where the Vampire lies. All this has been
done whilst the performer's back is turned. The
performer now states that one of the staples will have
been driven through the Vampire' s heart and that he
can tell which card conceals the Vampire by listening to
the scream. (Nasty isn't it?) Each card is taken in turn

and listened to, one is retained - and on being
opened ... is found to be the Vampire.

Method - and notes for further development... The

first staple in the stapler is marked! Just a small dot

made with a felt tip pen. I bought a pocket stapler of the type which can be opened

to expose the staples without having to take them out of the machine. It is then a

simple matter to mark a staple, and be sure that it's the first one. In presenting the

effect as described I do not look for any marks when I pick the first slip up. All the

emphasis is on the "listening", but whilst I'm listening to the one I picked up, I'm

looking at the balance on the table. If I don't see the Vampire I know I'm listening to

it. If I do see it, I stop looking and remember its location. As far as, possible I try to

give the impression that I'm not looking at all.

This idea is capable of much further

development. For instance, it does not

have to be the first staple which is ~
marked. More than one staple can be
marked in sequence, so that the order in -, , / ,L;

which slips or envelopes were stapled

could be divined, or how about the first ~~-----
staple being attracted by a magnet, whilst
~~

all the rest are not? Is this possible?

Perhaps other readers will make

something from the bones of the Vampire! -.

-: '.

Make an enlarged photocopy then cut along the
dotted lines and fold to make mini-coffin cards.

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Focus

Bob Ostin has a different version of "Ad Infinitum' by David Berglas and writes:
I've worked out a. method which I believe is faster, easier, and also enables the thing
to be extended to five, six or more figures with comparative ease.

Here it is - instead of adding noughts start with the bottom row and add them
across from left to right putting down the final digit as the unit figure in the
prediction total and carrying the balance up to the second row from the bottom
which is added likewise, the last digit thus being the "tens" figure in the prediction
total. And so on up to the top of the sumo Here is an example using four figures:-

Row (4) 9837 Prediction
Row (3) 4291 (28) 861
Row (2) 8673 Row:- (4) 321
Row (1) 5268

Add the 5, 2, 6 and 8 which equal 21. Put down the 1 and carry the 2. So, you
now add row (2) which is 2 (that was carried) plus 3, 7, 6 and 8, and now equals 26.
Put down the 6 and again carry 2 - Into row (3) where 2 is added to 1 ,9 , 2 and 4,
and this time equalling 18. The 8 is put down and the I is carried to the top row
which is added and equals 28 which is put down as the first two figures in the
prediction.

One final point, I think it advisable to delete the figures completed from the
original'sum' as they are rearranged by the spectator making it impossible for them
to check.

A couple of days after receiving the above, a letter describing a similar way of
arriving at the "Prediction" was received from Bob Driebeek who pointed out that it
was only necessary to give the sum a quarter turn in an anti-clockwise direction and
a simple addition was all that was necessary.

Focus 2

From Bob Ostin: some further thoughts on his Vampire Living and Dead Test in
the Christmas issue: He writes:- I make a little 'nick' in the staple with a penknife,
and this can easily be felt afterwards with the ball of the thumb making it possible to
present the effect completely sightless. It may also be possible to cut notches in the
chopper blade of the stapler which would correspond with little blobs of Araldite (or
something similar) placed on the appropriate staple or staples. I have tried the knife
marking idea but have not as yet experimented with Araldite.

Bob Ostin has written to us on another topic - the Pageboy' s article on the Indian
performer in last month' s issue.

He was, he says, reminded of the hours spent, about twenty years ago, watching
a young Indian on the Blitzed sites in Liverpool. He also did the Cups & Balls and
the Miser's Dream and had a very clever bit where he placed a small ball in his fist,
made a whistling sound, and a bird's head popped out! He used areal bird's head ...
turned inside-out!

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

The HFan Hide" Move

Here is a way of hiding a card when fanning a small packet of cards. For instance

having used the Buckle count to show say five cards, when actually there are six.

The move can follow up as a convincer before proceeding with the effect. I use it for

Skullocation - fanning the cards for a last check just before they are placed in the

skull' s mouth.

Hold say - six cards face up in the right hand as in fig.l. The side of the third

finger by the top joint is pressed against the edge of the packet.

Now, the cards are fanned - one handed - the right first and second fingers

moving to the left beneath the

packet, and the thumb moving

to the right above. At the same

time the third finger pulls As cards are spread, third
downwards, this causes the finger tip pulls downwards

bottom card to bend downwards - (side/ back of finger is
out of sight of the spectator - touching cards).

although in full view of the In fig.2 the "pulled down"
performer! as in fig.2. card cannot be seen by the

The main thing to remember audience from 'X' - BUT can
be seen by you from 'Y'.
with this move is that no

conscious effort should be made The cards are fanned one

to separate this bottom card - handed and the third finger

just fan the cards - pull down - pulls down at the same time.
and it happens of itself.
•
Points of interest are:- 1) You
don't need to know how many

cards are in the packet. 2) You can glimpse the hidden card in a natural way. 3) The

card in its "pulled down" position could easily be slid beneath another packet,

envelope, etc. 4) Being one handed it seems casual and beyond suspicion.

Tickets Please

My good friend Dick Simonds, who died recently, used to pull a very funny stunt
some years ago when travelling on the buses in Liverpool. Here it is.

Every time Dick bought a ticket, he would roll it into a little ball and clip it
between his fingers and there it would remain until he reached journey's end, when
he would drop it into his overcoat pocket.

Now, eventually the pocket had quite a collection of balled up tickets, but sooner
or later an inspector would get on, and it was then that the stunt was pulled.

"Tickets please" called the inspector, and Dick, looking absent minded and a little
confused, would reach into his pocket and produce his collection of tickets. He then
fumbled amongst them and apparently selected one (it was of course the current one
clipped between his fingers), this was carefully opened and handed to the inspector!

I reckon this is the sort of thing Clarke Crandall would love.

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Off The Handle

I met Johnny Ramsay on a couple of occasions, but only ever saw hirn perform

one trick (The Four Beans), although he was a very dose friend of an old friend of

mine, Captain F. W. Collins, whom I believe was a founder member of the Order of

the Magi.

The Captain often told me of the time when he put [ohnny to bed when he had

had too much to drink, so from this you will realise they were very weIl acquainted.

In my early days in conjuring Captain Collins would say to me, "If you are ever at a

convention and see Johnny, you must go up to hirn and mention my name, and he

will show you aIl sorts of things." In those days Johnny used to give away thimbles

with his name on, and so it came about as I was not very forceful in presenting

myself, I would go up to hirn at a convention and say, "Captain Collins .

whereupon [ohnny would say "Och aye you want a thimble," so that eventuaIly I

ended up with half a dozen thimbles but never got any further!

Perhaps you would be interested in a trick which was a great favourite with

Captain CoIlins, and which he kept very much to himself, and I think it was devised

during his association with Johnny Ramsay. It was a simple but cunning idea for the

release of a china cup from a ribbon or rope.

The ribbon was threaded through the handle of the cup, which was then covered
with a handkerchief. The Captain now removed the cup, which was left together
with the ribbon for the dosest examination, no due of the method being evident.
What he did was to have two handles, one of which was stuck to the cup opposite
the true handle by means, I believe, of a mixture of gum arabic and china day. The
cup was held in the hand initially so that the genuine handle went between the
fingers and was hidden from sight. Under cover of the handkerchief the fake handle
was broken away and according to the Captain, if the adhesive mixture was right,
there would be no mark left on the cup (or it could easily be removed before the cup
was exposed to view). I weIl remember the long search which Captain Collins made
for better adhesives to perform this effect.

Nowadays I suppose it would not be too hard. I certainly liked the idea of the
genuine handle being hidden at the commencement, although I have never done the
effect mys elf. I corresponded with Captain Collins for a long while and many times
he was a guest in my horne, but about 5 years ago I heard that he was in hospital in
Manchester, and I never heard from hirn again. I can only believe that as he was
over 95 at the time he had departed this life, and my one possible link with Johnny
Ramsay was severed.

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

My Double Lift

This is my handling of the double lift. I devised it quite a few years ago and have
used it ever since. It has the advantages of being certain - in that you know you have
lifted just two cards - because you counted them. The handling is fairly natural too.
I've tried all the "push off" methods, but sooner or later I've always come to grief.
So I hope that for those like myself, who are not quite so expert with cards, this
method may be of interest.

The safest double lift is, I believe, the one we all learned when we first started out.
The one where the thumb counts off (and lifts) two cards from the back end of the
deck. This is safe, but the movements of the thumb, in counting off the two, can be a
little obvious, so here is how I overcame the problem.

The deck is held face down in the left hand. The left thumb presses down, so that
the cards are bent slightly concave, as in fig.I. The right hand now approaches and
the right forefinger points to the top card, and as you make some comment such as,
"We shall use this card", the hand continues to move towards the deck until the
forefinger touches the deck, as in fig.2. The side of the top joint of the second finger is
now in contact with the side of the deck, and it is this finger which raises the top
card. The pressure of the left thumb, making the deck concave, greatly assists this
action.

The right thumb now moves in to the end of the deck and lifts the second card. You
now have the two cards ready to be turned over by simply moving the forefinger
and thumb together until they meet at the near right corner of the "double lifted"
cards. In practice, the above actions all blend into one move, the left thumb presses,
the right forefinger points, the right second finger touches and lifts, and finally... the
right thumb touches and lifts.

You know you have only two, and ... away you go!

Side of top
joint of
second

finger lifts
top
card.

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Picking Up The Pieces

A coin is secretly held on the tips of the left hand second and third fingers, which

are slightly curled into the palm thus concealing the coin from the audience' s view.

The right hand now commences to pick up imaginary pieces from the table. The

picking up is done is such a way as to convince the spectators that the right hand is

empty, which of course it is.

The right hand forefinger rubs the thumb, as if something has been found and is

held between them. They then deposit the 'something' into the left palm - the hand

turning over to receive it. As the left hand turns, the second and third fingers swing

under the right hand and, undercover, press the coin into the right palm, The

rubbing action of the right hand finger and thumb cover any fiddling while the coin

is palmed.

Further pieces are now apparently picked up by the right hand and deposited

into the empty left hand. During this, the coin is released back from the right palm

onto the left fingers, which elose

just enough to hide the coin

from the spectators. The right

hand is again allowed to be seen

empty as a few more pieces are

gathered and sprinkled into the

left hand. Finally elose the left

hand and then open it again to The start. The transfer.
reveal the coin.

Challenge Coin Across

The preceding routine is used as an introduction to this effect. A fake coin is used. A

small piece, about I/8th of an inch deep, has been cut from the coin and, due to two

small pins attached to this and corresponding holes in the coin, it may be attached

and detached at will.

The coin is produced and placed into the left hand. In doing this, the small piece

is pulled off and held in the top of the fist so that its milled edge shows. The rest of

the coin is stolen into the right hand from the bottom of the left fist.

The right forefinger points to the piece, still showing in the left fist. The right

hand now moves away, the left hand now thumbpalms the piece of coin and opens

to show that the coin has vanished.

The right hand reproduces the

coin, concealing the missing piece,

and throws it into left hand, which

now pockets the two pieces. This is

for very elose quarter work.

Idea: how about using an

initialled label on the coin to The coin. The coin in the left fist.
identify it.

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

With Thanks To Jennings •

Some time ago Gus Southall sent a magazine to me containing 3rd coin

a fine routine for the coins across by Larry Jennings. I learned •

the routine, but eventually changed parts of it to suit my own
style, and in particular to contrive a climax. It seemed to me
that any routine of this nature is improved if the last coin to
travel from point' N to point 'B' either behaves in a different
manner from its predecessors or achieves the journey under

greater difficulty (from a spectator's point of view).
In the following routine the last coin joins the other three

whilst they are held tightly in the spectator's hand.
The routine also involves the spectator in every stage and can

be worked without the use of a table.

You will require four matehing coins plus an expanded shell. At

the outset the coins are held in the left hand as in fig.l, with the

shell on the third coin from the top. The left hand now closes,

forming the coins into a stack and then spreads them in a

similar way in the right hand, but with the slight difference that

the bottom coin is a little out of line with the rest as in fig.2. (All

the coins are facing the same way either heads or tails according

to the expanded shell you possess).
You now tell the spectator that you would like hirn to watch Shell over coin

very carefully, and that you are going to •

ask hirn various questions. As this is Stack of three

said, the left hand closes the stack of plus shell

coins and apparently lifts them from the

right hand, still in a stack, the right

hand turning back uppermost as this is

done. However, due to the bottom coin

protruding a little to the right, it is

easily clipped between the right first

and second fingers. The right hand then

momentarily holds the stack of three

coins and a shell as in fig.3, before they

are spread in the left hand again with

the shell being lifted off the coin •

beneath it to show four coins. The coins

are shown only briefly in the left hand,

before the right hand covers them as in

figA, and you ask the first question,

"How many are heads and how many

are tails?"

This move, and the question, gives a

reason for showing the right hand flat

out (so that it can cover the coins in the

Page 30

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

left hand) and the spectator is taken off-guard by being asked •
this particular question. Usually he will have to guess and
before revealing whether he is right or wrong, you caution him

that he really will have to watch doser! You now remove the

right hand, casually dosing it as you do so, and once again

show the coins in the left hand. This hand is now dosed so that

the shell rests over the coin beneath it and you immediately ask

the spectator how many coins you have in your left hand? On

his reply you ask, "Did you see one go?" and then open the left

hand to show that only three coins remain. The right hand is

opened to show the arrival of the first coin. coin
A good deal of thought was given as to whether it was better

to show that the coin had gone

before showing its arrival or vice-

versa, and the reason for deciding

on the above was to cover the

possibility, however slight, of the

coin in the left hand not nesting

properly in the shell. Should the

arrival have been shown before the

vanish, such an error would be

embarrassing - as five coins in all

would show! Worked as coin
described, you would simply

dose your hand again and all • Coin
would 'be weIl' on the second showing. Sorry if I digress, fingerpalmed
but it .is these little points which remove any fear of failure
when first presenting the routine.

As soon as the effect of the first coin "passing" has

registered, the spectator is requested to hold out his hand

and this coin is placed onto his palm. You are now ready

for the second coin to pass, and this is done as follows ...

The coins are placed into the right hand, as in fig.5, the

coin covered by the shell is resting at the base of the

fingers. You now ask the spectator how many coins you

have and he replies, "Three". The next
question is, "How many coins do you
(the spectator) have?" and as he answers,

•"One", the left hand lifts the two coins
plus the shell off the right fingers, the

coin beneath the shell being left behind

in the right hand, which turns back

uppermost as the left hand is withdrawn,

fig.6.

The two coins and shell are returned,

momentarily, to the right hand in the Coin in shell falls onto fingers
position shown in fig.7, and are then as hands come together
counted into the left hand again

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

reversing their order as you say, "That's right, I have
three, you have one". At the completion of this series of

• i':moves the coins are showing in an overlapping spread in

the left hand, the shell being the top coin. The right hand
is dropped to the side and, as you display the coins in

the left hand, the stolen coin in the right hand is

transferred to the palm. This transference of the coin to

the palm is not essential, but makes for a nicer handling.

Now for the passing of the second coin, the right

hand, with its palmed coin, picks up the coin from the

spectator's hand as you say, "One", the left hand closes

as you say, "Three", holding both hands apart you say,

"Watch" and open the left hand again to show two coins

only, at the same time (or fractionally later) the palmed

coin is allowed to fall onto the coin in the right hand and

the spectator hears, and ... when the hand is opened ...

sees its arrival. You now ask hirn to hold out his hand only from stack!
again and place both these coins onto his palm.

At this stage the spectator has two coins on his Spectator's hand
outstretched hand, and you have two coins (the
top one covered by a shell) in your left hand, You /
now ask the spectator how many coins he holds

and he says, "Two". You then ask how many you

hold and he again says, "Two". At this point the

right hand removes the top coin together with the

shell and holds it, as in fig. 8, the other coins

remain in the left hand. The right hand now

returns to the left, but as it does so the coin is

allowed to fall secretly from the shell onto the

right fingers. The shell is then placed slightly

overlapping the coin in the left hand and, as the

right hand is withdrawn again, the forefinger

points to the coin and shell in the left hand and Coins in spectator's

the remaining fingers curl inwards transferring the hand are hidden by

coin they hold to the palm. right hand

The third coin is now ready to pass. The two

coins (actually one and a shell) are displayed in the left hand as the right hand picks

up the two coins from the spectator's palm. The left hand is closed - nesting the

coins - and the palmed coin in the right hand is dropped onto those on the fingers.

Both hands are opened and the spectator now sees that the third coin has passed.

The three coins are placed on the spectator's hand.

The position now is that the spectator is holding three coins on his outstretched

right hand and you have one coin, covered by a shell, on your left hand. It is now

that the final coin must pass, and pass it does in a most effective way, but it is

essential that both the moves and the patter are carefully followed if the Icheeky'

move that follows is to be effective. The whole business of the questions and

answers has been leading up to this.

Here we go ... Ask the spectator, "How many coins do you have? He replies,

Page 32

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions
"Three". The right hand now picks up the coin and the shell from the left hand and
places them both on top of the stack of coins in the spectator's hand, as you ask,
"How many now?" and he replies, "Four". The right hand now moves back to the
spectator's hand and picks up the shell only as in fig.9. It is immediately turned
palm uppermost and the shell is allowed to settle onto the fingers, fig.l0, as you say,
"How many coins do Ihave?" with the emphasis on the "I". As this "picking up of
the shell move" is carried out, the right hand must remain over the spectator's hand
so that, should the coins spread at all, he cannot see how many there are. As soon as
he replies that you have one coin, you ask hirn to dose his hand. Having seen four
coins in his hand, and having stated that you have removed one, he is hardly in a
position to suspect that he holds more than three! And, as you do not remove your
hand until he has dosed his he cannot see how many he holds.

All that remains to be done is to 'vanish' the shell. Any apparent transfer will do.
Ask hirn to open his hand and under these impossible conditions, the coin has still
arrived.

Page 33

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

The Thumbtip Loading Box

This special matchbox will load an empty (or partially filled) thumbtip into your
waiting hand. It is constructed from a Swan Vestas box as follows ...

First, a hole is cut out of the underside of the cover of a Swan Vestas matchbox, as
shown in fig.I. This hole should be just long enough and wide enough to take the
thumbtip you are using. A similar hole is also cut out of the bottom of the drawer of
the box so that when it is inserted into the cover, the two holes line up. The hole in
the drawer has a little tongue protruding at one end, which fits into the tip. At the
opposite end of the drawer a block of wood has been glued into place, and is shaped
so that the 'nail' end of the tip rests on it. This is all shown in fig.2. The drawer is
now turned over and a piece of card (a fake wall) is stuck across, just past the
tongue, to form a little box to the right of it that should contain several matches. This
is shown in fig.3.

Set-np: Place several matches into the 'little box' area of the drawer, then fit the
drawer fully into the sleeve. Next slide the tongue of the drawer into the opening of
your thumbtip, so that the tongue holds it at one end and the nail end of the tip is
held under the cover at the opposite end, where it rests on the shaped balsa wood
block.

Performance: Hold the box in your left hand and push the drawer out with your
right forefinger. This action causes the shaped balsa wood block tolever the tip onto
your left fingers as your right hand removes a match. It is important not to push the
box open too much. Push the drawer out just far enough to release the thumbtip
onto your left hand, and far enough so that your right fingers can reach into the
'little box' area to remove a match. If you push the box open any further ... you will
expose the inner workings.

Fig. 4 shows the loaded (with your thumbtip) box as seen from below.

••

Cover face down. Drawer seen from below.

• I· I 71"Tongue. • ,,,

Balsa (

I
I
I

~I
",

Drawer seen from above Loaded box seen from below.

Page 34

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

The following three items were first published in Speil-Binder magazine
and are reproduced here by kind permission of copyright owner Martin Breese

and creator/editor Stephen Tucker.

Demonology (Spell-BinderVo1.1, No. 1, May 1981)
The Pinky Peeker (Spell-Binder Vol. 1, No. 3, July 1981 incorrect1y

titled "The Pink Peeker' and also reprinted in Sorcerer No.2 1984)

Silent Sleight (Spell-Binder Vol. 1, No. 8, December 1981)

Page 35

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Demonology

This occult-drenched effect was created by Bob Ostin after he read R. M. [ames'
occult story The Casting Of The Runes. This story was also the basis of the legendary
film Night Of The Demon. Bob first performed the effect as an entry in a competition
at the Mahatma Magie Cirele whose theme was ... fire. Needless to say, Bob snatched

the winner's trophy with this elose-up gern.

Prepare a card by burning the lower left corner (fig.l). On a small square of flash

paper draw an occult symbol (fig.2). Char the edges of a matehing slip of tissue

paper and write the name of the burnt card on it (fig.3).A fake matchbox is used as a

holdout for the tissue paper (fig.4). Half the matchbox drawer is filled with a block

of wood, whieh has a hole drilled through its centre. The hole continues right

through the drawer. The matchbox sleeve also has a hole cut into it, but only when

the matchbox is opened half-way do the holes align and .,N

anything in the drawer falls out through the sleeve ••
(fig.5). The tissue paper is rolled into a ball and sits

'.•inside the wooden block until needed. Open the box, to

remove a match, and the ball falls into your hand.
Set-np: PIace the burnt card fourth from the top of
the deck, with the burnt corner nearest you. The tissue N"
paper is in the box, and the matchbox is in your pocket

together with the piece of flash paper.

Remove the slip of flash paper and explain that it is

a piece of ancient parchment and bears an old runie

symbol, the symbol of ademon, place the paper down

and bring out the deck. Explain that playing cards are a

collection of symbols more familiar to the people of

today. Spread the cards face down between your hands

and ask them to touch the back of one. You force the

card using aversion of the Hofzinser Force... The cards

are spread from left to right and when you reach the

fourth card, the right fingers drag it beneath the spread.

The left thumb contacts the third card from the top and

keeps the spread together as the right fingers do their

work. The card is therefore pulled from the

spread and the rest of the deck rides over it as the

cards are spread from the left to the right (fig.6).

When the spectator touches a card, you divide the

spread so that the selection appears to go to the

bottom of the right half. In fact the burnt card

remains at the bottom of the right hand packet.

Square the packet and raise it so that he can see o
the face card. Keep the right fingers over the
burnt corner and ask hirn to initial the face of the

card as you hold it.

Once the card has been signed, reassemble the deck and table it face down, so

Page 36

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

that the selection is in

the middle and the

burnt corner is

towards the spectator.

Pick up the flash

paper and hand it to

the spectator

requesting that he roll

it into a ball and

concentrate on the •
name of his card. Tell
hirn that the paper is
highly combustable
and should burn so

fast that he won't feel

any pain when you set

light to it. This should

make hirn a little

apprehensive. Take out

the box of matches and

remove a match. This

deposits the ball of

tissue paper in your

hand. Close the box,

strike the match and

place the matchbox to

one side. As an afterthought comment that it might be safer if you held the

parchment and proffer your empty hand to hirn so that he can place the paper ball

on it. The spectator will only be too pleased to part with it.

Set light to the flash paper and release it. As it falls the other hand follows the

path of the burning mass and pretends to catch it. The flash paper vanishes

completely and you bring the tissue paper ball into view, blowing on it as you

pretend to be cooling it down. Everyone should believe that the paper you are now

holding is the burnt remains of the original parchment.

Hand the paper to the spectator who chose the card and ask hirn to open it. He

does so and discovers that the runic symbol has been transformed into a written

prediction of his selected card.

Explain that this is the work of the demon represented by the original runic

symbol but they might be wondering how the demon knew which card was

selected. Pick up the deck and spread through them until you come to the burnt

card as you comment, "lt's because yours is the only card that bears his mark."

Remove the card and hand it to hirn for examination. He'll be amazed to discover

that his signature is on the mutilated card.

If you make up the props you'll appreciate what a strong effect it has on laymen.

The matchbox idea is a great way of loading a small object into your hand, and I'm

sure has many other applications. Flash paper combined with the billet switch is a

great idea. You end clean with nothing palmed. Bob stood, at the competition, but it

can just as easily be performed seated.

Page 37

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

The Pinky Peeker

This unusual bock-test is the origination of Bob Ostin. Unusual? Yes,because it

embodies an artifice normally akin to card magic, ie. the 'little finger break.' Subtlety

is the key of this very elever conception.

You will need to prepare a paper back book, as depicted in fig:l. You can see that

the first two words on the pages shown have been hand-written at the bottom of the

left hand page at the outer corner. This must be done throughout the book, so that

no matter at which point the book is opened, the first words of the left and right

hand pages are written at the bottom of the left hand page at the outer corner,

That's all the preparation needed. At first it may seem a formidable task, but you

will find yourself amply rewarded upon presentation of the effect. For an added

finesse you may like to tear a small portion of the cover from the book, as shown in

figs. 2, and 4. You do this only if you are carrying an identical paper back, which is

unprepared and may be necessary if some speculative spectator wishes to examine

the book used. It follows that an identical portion of the book' s cover has also been

torn away. (This is a small point, but may register with some of the spectators, and

allays any suspicions of a substitute book being in evidence.)

You now introduce the book and hold it, as in fig.2. A page is now selected, by

riffling through the pages until the spectator calls STOP.You ask hirn if he is happy

with the page stopped at, or would he like you to continue, or even retrace your

tracks by riffling in the opposite direction. Either way a page is eventually decided

upon, and you open the book, as depicted in fig.3. As you can see, the two written

words are hidden behind the fingers of your right hand.

Whilst all the above First word on the left and right Hold the book like this
actions have taken pages ('if' and 'but') are written at when riffling through.
place, you have had • the lower left corner of the left page.
your gaze averted, in
fact you emphasise the --- --- - -.- "---i~f _,_...-------~- -- - \,)_.U..,t.-.-.--.-.-.• -----,--_---.._---'
fact that you don't --------'------'--_--~-.-_-- ------------... _.-----'
wish to see which page
has been chosen. -----'--_.- ------~_. ---- ---------,.,..-...-,-.-.-'*- •-..- ..-- ~~-.-_---.,-~._~,....-.--.--.--.

Now that the book

is held open, you look ~
at the spectator and

ask hirn to think of the

first word on either .if- __ ~ but--···_-
page, during this --~-- ~------_--------------- ----•...--...,..
selection you watch his :-------"-.-."-
eyes and try to judge ..
which page his
selection has been ..

_----------.-. ---

~-.---------
------ -
----,...

.".-.- _.- -

made from.

Once the spectator Spectator's view as Your view when the hand-written
has finished, you elose your right fingers hide words are 'peeked'
the book, but maintain
a little finger break, as the
hand-written words.

Page 38

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

shown in fig.4.If you now apply pressure with your thumb atop the book and your
forefinger beneath, you will find that the book appears firmly closed from the
spectator's point of view.

If you were to now glance down at the book, you would be able to read (and
remember) the two words written in the corner, as shown in fig. 4. But DON'T!! ...
just yet.

Allow a few seconds to elapse, as you talk with the spectators, don't so much as
think of looking at the book. You now ask the spectator to concentrate on his word,
NOW you glimpse the words, and remember them both - as you may have been
wrong in your judgement of the page that the word was selected from. You glimpse
these words under the misdirection of either placing the book down, or handing it to
the spectator for hirn to hold BUT not open!!! You now reveal the word, as
dramatically as possible, by first naming the word on the page you thought he
looked at, and if necessary, hit the correct word on your second attempt. As soon as
possible get rid of the book and be prepared to produce the other book for
examination.

I'm sure you'lI agree, that the many subtleties combined with a little finger-
flinging are the ideal ingredients for this mental delicacy. With practice you will find
that your judgement of the page, from which the selected word has been thought
off, will improve and you will not have to resort to your second attempt. You may
prefer to not look whilst the spectator is looking at the first word on either page and
simply make a guess as to the page selected, after all you'll have aSO/50 chance of
success, and the rest of the time you simply use the other word to conclude the
revelation. This means that you can turn away throughout the page and word
selection, and need only turn round once the book is closed and the finger break
accomplished.

Themain points to remember are ... emphasise that you can't see which page is
chosen. Allow them to change their mind on the page stopped at, or a force may
spring to mind. Don't forget to tear the small portions from both book covers, as this
added finesse may just clinch the deal. Quickly dispose of the prepared book, before
the grabbers ... grab!!!

The last ward
in baak-tests?

Page 39

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Silent Sleight

The following move, which has many applications, was devised and contributed by
Bob Ostin. Bob uses the move during his Ambitious Card routine, as I will explain

later. I suggest that you get a deck of cards and try the idea, as I explain it.
The accompanying diagrams should help.

You are about to transfer the bottom card of the deck to the top. in the process of

giving the deck, what appears to be, one single cut.

The deck is held by the right hand in what is known as the Biddle grip, and the

right thumb is holding a break above the lowermost card. You are about to cut the

cards. Fig.l depicts the situation. The right forefinger now pivots the upper half of

the deck, as in fig:l, and this upper half is taken by the left hand, as in fig.2.

What follows is a little difficult to explain, but I will try ... Both hands now move

towards each other, but the left hand (with its cards) move beneath the right hand

(with its cards) and, at one point, the two halves will be almost touching. It is at this

point that the right thumb releases the card below the break, so that it falls atop the

lower half of the

deck. This action is

shown in fig.3.

The two hands do

not stop moving at

any time, and after

the card has been

transferred from

packet-to-packet, the

right hand continues /'
to the left, and the

left hand continues

to the right - in

other words your

arms cross.

Fig:4 shows how

the right hand has

travelled past the left

and is still holding

its half of the deck in

the Biddle grip, but

the left thumb has

begun to pivot its

cards upwards, as

shown. Fig.5 shows

the next stage - the

right hand deposits

its half on the left •
hand, and finally the
left fingers dose

Page 40

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions
their cards onto the right hand's packet in a book-like fashion. The final position is
as depicted in fig.2, with the cards in exactly the same order, with the exception of
the original bottom card, which now lies atop the deck.

Many of you will recognise the above actions as a well-known false cut. In fact, if
you dispense with dropping the card atop the packet, and perform the above actions
without any breaks, you will find that you have simply performed the false cut. All
the actions must be performed smoothly and the whole move takes but a few
seconds to complete. When you perform it correctly, it will appear that you have
simply given the deck a simple cut. Again I repeat... those who are familiar with the
original false cut, will have no trouble in performing the above. Once you get used
to the timing of the drop, and can perform the actions without fumbling, you will
have a great new way of controlling a card from the bottom to the top.

When Bob performs it during the Ambitious Card routine, he uses it to add a
card (or cards) onto the ambitious card, which is reallyon the top. It appears that he
has simply cut the ambitious card into the middle, but in reality he has cleverly
added cards atop it, ready for numerous multiple lifts that will follow - in order to
show the ambitious card back at the top of the deck.

I am sure that you will all find a use for this clever concept.

Page 41

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

The Easy Coin Routine

I have tried to eliminate all difficult or unnecessary moves, hence the title. You
need five lrish lOp pieces, which depict a fish on one side for a nice patter angle.

Effect: Four coins are magically produced, they travel from hand-to-hand. Three
coins are returned to the pocket, and the remaining coin multiplies ad infinitum.

Method: Commence with five coins finger palmed in the right hand. The left
hand is shown empty as the right hand mimes the action of picking up small pieces
from the table and placing them in the left hand. As this is done, the right thumb
pushes the lowermost coin over to right (fig.l.) where the little finger separates it
from remainder, and as the right hand again approaches the left, the left middle
fingers press on the stepped coin (fig.2) and it is secretly released, as the hand closes.

The right first finger now presses on the left wrist, in a magical gesture, and
simultaneously the left hand opens to reveal the coin and the right thumb pushes
the next coin over to the right. The right hand now picks up the coin and the newly
'stepped' coin strikes the left fingers, and is released as the hand closes and turns
back uppermost for the coin to be placed on display between the first and second
fingers. Once again, the closed left hand turns uppermost and the right forefinger
presses the wrist, as the above moves are repeated, for the production of three more
coins, each being placed between the left fingers. (fig.3.)

The above is a very easy handling of the classic 'Touch of Midas' routine - in
which the coins were stolen from the classic palm. The right hand removes the coins
from the left hand and places then on the table. Phase one is complete and one coin
remains hidden in the right hand.

The right thumb The left fingers press on the
has pushed the 'stepped" coin, which releases
bottom coin over
to the other side. it onto the fingertips.

Coins are placed between the
fingers as they are produced.

The second stage now starts, as you ask if anyone knows what sort of fish are on
the coins. Whatever the reply, you state that they are 'flying fish' and go into a coins
across... The right hand counts the coins into the left hand, which thumb-palms one.
Both hands are held apart and a coin from the right hand is dropped to the table.
The left hand places three coins on the open right hand and pushes one into palming
position. The right hand turns over the left, and drops two only to join the thumb
palmed coin and, with palmed coin retained, picks up the tabled coin.

Once again, the above moves are repeated. Two coins being shown to have
passed across as the left hand thumb palms another coin and releases two into the
right hand, but on this occasion - as the right hand tips them back into the left, one
is simply held back by the thumb (shuttle pass), as the right hand immediately
reaches forward to pick up the tabled coins. The position now is that you have two

Page 42

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

coins showing in the left hand and three in your elosed right hand (they think two).
Your hands elose again, and one coin in the left hand is thumb palmed, the right

opens to show another coin has passed as three are dropped to the table and one
coin from the left hand placed onto the right. At this stage a basic coins across has
been completed, but things change for the passage of the last coin, and the 'Easy'
coin routine becomes just a little harder.

Here is what happens - the right hand picks up the single coin and apparently
places it onto the elosed left fist. In fact, however, the thumb palmed coin is pushed
up and takes its place. This is the now quite well-known 'pop up' move.

The right hand now picks up the remaining three coins from the table, and as it
eloses, it elassic palms two of them. Both hands are held apart for the last coin to
pass and aversion of the 'Gallo Pitch' is performed. The left hand swings to the
right and releases its coin, which it then picks up again. The right hand now swings
towards the left and releases two coins as the left hand secretly drops its coin to join
them. The three coins are now picked up again and a single coin is released from the
palm. The left hand is shown empty, and four coins are dropped from the right
hand, the discrepancy (extra coin) having moved from the left to the right!

The final stage in the routine is now reached - the multiplying coin. To
commence, the left hand picks up a single coin and holds it upright in the French
Drop 'Pinch' position, as the right hand picks up the remaining coins and places
them in the right jacket pocket. When the right hand is removed, however, it has
retained two coins. The following moves must be done quite quickly to get the
required effect of the single coin multiplying oui-oj-conirol. The right hand, with its
two coins, moves up to the left, and as the fingers cover the single coin, it is dropped
into the hand and the two coins take its place - it has apparently multiplied.

The moves that follow are based on the old multiplying cigarette routine, but
done .with coins. The right hand takes one of the two visible coins to the pocket,
where it is thumb palmed. The hand returns and as the second coin is taken, the
thumb palmed coin takes its place. Once again the coin has multiplied. The right
hand returns to the pocket and the moves are repeated, but throughout this
sequence the original coin has remained in the left hand. As soon as you get the
feeling that they may be catching on that a coin is returning from the pocket each
time, you drop the coin into the pocket, so that they know your right hand is empty,
and as the hand takes the coin from the left fingers, the original hidden coin is
popped into view - this always surprises them! The right hand now, once again,
returns from the pocket with the coin thumb palmed, and the original sequence
starts again, but after a couple of productions you spring the next surprise.

As the right hand moves with its coin to the left, instead of a coin being taken by
the right hand, the left hand 'French Drops' its coin, the right hand coin being left in
its place. The right hand is empty, but look at it as though it contained a coin as it
goes back to the pocket. It comes back obviously empty and takes the left hand coin,
as the hidden coin in the left hand is again popped into view.

Finally, pocket the coin, and vanish the remaining coin in an exasperated sort of
way. I just place it on the right palm, apparently tip it into the left, blow on it, show it
empty, then place both hands in my pockets, as I say, "Thank Goodness that's over!"

Sometimes I switch the last coin for a little silver fish, which I steal from the right
pocket as the penultimate coin is placed there.

Though the description is long, the routine takes just 11/2 minutes to perform!

Page 43

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

The Poor Man's Fire- Wallet

Effect: You open your wallet

and ... it bursts into flames! Or, if

you prefer, it doesn't, and you

simply remove a bank-note,

credit-card etc. Later, at any time,

you can open it again and ... it

bursts into flames!

Method: You'll need a wallet,

like the one illustrated opposite.

The large white reetangle on the left is in fact a 2mm thick block of wood, that has

been glued into place. Prior to doing this, however, you drill two small holes about

1" apart (at' A' and 'B' in fig.l) and thread a piece of stiff wire through the holes and

secure the ends at the rear. This forms a loop of wire above the upper surface of the

wood. Glue the wood onto the left side of the open wallet. Next, make what is

basically a match-striking gimmick by folding the striking surface, cut from a box of

safety matches, around the loop of wire (striking surface inwards). Wrap a small

rubber band around the gimmick to hold it in place, as shown in fig.l.

The 'means of ignition' is a wooden safety match glued to a strip of card, just

wider than the match. A piece of flash-paper is glued to the rear of this strip of card

and this gimmick is shown in fig.2. You will use one of these every time.

The white reetangle on the right side of the wallet, in fig.l, is also a 2mm thick

piece of wood that is hinged to the centre of the wallet. It is shown partially open in

fig.I. This piece of wood has a single hole drilled through, as shown, in fig.3. A

drawing pin is pushed through the wood just to the right of the hole. The point of

this pin protrudes from the rear surface of the wood for about 3mm.

Setting The Wallet: Take the fig.2 gimmick and carefully insert the head of the

match between the two striking surfaces on the left side of the wallet. The flash

paper lies beneath the striking gimmick. Close the hinged flap towards the left side

of the wallet, until you can insert the right end of the fig.2 gimmick through the hole

on the right side of the wallet. Impale the gimmick on the point of the drawing pin

at the rear of the hinged flap. Close the wallet and you are ready to perform.

Performance: If you wish it to burst into flames, open it so that the right hand

piece of wood is dragged over to the right of the wallet. This pulls the match out of

the striking gimmick, ignites the flash paper and ... whoooosh! Close the wallet to

extinguish the flames. If you wish to remove a credit-card etc., open the wallet but

leave the right hand piece of wood on the left side of the wallet as you do so.

To Re-set: Remove the used match/gimmick, impale a fresh one on the pin, and

re-set the match into the striking gimmick.

The advantage of this wallet is that you don't work smelling like a petrol pump!
• • -~~~~,r=~---"--4--St-rip~of card.
Safety match is glued on Drawing pin.

~top of the strip of card. ,
: I~
...•

Sheet of flash-paper is glued Flash-paper.

~r r ' to the back of the strip of card

Page 44

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

The 'Helical' Card Trick

This routine is definitely for the card-expert.Tt was at first circulated privately,
amongst a group of top-flight cardicians, although strangely it was originally based

on 'The Card of the Gods' by Dai Vemon published in Annemann's 'Miracles of
Card Magie'. The connection may not be apparent, but there definitely is a

connection. Part of the pleasure to be obtained in leaming this routine will be in
trying to find that connection.

The deck must first be stacked in any self-indicating sequence. We will presume the
Zarrow system is used (eight kings would be too obvious).

You now ribbon spread the deck for the selection of a card. The spread is now closed
and the spectator is requested to return the card, the deck being side-cut so that its
return will not be beneath the first 39 cards. The deck is now held in the left hand in the
'Moffat Grip', which enables you to give it a diagonal cridge. The Moffat Grip could be
left out but, if the cridge is to replace a crimp, it will be better to proceed as described.

The cridge, giving as it does a ridge - rather than the bend of the crimp, is well
worth the trouble to master, and makes all the difference to this routine. Having
cridged the card, it is rotated hexagonally until the cridged card, which has been
retained by means of the now weIl known 'stet stop', is protruding from the face up
deck (when viewed from below). The protrusion should not exceed say one thirty
second of an inch although an eighth of an inch may be allowed in cold weather or
when the hands are out of condition.

The right hand now tilts the card into the crotch-palm by means of the protruding
portion. This is done as the hand squares the deck prior to a shuffle. The shuffle is now
executed without disturbing the sequence of the cards. Possibly a 'sheckle shuffle' will
be the best at this point, although those not proficient in 'sheckling' could always use a
straight Zarrow shuffle instead. When performing for laymen you may occasionally
find someone who can Zarrow shuffle. If you do, let hirn shuffle and give the
impression that he insisted on doing so. This is always good for a laugh.

After the shuffled deck is returned, peek the ninth card, and so learn the value of the
selected card. You could, of course, peek at the card whilst in the crotch-palm, but
suspicion might be aroused by doing so. The spectator will, by now, be convinced that
his card is lost in the deck - unless you have found someone who can Zarrow shuffle,
in which case he will think it is seventh from the bottom, although it is unlikely that he
will tell the others. His ability to Zarrow shuffle will make him feel superior, and he
will not wish to converse with his less talented fellows.

You could, if you wished, accidentally let him see the seventh card. When he realises
that it is not the selected card, he will believe that his shuffle was not quite up-to-
standard and will not bother you again.

The climax of the effect is now imminent. Holding the deck in the right hand you
slowly and dramatically name his card (showmanship is called for here), and at the
same time, give the deck a sharp waffling movement to the right. This will startle the
spectator whose surprise will be considerable at the sudden appearance of the waffled
card.

A very pretty effect. It will, of course, be obvious that only cards with a white border
are suitable for this clever little effect.

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

Cheers!

Effect: An empty beer can is shown and a feit tip pen is dropped inside. A card is

now selected and returned to the deck. The beer can is shaken over the deck as you

state that the pen is writing the name of the card on the inside of the can! The

spectator is now asked to look inside the can but, of course, it is too dark to see

anything! Now the can is inverted and the name of the card is seen to be written on

the bottom of the can. After the pen is removed the can may be left with the

spectator as a souvenir.

Method: Obtain two cans of Tennants Super lager. Make sure they come from the

same batch so that the 'Drink by' date on the bottom is identical. Open them and

drink the contents - the trick is getting better!

Now wait until you are sober then ~ •
borrow your wife' s scissors. Take one of
the cans and cut the bottom off. This is S False bottom
quite easy as the metal of the can is very with magnet
thin, but it will be best if your wife does u glued in place.
not see you doing it - they are funny
about scissors!

When you do this, make sure that you p
cut around the gold line about 1/2" up

from the bottom. You will now have a E
false bottom, which will nest onto the
other can, and you are no doubt way

ahead of me as to the method. I must

explain, at this point, that the reason for ~
using Tennants Super is because, unlike

other cans, it is made of steel instead of aluminium, and that helps with the next

stage, which is to fasten a magnet to this false bottom - a two pack epoxy is best for

this. Try the false bottom to be sure it is a good fit, and then use any form of filler to

surround the magnet. Next, press it onto the complete can so that it takes an

impression and, in use, will not rock about. This is not essential, but it does make a

better fake.

Now for the routine: Write the name of the card you are going to force on the

bottom of the can and place the false bottom over it, fig.I. This should be quite well

disguised but will not bear elose scrutiny, so don't show your handywork off. Just

pretend it isn' t there and no one will

see it. After all, have you ever

thought of a beer can with a false

bottom?

Have your deck of cards in your tT.1~~
right coat pocket with your force card

ready to force. Also have a feit tip

handy. All set, here we go. Pick up

your fake can, preferably from

amongst the rest at a party. Turn it Hold the can this way to shake.
over and draw attention to the date

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Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

on the bottom. What you are really doing, of course, is making sure they see that
nothing else is written on the bottom, without actually saying so. Now say you will
show them something amazing.

Take out the pen and drop it into the can, which you then hold between both
hands, as in fig.2. As you rattle the pen about inside, say that you need a deck of
cards. Your right hand now comes away with the false bottom (any slight noise is
covered by the rattling) and immediately goes to the right pocket. Ditch the false
bottom, as the left hand places the can on the table, and the right appears with the
cards. It is now all over bar the applause. Force the card. Rattle the can, and after
going through the business of them looking inside, let them discover the name of the
card on the bottom.

Most performers will appreciate that there can be many variations using this false
bottom. It does not have to be the name of a card. You could have slips of paper
with names on dropped into the can, or even use the principle to vanish the can
und er a handkerchief. My original idea was to 'smoke' the bottom of the can with a
piece of candle and have a name appear in the 'smoked' surface (a la Al Koran's
Black Magic of many years ago), but it's over to you now, so make the gimmick and
have fun!

Jumping Cigar Band

The performer takes a cigar from the box and points out the band which encircles

it. Suddenly the band jumps from the cigar to the little finger of the hand.

Startling though the effect is, it is very easy to do. You need a cigar box of the

drawer variety which has a

small..cardboard holder

built into it, as shown in Band

the diagram. Place a cigar holder

band inside the holder. One

of the cigars has only half a

band, which has been stuck

to it with a little saliva. The box. The cigar The paddle move.
This form of adhesive is

used purely so that the band can be secretly and easily removed later. The cigars

used must have a square cross-section. The band covers only two sides of the cigar.

With the cigar in the box, with several ordinary cigars, here's what happens ...

Open the box, without exposing the band holder. The left hand holds the box and

the right removes the gimmicked cigar. As the cigar is removed, the right little finger

is inserted into the holder and picks up the hidden band on its tip. The right fingers

are curled with only the thumb and forefinger extended and holding the cigar in the

paddle move position. The cigar band is hidden on the little finger. Put the box away

and then draw attention to the band, which is apparently around the middle of the

cigar. Execute the paddle move, a few times, to show that the band encircles the

cigar completely. Watch your angles, or you'll expose the band on the little finger.

Finally, secretly rotate the cigar, and at the same time extend the little finger. The

band appears to jump from the cigar onto the little finger. You can now peel off the

band on the under side of the cigar or simply slide the real band over it to conceal it.

Page 47

Bob Ostin - A Lifetime Of Magical Inventions

m bit i u CutA s0 (See 'Silent Sleight' on page 40)

Mike Gancia showed the following move to Bob three years ago at a Mahatma
Magie Circle dinner. Bob said "That's good, whose is it?" Mike replied, "Yours!"

The selected card is on top. Take a right thumb break above the bottom card, then
swing cut half the deck over into the left hand. The right hand cards now move over
(and past) those in the left hand, as the card below the break is released onto the
lower half. The left thumb levers its cards almost vertical and the right hand drops
its cards underneath. It's a sort of false cut with the addition of a card to the top.
You are now set to double lift again and continue with your ambitious card routine.

Uses For The Faulty Foliower

See Vernon's Ultimate Secrets of Card Magie (Vernon's Variant) for original.

1) To add a card: Have the card to be added to the deck in your left hand coat
pocket. (I add the Gus Southall Rising Card fake). Secretly palm one of the four
cards used in Faulty Follower and get rid of it in your right coat pocket. Perform the
Faulty Follower moves with just three cards, counting them as four. NOW show that
one of them has vanished and that you only have three left. Tell the spectators that
the vanished card has jumped into your pocket. Remove the fake from your left
pocket, add it to the three cards in your hand and replace them all on the deck.

2) Lucky charm idea: Work Faulty Follower with a number of spectators, but
when the stage is reached where your packet has one card reversed at the bottom
(and is therefore ready to work without the false count), turn to a spectator who has
not yet assisted and place a lucky charm in front of her. Now hand this spectator
your cards and have everyone go through the moves again. The lucky spectator's
cards will all face one way whilst everyone else has one card facing the wrong way!

Pipe Dream

Effect: The performer removes a full deck of cards from its case, yet some time
later he pro duces dice (or any other small objects) from the same case, even though
there couldn't possibly be any room for them inside!

This is a utility item that can be used in many ways. Basically the card case has an
extra load chamber making it a sort of close-up production box. The design of the
case is as set out below. The load chamber hangs below the case when full.

-------- Card case. Cross section of the
Load chamber. card case and load
chamber. Plasticard is
the material used to
make the load chamber.

The chamber is constructed entirely from Plasticard. This is a plastic material used
for the construction of model aircraft and military vehicles etc. It is available from
hobby stores in sheets of various thicknesses and colours. It is an incredibly versatile

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