e BLOM BERG LAB OR ATOR IES
A iB1 r Written & designed by Andi Gladwin Cover designed by Michal Kociolek Illustrated by Tomas Blomberg’s computer Edited by Jamie Badman, Denis Behr, Erik Jansson, Joshua Jay, Jim Munsey, Eric Richardson, and Mike Vance VANISHING
Welcome to the Lab Non-Card Tricks The Konami Code....................................................................................................................... 13 Cashing................................................................................................................................. jg Neckless Grandma..................................................................................................................................................20 ABandOn..................................................................................................................................................................22 Magic Lesson.......................................................................................................................................................... 25 Brazilian Bend.........................................................................................................................................................39 Bills W itch...............................................................................................................................................................41 TB Spread Double TB Spread Double................................................................................................................................................55 A la Cummins........................................................................................................................................................ 58 Tattwo You.............................................................................................................................................................. 62 Matest.......................................................................................................................................................................66 Double Brainwave Update Update...................................................................................................................70 One Improbability................................................................................................................................................74 Moves Two Double Turnovers Proteus Bound.............. Fuentes Load-Up.......... Optical Kosky.............. Low Life Display ........ Peel Slide Switch......... 79 84 88 92 94 97
Interlock 113 g ............................................................................................................................................................................101 Interlocked Daley.....................................................................................................................................................106 Low Cost.....................................................................................................................................................................109 Hindu Interlock....................................................................................................................................................... 112 Paradoxes Lucky 14.....................................................................................................................................................................117 The Freakish Miracle...............................................................................................................................................120 Deal the Way..................................................................................................................... 12/ Torn Uncut Card Sheet........................................................................................................................................ ... Estimated Sunken Key........................................................................................................................................... 134 Late Key......................................................................................................................................................................137 Hard Card Paradox................................................................................................................................................. 140 Interlocked Gilbreath..............................................................................................................................................143 Mind Stress............................................................................................ Packet Tricks Packet Morpher Sequence......................................................................................................................... 163 Hoftwister..................................................................................................................................................................165 Three-Card Monster................................................................................................................................................170 ProHof........................................................................................................................................................................174 Mario Might Have Liked This..............................................................................................................................178 One Behead...............................................................................................................................................................^ 7 L-I-A-R.......................................................................................................................................................................191 General Card Tricks 195 Multiplex Re+Set.................................................................................................................................................... 203 Signed Hot Mama........................................................................................................................... ..............................................208 Brownian Bridge.........................................................................................................
Chase the Red.......................................................................................................................................................... 211 Defect Gatherer........................................................................................................................................................214 Gasp! Scream!............................................................................................................................................................217 Mxyzptlk.................................................................................................................................................................... 222 QXS...SXQ............................................................................................................................................................... 225 Mental Devilish Miracle........................................................................................................................................ 229 X-Scape...................................................................................................................................................................... 233 Schrodinger’s Tie......................................................................................................................................................238 At the Card Table (Vernon + Sadowitz)~2...........................................................................................................................................249 Jack’s Trick..................................................................................................................................................................254 Svensk Voodoo......................................................................................................................................................... 256 TSAR..........................................................................................................................................................................264 Tabled Oil & W ater................................................................................................................................................274 Rhythm Switch Assembly......................................................................................................................................277 Time After Tim e......................................................................................................................................................283 Cardpool.................................................................................................................................................................... 288 Twists on Christ Double Christ.......................................................................................................................................................... 297 Sunken Christ.......................................................................................................................................................... 300 PreMEMOnition.................................................................................................................................................... 303 Con/Science Swedish Parity Poker ............................................................................................................................................. 309 Simplex Non-Transitive Poker D ie..................................................................................................................... 315 Three Bar Scams.......................................................................................................................................................318 16 Card Swindle.......................................................................................................................................................321
To be truly unique there must be more to a magician than magic. As Derren Brown put it, “Those people wishing to be the best at something generally need to have one foot planted in that area of interest, but another rooted firmly in the rest of life.” Tomas Blomberg has—perhaps accidentally—developed a collection of skills that has allowed him to create an arsenal of strong, original magic. With a background in computer vision (where he invents image and signal-processing algorithms for a device called WoodEye that scans for faults in wood) and a passion for recreational mathematics and puzzles, Tomas’ effects are often inspired by influences outside of magic. Add these interests to his broad magic knowledge and solid sleight-of-hand ability and the end result is something truly unique. As I delved deeper into Tomas’ magic, it occurred to me that I have never seen sleight of hand, mathematics and puzzles connected in quite this way. Take, for example, his Interlocked Gilbreath principle (an extension of the Gilbreath principle that adds multiple extra attributes that you can control). I cannot imagine that anyone, magician or otherwise, would be able to decipher the method behind a card trick using this principle. But Tomas takes it further, turning it into a dangerous puzzle in which he risks serious personal injury. Here he combines magic, puzzles and mathematics to create something that has never been done before. Not every trick in the book relies on mathematics (although the Paradoxes chapter starting on page 116 details some excellent effects in that genre) or puzzles (the “Con/Science” chapter, page 307, focuses on those), but Tomas’ expertise in these areas shines through in every trick he has created. You need only look at one of his packet tricks to see that the puzzler in him works hard to solve every irregularity and work through all possible outcomes until he finds the best solution. Just like the best computer programs, each and every trick has been regularly analysed, tested and restructured. Over the three years that it has taken to write Blomberg Laboratories, most of the routines have changed at a pace that has been difficult for me to follow. Tomas has constantly re-tested, reevaluated and evolved his creations with new ideas, tweaks and refinements. In fact, he did not originally want to be the subject of a book for fear that his routines would never be finished. This is a welcomed
For Tomas, the creative process is about solving a problem. He does not see himself as an originator of new plots (although there are several great ones in this book), but as someone who is able to collect all of the pieces of a methodological puzzle and piece them together. This analytical approach, I would imagine, stems from his background in physics. He earned his bachelors degree in Electric Engineering, then a masters in Applied Physics, both at the Linkoping University. opposing view from the norm in what has become the magical industrial age. Magic products have such a short shelf life that magicians find themselves constantly creating to cater to a worldwide demand for the next apparent miracle. Tomas has managed to avoid getting entangled in this trap, instead allowing me to present his first published collection of magic: a book that constitutes a lifetime of creating, evolving and analysing. At the time of taking his master’s degree he was enlisted in compulsory military service (he eventually worked as Sergeant Platoon Leader in the Swedish helicopter Air Force). To most that would be an exceptional achievement; however Tomas studied both the first and second year of the course at the same tim e (whilst working for the military!) and got his degree in 1997. As part of his masters degree, Tomas studied Computer Vision and Signal Processing, which eventually became his career. In his current work at Innovativ Vision AB he produces an industrial scanner for wooden boards that automatically detects and classifies interesting objects such as cracks, knots, sap wood, fibre defects, rot or discolouration in the wood. This information is used to optimise the value of each board so that the wood can be cut in the correct way to maximise its value. As a computer programmer in my past career, I don’t just find this software interesting; I find it mesmerising and magical. It is something only a truly elite programmer could develop. Knowing Tomas’ history in computer vision, you perhaps will not be surprised that he wanted to be involved in illustrating this book. But there’s a twist. For the first time in magic’s history, this book has not been illustrated by a human, but by a piece of software developed by its subject. Every single illustration you see in these pages has been automatically generated. Fomas’ inspiration for the style of illustration comes from Dave Grenewetzki’s hand illustrations from Paul Harris’ Close-up Fantasies Finale.
The laboratory is now open. It is time to witness Tomas’ experiments. Tomas welcomes you to explore, refine and tweak his findings just like he has for the past few decades. For me it has been a journey that has ended in awe of the range of talents of the analytical mind of Tomas Blomberg. Andi Gladwin United Kingdom December 2014 ERDNRSEBRERK Tomas uses the Erdnase break a lot in his work in place of a thumb break. He favours this break because it is much less angle sensitive than a more traditional thumb break. As the Erdnase break is not commonly known, I thought we should start with a quick tutorial. Hold the deck in right-end end grip with your little finger at the right outer corner of the deck. Push down on the face card with your little finger just enough that you can hold a separation between the face card and the rest of the deck. Fig. 1 shows the break from the exposed, side angle and fig. 2 shows the view from the front of the deck.
We start with an extremely unusual concept in which photographs o f people pointing in different directions are used to eventually force a particular photograph. I urge you to try it out with playing cards (drawing arrows on the faces) to understand the concept, and then perhaps you willfind a place for it in your repertoire. Tomas has developed several presentations and ideas for this concept, and I will explain the one that I think is the most unique. W ect. Iomas brings out a collection of photographs of people. Each person is pointing either up, down, left or right in the photographs. The participant cuts off some photographs and mixes them, while Tomas deals the remaining photographs face down onto the table in a large grid. The participant is then asked to deal her cards onto the table in an interesting way: the first photograph is dealt onto one of the face-down photographs, and then the next is dealt in whichever direction the person in the previous photograph is pointing. When the participant exhausts her packet, she turns over the picture that the last photograph is pointing at. It is a photograph of Tomas pointing at the camera! Requirements Arrange to take (or download) photographs of people pointing in different directions (fig. 1 on the next page shows a collection of Tomas’ photographs). Specifically, you need: • 6 photos of different people pointing left • 6 photos of different people pointing right • 4 photos of different people pointing up • 4 photos of different people pointing down • 1 photo of you pointing straight at the camera • 20 photos of different people pointing in any of the four directions
Setup Stack the photos, from the top down of the face-down packet: • 2 left • 2 down • 4 right • 3 up • 3 left • 2 down • 2 right • 1 up • 1 left • Force photo of yourself • 20 photos of people pointing in random directions Handling Introduce the photos and explain that you have a penchant for photos of people pointing. Spread to show the photos (you can mix the twenty cards at the face, unless you plan to repeat the effect as described in Comments), but try to avoid showing the force photo in the middle of the packet. Hold the cards face down and instruct the participant to lift off less than half of them. It is important to ensure that she cuts off at least two cards and no more than twenty cards. Deal the remaining cards face down onto the table in a clockwise spiral pattern, keeping track of where you started by tilting the first photo forty-five degrees, whereas all of the other photos will be positioned with a short edge toward you. Deal the second photo to the right of the first photo, the third one below, the next to the left and so on (fig. 2) to form a clockwise spiral.
As you are dealing the cards, ask the participant to mix the photos that she cut off and then to select a photo and to place it aside. Explain that the selected photo will be used at the very end of the trick. She may decide to do this randomly, or deliberately by looking through her photos to select a man or woman that she likes. Next, ask that she start to deal the photos face up, with the first photo going on top of the first card dealt in your spiral (fig. 3). For this to work, she must be on the same side of the table as you, and not opposite you. The next photo should be dealt to wherever the previous photo points (left in the case of fig. 4). Be sure to point out where the next photo is going to be placed since it is easy to get confused, especially if the pointers start going back and forth a few times. The facedown photos at the bottom will always be visible thanks to them being rotated ninety degrees. When she runs out of photos, let her take the photo she placed aside in the beginning and place it into position to complete the “pointer worm.” Remind her that she chose which photo to use last to indicate the final position. It will point at a photo that might have one or more photos on top of it. In that case, carefully remove them so that everyone can see the back of the photo at which her final photo is pointing. “ Wouldn’t it be amazing i f this leads to you?' Allow her to turn over the final photo to look at it. She will see a photo of you pointing directly at her! She has found herself, so to speak!
Comments If you want to be able to immediately repeat the effect, make sure that the bottom twenty cards are in the same pointing order as the top twenty cards. To do this, look at all the face-down cards that were dealt after the force photo in the spiral pattern. Collect these cards so that last card dealt ends up at the face of the packet, and the card closest to the force photo ends up on top of the packet. Drop this packet on top of the face-down force photo, and then put the rest of the cards in any order at the face of this packet. You arc ready to repeat it just once more before you have to completely reset the cards. Tomas has created a number of other stacks using different numbers of cards. Here are a few of them: 1 down 1 right 1 up 1 left Force card Any number of mixed cards (The participant must cu t one to fo u r cards.) 1 up 1 left 2 down 2 right 1 up 1 left Force card Any number of mixed cards (The participant must cut one to eight cards.) 1 left 1 down 2 right 1 up 1 left Force card Any number of mixed cards (The participant must cut one to six cards.) 2 right 1 up 3 left 2 down 2 right 1 up 1 left Force card Any number of mixed cards (The participant must cu t two to twelve cards.)
2 down 2 right 3 up 3 left 2 down 2 right 1 up 1 left Force card Any number of mixed cards (Theparticipant must cu t two to sixteen cards.) 3 right 2 up 5 left 4 down 4 right 3 up 3 left 2 down 2 right 1 up 1 left Force card Any number of mixed cards 2 left 2 down 4 right 3 up 3 left 2 down 2 right 1 up 1 left Force card Any number of mixed cards (The participant must cut two to twenty cards.) (Theparticipant must cut three to thirty cards.) Credits While not a magic credit, a quick word on the title might be required. The Konami Code is a famous cheat code that appears in many video games where the player must enter a specific key combination (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A) to unlock the cheat. With the Konami combination in mind, the name is a perfect fit. Thanks to Rich Aviles for suggesting the name.
w J u Based on a Max Maven idea that used two gimmicked coins, Tomas provides an intriguing solution to the Bank Night plot. In fact, his idea can also be used to replace any effect that uses a number force such as the mis-spotted die force. Effect Tomas shows five envelopes, each numbered from one to five. The participant will randomly select four of those envelopes and gets to keep whatever is inside them. Tomas will keep whatever is inside the remaining envelope. Tomas shows, or borrows, five coins and places them into a glass. The participant is invited to shake the glass, to nominate either heads or tails and then to count how many coins match that condition. The envelope with the matching number is then opened; it is empty. This is repeated until one envelope remains. Tomas gets to keep whatever is inside this envelope. It turns out to be a high-denomination bill! Requirements Five envelopes (numbered one to five), some money to use as a prize (the more the better), five coins, a cup or glass and some Glue Dots (a brand of sticky adhesive normally used for adhering posters to walls). Glue Dots are available from most stationery stores in various strengths. Tomas recommends the strongest available to ensure that the coins don’t accidentally dislodge. Setup Place the money in envelope number five. Also stick the glue dot to the tails side of one of the coins and place it into your pocket with the sticky side not touching the fabric of the pocket. Glue Dots are reusable so long as they aren’t soiled, so you may like to keep the protective backing on the glue until you are ready to use it. You may either borrow the other coins, or supply them yourself.
1. Handling Bring out the envelopes and explain the premise. Reach into your pocket, and bring out the gimmicked coin, glue-side down. Either borrow four more coins, or remove them from your pocket. As you are talking, casually turn one of the other coins tails side upward and stick it, overlapping, to the Glue Dotted coin (fig. 1). Drop all the coins into the cup. The pair will show a heads and a tails whichever way it lands. Allow the participant to shake the cup and to name either heads or tails. Count up the matching coins and then hand her that envelope to open—it is empty. Regardless of how she shakes, or what she names, she can never total the number five. Repeat this procedure with the remaining envelopes. When you get numbers that have already been removed, simply shake again. Eventually, only the envelope marked “5” will be left. Take your winnings and pocket the coins (or pull the glued coins apart, remove the dot and hand them back). Comments Tomas has a simple presentation that justifies the use of your own coin. He says that he has a lucky coin and that he is so confident it will bring him luck that he’s willing to risk it in a wager. He then borrows four coins of different denominations to use in the trick. The end result is that he is left with envelope number five (the only one with money in it), and he gets to keep the lucky coin at the end. You can even insert a coin of the same denomination that you will borrow into each envelope. Then your presentation is that you will keep each player’s wager, but that you promise they will get something of at least equal value in the envelope. At the end, you can then just pocket all of the borrowed coins, with the sticky coin. Credits Max Maven’s original idea appeared in Genii magazine (July 2006) under the title of “Cache.” The Bank Night plot was created by Tom Sellers and published as “It’s Only Chance” in Novel Necromancy (1935). Floyd Thayer later published his version as “Bank Night” in 1936, and that name has been used ever
Based on the golden classic, “Grandma's Necklace, " this small rope interlude makes for a good introduction to any routine that uses two equal pieces o f rope or string. Effect Tomas ties two pieces of rope—or shoelace—around his neck and then pulls them through his neck. 1. Requirements Two equal pieces of rope or shoelace, about half a metre in length. Setup The pre-performance setup is the key to the entire method. Start by tying a loose knot into one of the pieces of rope, leaving plenty of space in the loop (fig. 1). Fold the other rope in half (fig. 2) and slide the middle portion of the rope into the loop of the other rope, and then pull the knot tight. The end result is that the folded-over end of one rope is temporarily trapped inside a knot in the other (fig. 3). Z Begin with the ropes hanging around your neck with the knot at the back (fig. 4) or bring them out of a bag, covering the knot with your hand, and then hang them around your neck. When the ropes are hung around the neck, both ol the folded rope ends should be on the same side of the neck and both of the ends of the knotted rope should hang from the other side of the neck.
M ethod It is important that you run through this phase very slowly using something other than your neck. Incorrectly interpreting the instructions could cause serious injury, and therefore you should fully understand the method before trying it on yourself. Take any two ends from around your neck (one from each side) and tie them into a knot at the front of your neck (fig. 5). Then grab all four ends and pull them outward (fig. 6) to make the ropes penetrate the neck. The additional subtlety here is that the knot that should have been formed around the neck is actually in one of the pieces of rope. Comments This routine can be made almost-impromptu in many situations. For example, you could use lanyards, computer cables or shoelaces if they are at hand. Also, an intriguing addition is that you can tie any small object into the knot during the setup. For example, you could tie a ring into the knot and then pretend to swallow a duplicate ring before pulling the thread through your neck, ending with the ring tied onto the knot. This is the same as Sean Fields’ marketed trick “Saw” (although the method is very different). n
This is Tomas' handling o f a well-known climax to Arthur Setteringtons classic “Crazy Mans Handcujfs, ” in which one o f the bands visually merges into the other. Tomas handling is incredibly clean, quick to set up and looks perfectly like one band merges into the other. Like most rubber band tricks, you need to get into position before the effect. After performing any version of “Crazy Man’s Handcuffs,” secretly ditch one of the bands under the assumption that the routine has finished. This can be as easy as dropping one of the bands onto the floor and shifting your body forward to cover it. Place the remaining band around the left index finger and thumb, fingers pointing up (fig. 1). Insert the right thumb, pointing upward, inside the loop and pull it toward yourself (fig. 2). Rotate the right hand counterclockwise so that the band is twisted and the thumb points down (fig. 3). C
Next, move your right index finger over the band and down in front of it (fig. 4). Curl the index finger so that it points toward you (fig. 5) and insert it inside exactly the same loop as the thumb is in, so that it is pointing the same direction as the thumb (fig. 6). Separate your fingers. You will notice that it looks like you are holding two bands in the same position as the “Crazy Man’s Handcuffs.” This setup can be done in the open as you talk, as the back of the right hand covers the secret actions during the very short time it takes to get into position. Now we come to the actual trick. Bring attention to the bands and move the right hand up and down, and at the same time move the left hand left to right (figs. 7 and 8). This creates the illusion of two bands rubbing against each other.
Pull the hands apart to show that the two bands are truly behind each other. To make the disappearance happen, slide the right fingers out of their loops, keeping the ends pinched between your right fingers (fig. 9). Move the right fingertips to the centre of the left-hand band and rub it with your fingers, slowly letting go. It should appear as though the right hand’s band slowly merges into the left hand’s band. Credits The Dan Harlan sequence that inspired Tomas appeared in Dan’s videotape M agic With Rubberbands, Volume 1 (1995). However, there were a few earlier versions in print before this, such as Harry Lorayne’s “Snap! Plus” in Reputation-Makers (1971). “The Dissolving Rubber Band” by George D. Franzen in Apocalypse, Volume 10, Number 11 (November 1987) is somewhat closer in method. “Crazy Man’s Handcuffs” was invented by Arthur Setterington, who published it as “Getaway” in the May 1970 issue of Peter Warlock’s New Pentagram. It was refined by Herb Zarrow and published as “The Uncanny Penetrating Rubberbands” in Tarbell Course in Magic, Volume 7 (1972), without credit. In the late 1980s Michael Ammar published it in a manuscript using its now popular name, which was supplied by Daryl. \S
r “Magic Lesson” is a six-phase rubber band and borrowed finger-ring routine. Like all routines o f this nature, it is a little complex in places, but the key element that makes it stand above all others is that all o f the moves are executed out in the open instead o f under the traditional heavy misdirection. Requirements A rubber band (size 16 works well) and a finger ring, which you should borrow. Aim for a traditional wedding band instead of a fancy ring with a stone that might hang up on the ring. Handling Phase 1 In this opening phase, Tomas introduces the two props and prom ptly links the ring onto one o f the strands o f the rubber band. j Stretch the band between your left index finger and thumb, just like in “Crazy Man’s Handcuffs,” and place the ring partway onto your left second finger (fig. 1). 2 As you patter, pinch your right index finger and thumb together, and insert them into the loop of the band (fig. 2). j Push the band down with the right index finger and thumb, stretching it so that the band contacts the right side of the ring, closest to the fingertip (fig. 3, next page).
/£_ Separate the right index finger and thumb so that they end up on either side of the left second finger, as already shown in fig. 3. ‘y Hold on to the ring with the right index finger and thumb, and slowly pull the ring off' the tip of the second finger (fig. 4). This will drag the ring over the band. As the ring is removed, curl your left second finger inward a little to allow the band to hook onto the tip of the second finger (fig. 5). Pull on the ring a little (fig. 6), just enough that you can put your right index finger into the loop between the ring and the left second finger. It is vital that the index finger comes over the top and into the loop of the band and not under the band.
r Place your thumb, from behind, onto the part of the band coming out of the ring, to temporarily hide the apparent linked condition of the bands (fig. 7). 1 Move all of your left fingers together, stretched out straight, and then turn your left wrist so that the left fingers are held parallel to the floor (fig. 8). During this setup, Tomas says, “M any people have asked m e to explain the difference between m agic and illusion. 'Well, this is ju st an illusion, as the ring ju st looks like it is on the band when it really isn’t. However, it becomes m agic when the illusion gets this good . .. ” I Pull your right thumb to the back of the ring, holding as little as possible of the ring whilst still covering the hidden band at the back. This shows that the ring has apparently penetrated one strand of the band (fig. 9). You will be adopting this position at several points in the routine, so it is important to get comfortable with it at this early stage.
I You can now move the ring up and down to show that it really is on the band (fig. 10). The ring can be moved all the way up to the left thumb, since the band is hidden on your side of the right index finger for the full length of the finger. Phase 2 Next, 1'omas links the ring onto the other strand so that the band runs through the m iddle o f the ring. He prefaces it by saying, “A trick w ould be to say that yo u ’ll place it on the other strand, too. But when it does get linked onto the other strand, it becomes real m agic... ” J With the right hand, pull the ring to the right and around to the front of the hand (from the audience’s viewpoint), so that the band starts to slip off the second finger (fig. 11). 7 Continue pulling the band around until you feel it slip off the second finger and loop onto the index finger (fig. 12).
4. Let go of the ring. It will have automatically looped itself onto the two strands of the band (fig. 13). Move the ring up and down a little so that everyone can see how it is now linked. Phase 3 Now fo r a slightly unusual display: Tomas makes the ring jum p o ff one o f the strands, ju st displaying the ring on the fro n t strand. It then instantly jum ps back to be on both strands. Take hold of the ring with the right hand, thumb on top and index finger below, and drag it down toward the left index finger (fig. 14). Curl your left second finger inward around the front of the band, inserting it between the left thumb and the ring (fig. 15).
16. 1 6 Pull the ring to your right, stretching the band to the right and toward your body, so that you can then straighten out your left second finger enough to insert it, from behind, into the loop between the ring and index fingers (figs. 16 and 17). 1 7 . r*n8 UP a8a*nst hand, creating a messy image, so that it’s difficult to see how the ring and band are linked (fig. 18). While he is setting up these actions, Tomas says, “A wise magician once said that confusion isn’t magic. Right now this is con fu sin g... but watch as it becomes m agic!' 1 8 . To show the penetration, pluck on the free strand of the band with your right index finger and thumb (whilst still holding the ring between those fingers), and then pull the ring away from it. You can now show that the ring is just linked onto the outer strand of the band (fig. 19). You will need to hold the right fingers close to the left fingers to ensure that you don’t expose the hidden part of the band that is secretly stretched around your left second finger.
19. You’ll now make the band link back onto the other strand in an instant, while you say, “But the opposite o f confusing m agic is simple, visual m agic that happens out in the o p en ” The method is simple: curl your second finger into your hand, allowing the band to slip off the finger. At the same time, pull the ring upward a little. You can now show that the ring has reattached itself to both strands of the band (fig. 20). Phase 4 This tim e Tomas unlinks the ring from one o f the strands, finishing with an extremely open display that looks exactly like the ring is linked on the band. Curl your right index finger around the ring from the top (fig. 21). Pull the ring toward yourself and then to the right, so that the bottom of the band rolls off the index finger first and is now pinched solely between the left index and second fingers (fig. 22). n
Without stopping, pull the ring under the left index and second fingers, causing those two fingers to enter the main loop of the band (fig. 23). At this point, an additional loop is formed over the left second and right index fingers. i Place your thumb over the back of the ring, covering the additional piece of band (fig. 24). You can now move the ring up and down the band a little to show that it is now just attached to one strand, being careful not to lift it up too high. Otherwise, you will expose the hidden loop that sits behind your index finger. During these actions, Tomas pulls his thumb over one of the strands of the band to give a small “twang” noise, to show that he has apparently plucked the ring off the strand (fig. 25). His patter up until this point is, “Ifyou ju st p u ll hard, you can get the ring o ff one o f the strands. But that's not magic, it’s physics
For an even more open display, slowly withdraw your left second finger from its loop (fig. 26) and then gently pinch the left thumb and index fingers together (fig. 27). Twist your left hand palm outward and then open up the index finger and thumb again so that the left thumb goes in fro n t of the right fingers (fig. 28). As you will see in the illustration, the left thumb covers the front of the right second finger, which is the vulnerable part of the band.
Phase 5 In this penultim ate phase, the ring and band visually unlink. Curl your right thumb into the ring and then pull with your left hand to stretch out the band about five or six inches, holding it between your left thumb and index fingers (fig. 29). Also, secretly tuck your left little finger into the band, too (fig. 30, exposed). From the front it should look as though the band is just pinched between the left thumb and first finger. Pull down on the rubber band with your left hand. Press your right first and second fingers together hard to keep everything in place.
Press down on the bottom of the ring with your right thumb, causing the ring to roll backward a little so that it can be held with the thumb pushing the ring against the first finger (fig. 31). At this moment the band is under a lot of tension, so be sure to grip it tightly with your right first and second fingers, so that the band does not prematurely slip off the ring. Pause for a moment to very cleanly show the band looped around the ring. To make the band penetrate the ring one last time, stretch out your right index finger, causing the band to fall from between the ring and finger. The band will immediately snap onto the right middle finger to display the penetration (fig. 32).
33. Phase 6 Finally, in an unexpected twist, the ring changes places with the rubber band as Tomas goes to hand the ring back to its owner. Curl your right second, third and fourth fingers into your palm (fig. 33) and release a little tension on the band so that your hands are close together (fig. 34). Gently release the band off the right second finger, allowing it to fire all the way into the left hand, which you immediately withdraw. Your audience will suspect that the band remains in the right hand, because they are not aware of the tension created by the band being secretly looped around the left little finger. Grasp your left hand into a loose fist.
The final stage is an old thimble move. Whilst keeping the three right fingers curled in, extend your index finger with the ring on it (fig. 38). Move the left hand in front of the extended, right, index finger (fig. 39), using the cover to curl the right index finger inward, and taking hold of the ring in the right thumb crotch (fig. 40, exposed view). Immediately extend your index finger again and insert it into the left fist from behind. Pull the index finger out of the left hand, apparently leaving the ring there. Move the left hand forward as you say, “ Thanks fo r lending me you r ring,” and then open the hand and gently toss the band to them. Finally, open your right hand to show that the ring and band have changed places. And now, breathe ...
Credits Bill Kalush was the first to link a finger ring onto a rubber band in his “Rubber Ringer” routine from R ichard’s Almanac, Number 13 (September 1983). Tomas’ direct inspiration to create this routine was Simon Aronsons “Ringleader” from Try the Impossible (2001), and in fact, the first part of phase four is based on a move from Simons routine. The final part of Tomas’ phase four is from “Pinnacle,” a trick released by Russ Niedzwiecki, which was marketed in 2004. The wise magician who said that confusion is not magic (as mentioned in Tomas’ patter) is, of course, Dai Vernon. While he was known to frequently say it in person, he published this thought, amongst other places, in his Expanded Lecture Notes (1970).
We take a break from your scheduled formal magic to look at an impromptu., situational spoon bend. Tomas created this to perform while at lunch with friends and that’s how he suggests you perform it too. Effect In an informal setting, Tomas places a spoon inside a cup of coffee and makes the spoon slowly bend, without even touching it. fake an empty cup and place a lump of sugar inside so that the cube touches the side of the cup. For a better effect, you could stack two lumps on top of each other and carefully place them together in the cup. (this is very easy considering nobody is expecting you to perform a trick). Tomas prefers to bend the concave opposite direction than magicians normally bend spoons. Place the spoon into your cup (carefully covering the bend, as in fig. 1), ensuring that the bowl rests on top of the sugar cube, making the handle extend out of the cup as if it was straight. You can use the spoon to move the sugar into position if it is not already there. part of the spoon toward the handle, which is in the Secretly bend your spoon while nobody is looking
Lift the cup and carefully pour coffee onto the bowl of the spoon so the coffee doesn’t directly hit the sugar. All of this is done casually and in a manner that does not suggest you are performing a trick. At this point, you are simply preparing a cup of coffee as you talk to your friends. When the cup is full, focus your friends’ attention on the cup as you hold it up so everyone can see. Quip, “ This looks like strong coffee/” Eventually your friends will see the handle of the spoon move down as if the spoon got soft. Fairly remove the spoon and turn it slowly in the air over the cup to show the bent condition.
Welcome to the Arts and Crafts section o f the book. This gimmicked bill change has astonished some o f the best in magic, and while it takes some time to construct, you will be amazed at how clean the change looks compared to more traditional sleight-of-hand methods. Effect Tomas removes a ten-dollar bill from his wallet and with a shake turns it into a twenty-dollar bill. He shows both sides of the bill both before and after the change. Requirements You need two identical small denomination bills and two identical large denomination bills (for explanation purposes, I will use ten and twenty-dollar bills). Unlike other tricks of this nature, the bills do not need to be the same size. In his home country, Tomas changes a Swedish fifty-kronor bill (a small yellow bill) into a onehundred-kronor bill (a large, green bill). You will also need some re-adjustable spray-on glue, such as 3M spray mount. Prop Construction We will start by preparing the widest bill (or the highest denomination if your bills are the same). In our example, take one of the twenty-dollar bills and place it face up on a sheet of paper to avoid spraying glue onto your table. Cover the right quarter of the bill with another piece of paper (fig. 1), so that the spray mount will not cover that part of the bill, and spray a light layer of glue onto the exposed parts of the bill. With regards to how much glue to use, I will
paraphrase elite gaff-maker Don England: “If you think you have sprayed too little, you have probably sprayed too much!” The next step is to mount this bill onto the other twenty-dollar bill. The easiest way is to raise the glued bill vertically, so that the lower long side is touching the table (fig. 2). Carefully place the duplicate bill onto the sprayed area, but only pinch the bills together in the unglued corner (fig. 3). Perfectly align the right short edges of the two bills using the table to align the long sides (fig. 4), as you carefully press the bills completely together to make them look like a single bill (fig. 5).
Hold the bills so that the unglued part is on the 6. right. Fold the left side of the bill over to the right, but slightly off centre so the left side does not quite reach the right side (fig. 6). Repeat this by folding the left part of the already folded bill to the right, but again just slightly less than the width of the folded bill. The bill is now folded into quarters (fig. 7). The off-centre folds make sure the hidden bills don’t peek out from the gaff during performance. Open up the glued bills so that the unglued section is on the right. Grip the lower right corner of the upper bill and fold it diagonally until it touches the rightmost fold. This will form a perfect square in the lower right corner, with the fold in the upper bill forming a diagonal (fig. 8). For the gimmick to work, the height of this square needs to extend past the middle of the height of the bill. Tomas has not seen any bills that do not automatically meet this requirement, but if your country’s bills are the anomaly, you simply need to fold the bill even more off centre when you fold it into quarters. l
Repeat the same process with the two ten-dollar bills. However, this time cover about a quarter of the left side with a piece of paper so that it does not get glued (fig. 9). And when you fold the bills, fold the right part up and to the left twice (fig. 10). A small note if your bills are different sizes: the aim is to make the distance from the left edge to the leftmost fold match the width of the square in the other bill-pair we folded earlier. That means that you probably have to make these folds a bit more off-centre to the right if the different denominations differ much in width. Now unfold the ten-dollar bill so that the unglued area is on the left. Fold the inner left corner of the upper bill diagonally up to the right, until it touches the leftmost fold (fig. 11). The square formed should be exactly the same size as the square you formed on the other bills.
Take each pair of bills and fold the corners back down. Split the unglued quarters apart and spray some glue inside, being very careful to not get any glue on the outside. Fold the corner up again as you press the freshly glued parts together on each bill-pair. Place the bill-pairs face to face with the tens on top so the inner right corners perfectly match up (fig. 12). Separate the bills a bit to look inside and to see that the folded corners also perfectly line up and get glued together. The gaff is now complete. However, you now need to pre-fold the gimmick to make it easy to use in performance. Separate the bills so both are face up and use the table to flatten them. Fold the fastened corners back and forth to weaken the crease and to ensure that it can easily fold in both directions. Put the bills face up onto the table so the lower right corner of the twenty-dollar bill is flat (fig. 13) . Fold the bill twice along its creases, again (fig. 14) , and then fold the top portion down, but offcentre, to form a perfectly square package (fig. 15). Unfold the last two folds, and then fold the top part down along the guide creases you just made (fig. 16, next page). Fold the left part over to the right, to again form a square package. Crease this firmly, and then unfold the bill completely.
Next, place the gaff so that the narrower bill is facing you (fig. 17). Fold down its inner left corner so it looks like a complete unfolded bill. Repeat the mirror actions of what you just did with the other bill, until you have folded it into a square package. Don’t forget to unfold the last two folds and to refold the top portion down before folding the final fold from right to left. Crease this package before unfolding the bill completely. Setup Tomas likes to store the bill in his wallet. If you do this, ensure that the back of the bill you want to show first (the ten-dollar bill) is on the outside, folded once, with the other bill folded up inside it. This eliminates any risk of flashing the other bill as you bring the gaff out. Handling Remove the bill and open it up with its back toward the audience. It will look like you show the back of a bill, but a folded bill is hidden behind its lower left corner and can’t be seen from the front (fig. 18 shows the front, and fig. 19 shows your view). Your left fingers can grip the very edge of the bill to further hide it. To cleanly show the other side of the bill, simply grip the top edge of the hidden package with your right hand, fingers between the package and the ten-dollar bill, and thumb on your side, as you rotate the hidden package ninety degrees clockwise (fig. 20). This automatically turns the visible bill to face the audience. A good rule of thumb: if you can see the hidden package, the audience can’t!
Reverse the actions to again show the back of the bill to the spectators. Finish with the visible bill facing the spectators. Fold the left part of the bill to the right along its p re-folded crease (fig. 21). Fold the top part down and let the right fingers cover the top part of the hidden package (fig. 22). From here there are three ways to perform the bill change: First folding method Fold the part with the hidden package to the left, and then immediately open the package to the right again, only opening the layers closest to the audience (fig. 23, next page). It will look as though the bill
changes as you quickly fold and unfold it. If the bills have different colours, the change actually happens as this fold is made, not as it is unfolded. Second folding method Alternatively, you can just fold the thin part of the gaff and then immediately unfold all but the inner layer (fig. 24). If the bills are different colours, the change is seen as the unfolding happens. No-fold method For this method, do not fold the gaff into a square, but hold it so that it looks like a bill folded once along its width and once along its height (fig. 25). You will notice that you have a flap at the front that can be folded back and forth. During a shake of the bill or a wave of a hand in front of the bill, fold that flap over and it will look like the bill changes, without ever having been folded further. Whichever change you choose, you are now in the same position. Simply unfold the visible bill and the hidden bill will be at the lower left corner (fig. 26). Show both sides of the bill a few times as before, but stop when the back is toward the audience (fig. 27 from the audience’s view). Fold the bill once toward you, which hides the other bill inside (fig. 32). You can now safely put the gaff into your wallet and end the trick.
In this version, a twenty-dollar bill is eerily split into two ten-dollar bills. The gimmick is identical to the one previously described, but the smaller denomination must be half that of the larger denomination for the presentation to make sense. You will need an extra bill of the smaller denomination. Unfold both bills and place them back-to-back with the lower denomination facing you (fig. 29). Lay the loose bill face-to-face with the one on the gaff, but moved half of its width to the left (fig. 30, next page). Fold the right part of the gaffed bill over it to the left (fig. 31, next page). 29.