Magic

How to Make a Magicians Tool Box

A Magician's toolkit is essentially a box of any materials he or she might need for their tricks. These may, and almost always do, vary from performer to performer. This article is essentially just a list of things you might want in your toolkit if you are just starting out.

EditSteps

                1

1. Go out and buy a fishing tackle box (optional). 
2. Think about the kind of magic you want to do: coin, card, rope, or handkerchief.   
3. Go out and get materials.
4. For coin magic:
   • 5 John F. Kennedy half dollar coins.
   • A small translucent glass with a recessed bottom.
   • A coin purse (optional).
5. 
   
Card magic:
• 4 identical decks of cards two red and two blue.
6. 
   
Rope magic:
• Cotton clothes line from a hardware store.
• A pair of scissors.
7. 
   
Handkerchief magic:
• Obviously enough, a handkerchief.
• Thumb-tip.
9. Extraneous:
• Black thread.
• Magician's wax.
      

 Card Trick #8

What You Need:

• Deck of cards

Instructions:

1. Show your friend three cards and make him pick one and remember it.
2. Put the three cards in your pocket.
3. Bring out two cards and lay them face-down on the table so neither of you can look at them.
4. Ask your friend to tell you what card he picked earlier.
5. After he tells you, reach into your pocket and bring out his card!

Here’s how to do it:

1. Before starting this trick, put an extra two cards in your pocket that only you know about.
2. When you display the three cards for your friend, remember what order they are in when you put them in your pocket. (These will join your secret cards)
3. The two cards you pull out and put on the table in step 3 are actually the two secret cards you put in your pocket earlier. After your friend tells you which card he picked from the original three, you can reach into your pocket and find the one he chose because you remembered the order that they were in when you put them there!

                   

                                    I Know Your Number

What You Need:

• A sheet of blank paper, folded into thirds
• 3 pencils
• 3 friends

Instructions:

1. Tear the paper neatly along the folds so that you have three sheets of equal size. The smaller sheets may seem identical, but actually the center sheet is ragged on two sides, while the end sheets are ragged only on one side. No one will notice this, but you will see it is an important difference, which will help you succeed with this trick!
2. Hand the center sheet and a pencil to someone in your audience. Ask them to write any number and to fold the sheet into thirds. Tell the participant to concentrate on their number.
3. Hand the remaining sheets and pencils to two other audience members. Ask them to write numbers and to fold the sheets into thirds.
4. Collect the papers and scramble them.
5. Pull out the first volunteers sheet. You’ll know it’s theirs because it’s the only sheet with two ragged edges. Hold up the sheet and ask the volunteer if it is their number, and they will be amazed that you picked the right one!

 I Know Your Card

What You Need:

• A deck of cards

Instructions:

1. Get a deck of cards. Without being obvious, look at the top card.
2. Ask your friend to pick any card in the deck. Tell your friend to memorize it. Then tell her to put it on the top of the deck.
3. Cut the deck and put the bottom of the deck on top, then look for the card.
4. If you find the card that was on the top of the deck, your friend’s card will be the card to the left of it. (Remember to start searching the deck from the bottom.)

                    

   Rope Trick  

Effect: 

Holding a piece of rope, the magician places the ends of the rope into his hands and closes his fingers around the ends.  The magician shakes the rope slightly, says a magic word, blows on his hands and drops one end of the rope.  Magic!  The end has a knot in it!

Supplies: 

One long piece rope

Secret: 

The rope already has a knot in one end...  Tie a knot in one end of the rope.  Hide this end with the knot in your hand and bring the other end of the rope up next to it.  Shake your hand as if you're trying to knot it.  Drop the end with the knot and it looks like you have tied a knot in the rope using one hand.

MAGIC!

                     

 Pepper Trick     

Effect: 

Magician has cup with pepper and water.

Volunteer puts fingers in water trying to separate the pepper - nothing happens.

Magician puts fingers in water and the pepper separates.

Supplies: 

• Water
• Soap
• Pepper
• Cup
• (make sure there is a sink nearby so volunteer can wash hand)

Secret: 

Put water in a cup then regular pepper.

Before show, rub soap on your fingers -- don't let anyone see you do this.  (The soap will separate the pepper)

MAGIC!          

Magic Envelope Trick 

Effect: 

The magician asks for a volunteer to write down four numbers on a piece of paper.

The magician asks the volunteer to TOTAL up the numbers.

The magician opens a sealed envelope and it has the same number as the TOTAL!

(or have the magic puppet pull out an envelope and hand it to the magician.  Have the puppet "whisper" to the magician to open up the envelope.)

Supplies:

• piece of paper
   
• a pen
   
• an envelope

Secret:

Before the show, write down a four figure number that is 2 times the current year's date.  For example, in the year 2000, the number would = 4000.  In the year 2001, the number would = 4002

Seal the paper in the envelope.

At the show, ask a helper to write down the year he was born.

Ask him to write down the year of an important event in his life (for example, the year he started school or the year he lost his first tooth)

Ask him to write down his age
(How many years old will you be at the end of the current year?)

Ask him to write down the number of years that have passed since the important event
(What anniversary will you celebrate in the current year?)

(these numbers HAVE to be right *grin*...  If it's been 4 years since the event and he writes down 3, the trick won't work)

The years have to be whole numbers (he can't say he's 6 and a half years old...it has to be 7.)

Have the assistant TOTAL the 4 numbers.

Open the envelope.  The TOTAL will be the same as the number you already wrote down!

For example:
The year is 2011.  (Times two is 4022 which is the number written on the paper in the envelope.)
Kaitlyn was born in 1997
She will turn 14 this year.
Kaitlyn started school in 2002.
In 2011 she will celebrate her 9th anniversary since she started school.

1997 + 14 + 2002 + 9 = 4022 the same as the number in the envelope.              

 Magic Bottle Trick

Effect: 

The magician asks for a volunteer from the audience who looks inside a bottle to make sure it's a normal, empty container.

The volunteer returns the bottle and then examines a magic wand to ensure it is normal.

The magician drops the wand into the bottle (noting how easily it falls in).

He/she turns bottle over and lets go of the wand.

The wand magically remains suspended in the bottle.

Supplies:

~a magic wand (could use a pencil instead) that is taller than the bottle (when you drop the wand into the bottle, part of it should still be sticking up through the opening.
~a bottle that has an opening large enough to fit the wand in (but not too big).  The bottle cannot be see-through
~an eraser

If you don't have a bottle that is dark, you can put some dark paint inside the bottle and shake it around so the inside is painted.

Cut a piece off the eraser, just large enough to wedge the wand into the opening of the bottle.  The eraser is what makes the trick work!

Secret:

Pass the bottle to the volunteer and ask them to make sure its empty.

Take back the bottle and give your friend the wand.  Meanwhile, slip the piece of eraser into the bottle without anyone seeing (you can have it in your pocket until this point).   You'll need to practice this a few times.

Take the wand back and drop it into the bottle.

Pick up the wand and bottle and turn them VERY SLOWLY upside down (mumble all sorts of enchantments while you're doing this).  Pull on the wand slightly when the bottle is turning over so the piece of eraser gets wedged into the opening (you'll need to practice this a few times too).

Let go of the wand...  PRESTO!  It doesn't fall out.

Slowly turn upright again.  Let go of everything and PRESTO the wand remains suspended in the bottle (it doesn't fall back down).

To remove the wand, push it slightly to release the rubber and then take it out.

           

                                    Mental Magic Tricks

A Selection of mental trick observations and ideas that you can improvise on.

1. “Think of any card” it's a wild guess but a spectator will almost always think of the Nine of diamonds, Ace of spades, Queen of Hearts or the Six of Clubs.

Have each of those cards hidden on you in different pockets, remember which card is where so that you can reveal the hopefully chosen card.

2. “Pick a number between 50-100 with even and different digits.” Answer: 68.

3. “Pick a number between 1-1,000” Answer:333

4. Fan a set of cards with one face card and the 4H in the center, nine times out of ten the spectator will pick the four because it's in the center and it appears uncommon. (i.e. 7C,AD,4H,KH,9D).

Have a duplicate 4H, already slipped into the spectators pocket and ask them to check the pocket after they have hopefully selected the 4H from your cards.

5. Borrow a coin from someone, secretly switch it  with an already bent coin that you had in your hand and have them hold your coin in their hand.Tell them to concentrate and imagine that the coin that they are holding is bending.

When they open their hand to examine the coin, they will think that the coin has bent while in their hand. Tell them that they have bent it with their mind! Just collect a coin and carefully bend it in a vice prior to performing the trick.

Say some Blaine like things to help your magic such as: “Let me show you something strange, I'm going to try something, I've never done this before, It's bizarre, Do you (Did you) feel that? That's crazy, That's scary, Can I try something with you?”                                                        




JUMPING TRICK

Performance : Three cards are presented to the audience, two jacks and a non face card. the cards are clearly displayed, front and back. The magician then deals the cards on the table, face down. When the cards are turned over, the non face card has been replaced by a jack ???

                                      

CARD CHANGE MAGIC TRICK


This is a really good magic card trick where a card is seen to change into another card after it has been given a magic rub. This illusion is performed right under your audience's nose which makes it even more convincing. Such is the beauty of close up magic.
The How To Magic Instruction Video on this page shows the card trick being demonstrated then gives an explanation of how the magic trick was done.