The Magnetic Knife

A common table knife magnetically clings to your hands!

REQUIREMENTS: One table knife.

A magician should be able to perform magic anywhere he goes! This one is good for the dinner table. Interweave your fingers as in Figure 1, but don ' t pick up the knife yet. When you interweave your fingers, secretly leave the middle finger of one hand loose ( Figure 2 ). If you arrange your fingers right, no one will be able to tell one finger is loose when looking at your hands from the other side!

The ABRACADABRA Card Trick

Here is a great card trick that has the advantage of being self - working!

REQUIREMENTS: 21 random cards from any deck.

To perform the trick: Take 21 cards and deal them out into three columns by dealing seven rows of three. Deal three cards across for the first row, then another card on top of each for the next row, and so on until you have seven rows of cards in three columns for a total of 21 cards. Make sure you deal out each of the rows so you can still see the cards behind it. Now have someone think of any card in one of the columns, and then tell you which column the card is in. Pick up one of the other columns, then the column he chose, and then the last column, so that the column with the chosen card is between the other two. Deal them out again the same as before, and have your volunteer tell you which column the card is now in. Again, pick up the cards so that the column he pointed to is between the other two. Repeat the process of dealing out the cards, having him tell you which column his card is now in, and picking up the cards so that the column with his card is between the other two columns. You have now done this three times, and it ' s time to find his card! Hold the cards face down in your hand, as if you were going to deal them out again, but instead ask your volunteer if he has ever heard the magic word ABRACADABRA. Say that not many people know it, but ABRACADABRA is a magic word for finding things, and that you ' ll show him what you mean. Spell the word ABRACADABRA, and for each letter deal one of the cards face down on the table. When you reach the last " A ", pause, and then turn over that card. It will be the chosen card! As long as you spell ABRACADABRA right, this trick will work everytime!

Burning Sugar

You can make sugar burn, but no one else can!

REQUIREMENTS: Several lumps of sugar, some cigarette ashes, matches or a lighter.

In this age of granulated sugar substitutes, and with the fortunate decline in the popularity of smoking, both lump sugar and cigarette ashes are becoming less common items. Not that this won ' t work with granulated real sugar, but it is more impressive with lump. If you have access to both items, you can perform a scientific magic trick that has become nothing short of a classic! Normally, if you try to light sugar with a flame, it may bubble and melt, but it won ' t actually catch fire. Unless you know how. Challenge the members of your audience to light a cube of sugar, and pass out several cubes of sugar to them. While they are attempting to get one of the sugar cubes to light, secretly get some cigarette ash on your finger tips. Try to get as much as you can. Have an audience member select a sugar cube, and as you pick it up transfer the ash to the sugar cube. Now, hold a flame to the portion of the cube with the ash on it, and it will light easily!

This is practically real magic! The pendulum historically has in fact been used as a divining tool, and nobody is really able to explain exactly how it works. Most likely, it is the subconscious effect of the thoughts of the person holding the pendulum ' s string that influences the way it swings. Or not...

Magic Question - Answering Pendulum

The pendulum answers questions " Yes " or " No " by howit swings, even when held by a volunteer!
REQUIREMENTS: A pendulum, which is practically any kind of weight suspended from any kind of string.
If you have a crystal hanging on a silver chain, this will do perfectly. You can also use any kind of bead, or a fishing weight, or even a hardware washer, and tie whatever kind of weight you come up with to the end of a string. It ' s a pendulum!
Hold the pendulum yourself, or have someone else hold it. Have whomever is holding the pedulum ask a question, and without their doing anything, the pendulum will begin to swing! It will swing in a straight line for " Yes " ( Figure 1 ), and in a circle for " No " ( Figure 2 ). Even if you challenge the person to hold the pendulum still, no matter how hard they try to keep it steady it will continue to answer every question!

Afghan Bands

Also known as " The Perplexing Mystery Of The Moebius Bands ", this is a self - working trick that seems to defy logic! A loop is cut in half lengthwise, but instead of two loops, you have one long loop! You try again, but now instead of two separate loops you have two loops linked together! Even you will be amazed when it happens!
REQUIREMENTS:
A strip of newspaper or cloth cut about 4 " wide by 3 ' long.

Cut it so the the grain runs with the length of the strip. Paste or glue. Moebius strips are a mathematical oddity that can be used in magic to produce unbelievable results. Basically, a moebius strip is a loop which has been cut at one point, given a half twist, and reconnected. It now has only one side and one edge. I know that sounds weird, but try making a simple moebius strip out of a 2 " wide strip of newspaper, and run your finger around the edge. It will first go around the outside of the loop, then when it reaches the twist it will go all the way around the inside of the loop, and when it reaches the twist again, it will go all the way around the outside again. It literally has only one side, or edge.
To prepare the trick: Take your strip of cloth or paper ( if you use cloth make sure it is easily tearable ). At one end cut a slit about 3 " long down the middle of the band. At the other end cut another slit along the middle about 1 inch long ( Figure 1 ).
Bring the ends of the cloth or paper together to make a loop. But, before you connect the ends with glue, give one of the 3 inch slits a half twist ( Figure 2 ), and the other 3 inch slit a full twist ( Figure 3 ). Then, glue the ends together as in Figure 3.
To perform the trick: Take the prepared loop and tear it down the middle into two loops ( Figure 4 ). You will now have one loop with a half twist in it, and one loop with a full twist.
Now, for the really weird part. When you take the loop with the full twist in it and tear it down the middle, everyone expects you to get another two complete loops, AND YOU DO... ONLY THEY ' RE LINKED TOGETHER as in Figure 5! And, when you take the loop with the half twist and tear that loop down the middle, instead of two separate loops or two connected loops, YOU JUST GET ONE BIG LOOP! ( Figure 6 )
Try it and see
NOTE: It is important when you cut or tear the bands thay you stay in the center all throughout the cut. Start the tear at one end, or place the scissors in, and then carefully cut in a straight line, staying in the center of the band and working your way around the center of the entire band until you reach the point where you began.

The Hypnotized Handkerchief

Hypnotize a handkerchief to move at your command!

REQUIREMENTS: One handkerchief with a hem, one drinking straw
In order to perform this effect you will need to take a drinking straw and flatten it out.
This is easier with the old fashioned paper straws, but a plastic straw will do.
Be careful not to mangle the straw as you flatten it. Next, sew the straw into the hem of a handkerchief as s
hown in Figure 1. Make certain the straw is secured in place so it won ' t slip down in the hem.
When ready to perform the trick, grasp the corner indicated with an " A " in Figure 1.








Tie a knot in that corner and let the handkerchief hang down from the knot. Announce you are going to
" hypnotize " the handkerchief. With your other hand take the middle of the handkerchief where corner " B " is,
as in Figure 2, and drop the knot. Gesture with your free hand as if " hypnotizing the handkerchief.












By moving your thumb on the straw, you can cause the handkerchief to slowly rise until it seems balanced on your
fingers ( Figure 3 ), and then gently drop back down!

The Cryptic Coin Balance

You burden tally a coin at your fingertips, but no one amassed incumbency!

REQUIREMENTS: One goodly coin, one straight pin Here ' s a protracted trick to determine your mastery of creativity over matter!

Retain a regular straight pin concealed ropes one hand, between the rudimentary two fingers.
Dissemble the other hand, pull a coin out of your pocket and let on firm to equate equipped by the rally, or borrow a coin
from one of them! When you impress the coin back, field authentic down on top of the straight pin command your other hand.
Instanter, stand the coin to a standing position near the ends of your fingers, and through you wrap up elevate the straight pin curtain it,
making sure no one but you knows the pin is there. Keep pressure on the pin held between your two fingers,
and the coin will balance there as if held by unseen forces! You can talk about mind over matter, or wiggle the fingers
of your other hand over the coin as if that was where your power emanated from! After a few moments,
slowly release pressure on the pin, and it should let the coin gently drift back down onto your fingers!
Don ' t forget to get rid of the pin while people are examining the coin again!