Classic Magic - Custom Magic

The Cups and Balls Routine is considered the oldest magic effect on record. Images of this routine were found written in stone on the great pyramids of Egypt! It's still performed by street performers, and all kinds of magicians today. These are hand sewn, and leather cut baseballs I made over the weekend. I made them in a lemon peel style. I can't tell you how difficult it is to take something flat like leather, and shape it into something round! I finally have a complete set that match!

Dummy Restoration 2

This is a Paul Winchell, Jerry Mahoney, Semi-Pro ventriloquist dummy. I was asked to restore him from a magician friend Vanishing Vinny. He has a great trick he's doing that requires a very classy looking dummy.For the restoration we came up with a fair barter. He would design for me some important promotional material I needed for an upcoming magic show, and I would restore the dummy for his magic show. I accepted the challenge and it took me about 2 full days of work to finish.The original clothes were stained, torn, and stinky! the creepy part was that their were sweat stains on his collar.Anyway, I took apart his clothes piece by piece and slowly replicated his outfit. He works great!

Dummy Restoration

mint box card trick

Mint Box Card Trick is built inside of an Altoids tin. There is a wooden frame inside. The handle is made of wire from an old hanger and an eraser. A carved wine cork keeps the hole sealed on top. A few other sneaky things make the selected card rise. Everything needed for this trick is inside the tin. Everything, including the cards, fit to make this effect all self-contained.

Ball Box

"Ball Box" is made from repurposed cigar boxes, bottle caps, and wine cork. The foundation of the box is made from pine. The box's interior uses traditional magic principles for vanishing an object. The hinges for the doors on either side are made from a clothing hanger. The wire was cut and pressed in to fit from the top and bottom, so the doors can swing freely.

The Dream Box

"The Dream Box" is made in a repurposed Upper Cut cigar box. I used leather, brass, different foam boards, and cardstock to build the inside and outside. The handle is made from a wire clothes hanger. There is woodburning done on the front, and it's glossed over with ModgePodge. This box is the beginning of something I have always wanted to make: to have someone name any card, then to turn a handle on a box, and have that card appear. Watch the video, and let me know what you think! I'm curious to know how this holds up before I really start trying to perform it.

The Nickel Box

"The Nickel Box" was made from copper, wood, bolts, screws, epoxy, scrap metal, skeleton key, paint, and nails. The tiny box was made from scratch, using scrap wood from another cigar box. All of the copper was hand cut to fit the box. I love this routine, because no electricity is required for it to work. The goal of this project was to create a magic effect that works like a crank toy.

The Jedi Mind Trick

"The Jedi Mind Trick" started with a Star Wars "Return Of The Jedi" soundtrack cassette I found at a thrift store. Playing around with the case, I realized that playing cards fit almost perfectly inside, if you remove a few plastic stubs from the interior. The stand is a soap container from Walmart. A strong LED lights up in the center. The sound is from a musical greeting card. Everything, including the rise of the card, is perfectly synchronized to the music, with the help of a micro-controller.

Think Of A Card Box

"Think Of A Card Box" is made inside of a Griffin's cigar box. There are electronics built inside to make the magic part work properly. When you put a quarter in the slot, the lightbulb lights up and the switches begin to work. With a shuffled pack of cards, you have someone think of one as you pass the cards individually between your hands. At the end of the routine the thought-of card is revealed. I love this piece because it combines woodburning, electronics, and magic. The turning handle also reminds me of old-fashioned music boxes.

Coins Across

"Coins Across" is a classic of magic. The trick dates back to way before I was born. It's when someone makes a couple of coins travel from one hand to the other, using sleight of hand and charm. There are many magicians that have become well known because of this one effect. I think every full-time magician has a coins across effect that they regularly perform. This is my version using scrap wood, a mint tin, copper, felt, and some sneaky stuff you can't see. I really like this magic trick because it speaks for itself; you don't need to talk while you're performing it. 

The Cocoa Card Rise

"The Cocoa Card Rise" is made inside of a vintage Walter Baker tin. The turning knob was found outside of my band's practice space, and I believe it comes from a banjo. The card wire frame is made from coat hangers and copper wire. This is a classic of magic. Usually, a selected card mysteriously rises from a pack without anyone touching the cards. I chose to use the banjo knob as part of the trick because it reminds me of old wind up toys. The best part is that any deck of cards can be used, and even after shuffling, the selected card rises!