Andy Martin

Here we have another Egyptian styled item from Dietmar Willert, this time Willert has recreated Wolfgang Grosskopf’s amazing Ring Tower.  And what a wonderful job he has done too.  This is the first one I have seen of these and I’m not sure if they ever arrived in the USA via Joe Stevens when he was promoting a few of Dietmar Willert’s other items c. 1990.  On the bottom it shows “1/88”.  This does not mean 1 of 88 made but #1 and the year it was manufactured: 1988.  So this is likely the first one that Mr. Willert made.

The effect is a really wonderful impossible vanish from the clever mind of Wolfgang Grosskopf.  The thing that is interesting about Grosskopf’s original routine is that it is different from how the later ones from Vienna Magic (and others) were described – instead of a ring penetration, this is a ring vanish and reproduction from impossible location.  You could perform either effect but I prefer the presentation where the ring just completely vanishes and is found somewhere else as I think it gives less clues as to what possibly could have happened.

I found a really cool ring appearance that works very well with this.  However, for the routine I show in the video you would need to have a duplicate ring which was not a problem for me, but might be for you.  In which case you would need to use a different method to retrieve the ring such as a RSVP Hero box.

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This is a wonderful idea and looks amazing.

However, the quality of this prop is a little questionable so I don’t know how long it will last, but it actually works well thus far.  The band thickness you can use is also quite limited, it only works with thin bands and I would not want to give the prop to the spectator to open for very long, but in a controlled environment it can be a really amazing effect.

The remote is small and works very well.  Once you have a ring that fits you’ll find this very easy to perform.

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What a clever item from Seventy years ago from Abbott’s!  I’ve never seen seen a Rising Cards like this before and I love it!  The mechanism is very well made and is still working perfectly after seventy years, so I think it will likely last another seventy!

It doesn’t use any of the previously used methods including:

• Swiss Motor
• Watch Motor
• Threads – Wires – Elastics – Catgut – Hairs
• Springs
• Weights
• Sand
• Magnets
• Electronics
• Moving Rollers
• Faked Decks.

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This is the original version of Abbott’s Vampire – it is not my favorite version of the classic effect The Vampire Block.  But as long as you have the correct gimmick it can work very smoothly as the video show.

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This beautiful custom made Checker Cabinet that was originally created for Tommy Kochel and the method is faithfully based on the Okito (Bamberg) Checker Cabinet approach which is quite different from the Owen’s approach used for their Temple of Cambodia.

When I received this, it was anything but smooth or silent, and a little beaten up.  However, with some TLC and some of the amazing Graphite Lubricant from Amazon and some spray paint it not only looks perfect it runs very smoothly now, which I hope the video will demonstrate.

Craig Beytien of Illusion Arts Magic really has built a wonderful looking prop and I spent some time coming up with an interesting patter story and now you have something that will work well for those intimate Halloween parties around the log fire 🙂

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Another wonderfully crafted Vintage Abbott’s recreation from the talented Rocky Clements. This time Rocky has created one of my favorite effects: the Vampire Block.

Last year Rocky Clements made a faithful recreation of Abbott’s Vampire and did a wonderful job.  However, there were a couple of issues I had with the original version and I shared my ideas with Rocky and some of those he has incorporated into this Deluxe version.

The three significant changes he made are:

• The weight of the block has increased from 11.6 oz to 16.8 ozs, that is a 45% increase in weight and it solves what I consider the biggest issue with the original version of Abbott’s Vampire.
• The height of the block is a about 1/2″ taller to aid in the illusion (you can see this difference in the final photo).
• The size of the gimmick is now specified so that you don’t have to guess at what is the correct size any more!  If you know the effect you will immediately know what I am talking about here.

After playing with this version I can safely say Rocky has now created one of the best all around versions of the Vampire Block ever created and I’m pleased to see this beauty on my site.

An amazing recreation and improvement Rocky – great job 🙂

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There have been many versions of the Spelling Bee effect dating at least as far back as 1891 and Robert Houdin. Denis Behr on his magnificent Conjuring Archive lists quite a few but there are many more references I could find when performing a search. However, I was unable to find a version that uses the same method as  Irv Cook, though there certainly could be.  The method itself is not new but the application in this way could be.  Irv created his version of Spelling Bee in the 1980’s and it was always a great method for the effect.  The problem for me was the routine was over all too quickly. When Louis Paul used his talents to create this beautiful version I knew the routine had to deliver more.

Louis has done an incredible job with his version.  Everything about it is flawless.  In the instructions he mentioned how the word TEACHER could be rewritten as CHEATER which was the inspiration for my routine below.

When you have such a beautiful and expensive prop it is a shame for it to be over too quickly.  Hopefully you will like my routine and upcoming Speed Demo.

Louis you have done a really amazing job here and I’m pleased to add this prop to my Lump In The Throat category 🙂

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What a amazing idea from the talented German Craftsman and Inventor!

This is the rare original box invented by Herbert Martin Paufler c. 1977 and subsequently published as the article  “Die Augen links – die Augen rechts” (Zauberkunst, February, 1980).  Paufler’s box is finished in natural wood and the unique idea is very clever.  The routine supplied in the original article is fairly brief, but the genius in this item is the method, not the published routine. Once you have the box you could create quite a few routines – the principle is very flexible.

This box was re-released by Eckhard Boettcher c. 1993 and manufactured by Uli Kigele as Diabolus-Kassette with more routines and a very distinctive black and red look. But the method was exactly the same.

I am just scratching the surface of what this box can do.  It is a utility box that permits two specific events. But with some thought you can do even more. The reset is quick and you can show the box cleanly.  You can make things appear, vanish or change and there are no flaps to deal with.

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This is a stripped down version of Carl Rosini’s Card Transpostion and I really like the simplicity of it.

Perfectly crafted by Colin Rose and routined by Patrick Page.  The tray does all the work for you so you can concentrate on making the whole performance clean and amazing!

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Abe Creekmore  made some good quality and interesting magic.  This item I wanted to really like, but although I can make it work it is not working the way I expect.

What I expect from this type of candle is you press a release and then the candle slowly falls down.  Something like Chaplin’s Candle by Collectors’ Workshop. However, try as I may this one does not appear to go down on its own.  You have to use a lever from beneath the tray – it can still all be done out of view, but you need to be holding the tray.

What is perplexing is that there is a spring mechanism which you’d think would drive the motion, but I think that is primarily do dampen the fall and not to activate it. But reading the instructions that is not clear at all.

Anyway, your mileage may vary and maybe I’m missing something really obvious, but as far as I can tell, when you release the catch the candle will be stationary until you pull a lever under the tray.

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