One of the most classic and mystical tricks ever invented in the history of magic is the Vanishing Birdcage trick. There were many versions of vanishing birdcage but Clarence Slyter has made a decided improvement to it.
Slyter uses the arm pull. But he has a spring heavy reel attached to the strap on his left wrist. Before he is ready for the vanish the cord is sufficiently long to be easily attached to the cage. When the cage is in his hands he spreads his arms sufficiently to release the catch on the reel. This takes up the excess cord until it is sufficiently short to make the vanish in the usual way. A catch on the cord itself, entering the reel, prevents the cord from being pulled out under the force of the vanish. There are reels made which have sufficient strength to pull the cage into the sleeve or beneath the clothing when released.
For objects smaller and lighter than a cage, a props commonly used by magicians is an elastic pull. One popular model is called the ‘Raven’. In fact, David Blaine used it to vanish a coin on the back of the audience’s hand. The secret of it is an elastic cord fixed inside his jacket with another end attached to a magnet. At the beginning of the trick, David Blaine holds the magnet in his right hand secretly with a small fish string. A coin is placed on the back of the audience’s hand. As David Blaine’s hand is waved over the coin, the magnet attracted the coin and at the same time he releases the string so that the coin and the magnet fly back inside his jacket. His both hands can then be shown empty and the coin vanished into thin air.
A variation of the cord pull has been used for The Chimney Vanish. The handkerchief is hooked into a loop of catgut, as it is stuffed into the cylinder. The cylinder is held between the palms. The handkerchief is plainly visible through the glass. One moment it is there. The next, it is gone.
Rather than an elastic cord, some magician uses a retraction reel to do the trick. The reel is constructed with a strong spring inside. An inelastic cord is looped onto the reel. The cord is pulled out for use and stuck by a catch so that it does not spring back. The handkerchief attached to the cord is displayed and manipulated in any desired way. When the magician is ready, the cord is pulled again and the catch is released. The handkerchief then goes up the sleeve likewise.
According the theme of a trick, any objects can be adapted to be vanished by a pull. Things like big round cages, lamps, sweeps, vases and candles have been vanished by magicians using pulls throughout the history. But of course, they are all specially gimmicked props which are collapsible. A props might look like a heavy solid bowling ball but in fact would easily become a thin bundle upon a simple tuck. Things like this make miracles possible.
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