Search found 23 matches

by Zach Taylor
June 9th, 2012, 9:04 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Cutting to 26
Replies: 19
Views: 5738

Re: Cutting to 26

Excellent idea, thanks.
by Zach Taylor
June 9th, 2012, 5:12 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Cutting to 26
Replies: 19
Views: 5738

Cutting to 26

Are there any good ways to practice cutting a deck directly in half? I've been turning the 27th card down face up and then re-squaring and repeatedly cutting the deck, which seems like a solid idea. However, I was curious about whether there were alternate approaches that others have had success with.
by Zach Taylor
February 17th, 2012, 1:49 am
Forum: General
Topic: Question Regarding Magic Managers
Replies: 0
Views: 913

Question Regarding Magic Managers

I was wondering what the industry title is for the backstage person who is responsible for managing the illusions, advising on the choosing and building of new ones, etc. For instance, Billy Robinson in regards to his time working for Keller and Herrmann the Great. As a second question, how does one...
by Zach Taylor
January 26th, 2012, 9:52 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Taking Care of Your Coins
Replies: 10
Views: 2789

Re: Taking Care of Your Coins

Precisely. :) Magic with borrowed objects greatly increases the impact of the effect because the mere act of borrowing cancels out the notion of gaffed coins in the minds of the spectators. (Thanks, HL!) With regards to half-dollars: most magicians like them because they are pretty easy to classic ...
by Zach Taylor
January 26th, 2012, 5:23 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Taking Care of Your Coins
Replies: 10
Views: 2789

Re: Taking Care of Your Coins

If your objective is to keep them shiny and clean, brushing the coins with an old toothbrush and toothpaste and rinsing well works pretty well and is readily available wherever you are. If you wish to avoid denting and chipping the coins during the inevitable drops, practicing over a soft surface s...
by Zach Taylor
January 26th, 2012, 12:23 am
Forum: General
Topic: Taking Care of Your Coins
Replies: 10
Views: 2789

Taking Care of Your Coins

Friendly greetings! I recently obtained the first two volumes of the Tarbell course for Christmas, and upon reading up to lesson 3 found that coins of .50 cent size were recommended. I poked around and managed to get a couple rolls of circulated coins from a local bank, and from these rolls I was ab...
by Zach Taylor
June 30th, 2011, 7:39 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Proper Use of the Pass
Replies: 63
Views: 13826

Re: Proper Use of the Pass

Well my first instinct is that it would make an incredibly natural and fair card control if handled properly. In addition of course the possibility of using it as a sandwiched card effect is fairly self apparent as well. I suppose, to narrow the scope of the inquiry, one detail I was wondering about...
by Zach Taylor
June 30th, 2011, 5:31 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Proper Use of the Pass
Replies: 63
Views: 13826

Proper Use of the Pass

The classic pass is one of those moves that I've set on a pedestal of goals to have as polished, reliable tools in my selection of go-to sleights. I spend a good amount of my practice time on it, especially recently, and it's to the point where I'm feeling comfortable in its reliability to perform r...
by Zach Taylor
March 29th, 2011, 10:01 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Searching for Vernon - Picking Off The Pips
Replies: 12
Views: 3346

Re: Searching for Vernon - Picking Off The Pips

Jim: Good points. Having the specimen in Book of Magic revealed helped a lot with see the inherent strengths of the effect that help offset the angle issue. I would love to see the information you mentioned from Revelations, but unfortunately something like that is FAR out of reach for me financiall...
by Zach Taylor
March 28th, 2011, 6:44 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Searching for Vernon - Picking Off The Pips
Replies: 12
Views: 3346

Re: Searching for Vernon - Picking Off The Pips

So the sleight is actually designed to be open like that? Do you think that's meant to be compensated for by the performing environment (i.e. a tabled display where the angles can be more adequately controlled)? Is Carney's approach based on Vernon's at all, or is it just a different way of accompli...
by Zach Taylor
March 28th, 2011, 4:34 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Searching for Vernon - Picking Off The Pips
Replies: 12
Views: 3346

Searching for Vernon - Picking Off The Pips

I have this theory when it comes to learning things. When you want to be good at something, find people in it that you admire, and learn their approaches to whatever you're trying to learn. Learn their approach, their philosophy, how they viewed and created their art. Right now I'm making an attempt...
by Zach Taylor
March 27th, 2011, 6:50 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Hand Maintenance
Replies: 23
Views: 6532

Re: Hand Maintenance

Thank you very much everyone for the information and replies. The Giobbi information was especially helpful, as were the numerous recommendations of creams and such. I've been unable to ascertain if regular treatments of some sort would be noticeably helpful or not, but I think I'll just try setting...
by Zach Taylor
March 21st, 2011, 12:42 am
Forum: General
Topic: Hand Maintenance
Replies: 23
Views: 6532

Re: Hand Maintenance

Erdnase: Thank you for the information. I'll make another scrape of the forums and try to find some of those threads. Do you find that regular moisturizing helps at all, or is that an approach you haven't personally used? Steve: I've found the stickiness to be an issue as well. That's part of the re...
by Zach Taylor
March 20th, 2011, 5:59 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Hand Maintenance
Replies: 23
Views: 6532

Hand Maintenance

I was talking to an acquaintance of mine who had a relative who was a card cheat. He mentioned that this relative would soak his fingertips in rosewater and glycerin for several hours a night to aid finger sensitivity. This got me wondering if any of the magicians here who enjoy pushing their abilit...
by Zach Taylor
February 15th, 2011, 1:43 am
Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
Topic: Unpublished pic of Houdini in Hollywood
Replies: 4
Views: 1648

Re: Unpublished pic of Houdini in Hollywood

The picture, though grainy, looks like it was taken on a bridge. Perhaps Houdini was doing a bridge jump or other such publicity stunt?
by Zach Taylor
February 9th, 2011, 5:44 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method
Replies: 12
Views: 5121

Re: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method

Curtis: That definitely helps. I'm having just as much fun learning about Malini himself in the process of figuring out this sleight. How do you think a taller person could simulate Malini's approach to the sleight? Thomas: Yes, that's kind of the feeling I'm getting from Stars . Mystico: That makes...
by Zach Taylor
February 8th, 2011, 12:13 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method
Replies: 12
Views: 5121

Re: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method

Justin: Yes, that's what I read in Stars of Magic. Reading that same bit of information though it's difficult to see how to got away with the sleight. According to that book Dai Vernon had a high opinion of it but I can't see why, since he seemed to value naturalness and it's difficult to see a way ...
by Zach Taylor
February 4th, 2011, 9:37 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method
Replies: 12
Views: 5121

Re: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method

Ryan's tip about Malini sent me off sniffing, and I found that The Professor had presented a few pages on the sleight in Stars of Magic in his segment on Malini. I don't think it's quite the Erdnase version, but it seems very similar from the description and pictures. As opposed to Erdnase, who sugg...
by Zach Taylor
February 4th, 2011, 5:59 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method
Replies: 12
Views: 5121

Re: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method

Malini? Really? Wow. Thank you for the two tips you were able to offer. I'll put them to use. I've never really seen it performed at all personally. I've only read about it, which is part of what's making it challenging. I've been unable to find any visual references beyond the sketch in Erdnase and...
by Zach Taylor
February 4th, 2011, 3:10 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method
Replies: 12
Views: 5121

Re: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method

Ryan: I'm not sure, but I think that's a different change. I'm pretty sure what you're describing is method one. The one I'm working on is method two.
by Zach Taylor
February 4th, 2011, 2:15 am
Forum: General
Topic: Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method
Replies: 12
Views: 5121

Erdnase Two Handed Transformation, Second Method

I've made a deal with an acquaintance, who's promised to teach me an interesting variation of this color change if I can learn the original adequately first. This sparked my interest in the sleight, and so far I've read the version in Erdnase as well as the description in New Era Card Tricks . I wan...
by Zach Taylor
February 3rd, 2011, 1:08 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Friendly Greetings
Replies: 2
Views: 1438

Re: Friendly Greetings

Thanks very much.
by Zach Taylor
February 3rd, 2011, 12:38 am
Forum: General
Topic: Friendly Greetings
Replies: 2
Views: 1438

Friendly Greetings

Friendly greetings everyone. I couldn't find an official introduction sub-board so I thought this would be the best place to place an introduction. My name is Zach Taylor, I'm twenty one years old, and a newcomer to magic. I've been exploring for about eight months now, and gravitated to card work b...

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