Shiners

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
David Penn
Posts: 38
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Shiners

Postby David Penn » May 25th, 2002, 5:50 am

I am looking for information about shiners. More specifically, rather pay a lot of money to a magic dealer (not to disparage magic dealers because they typically add lots of value), is there anything that you can buy in a dollar store that would make a worthwhile substitute? Also, are there any books you can recommend that talk about the use of shiners? Thanks!!

cataquet
Posts: 261
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: England

Re: Shiners

Postby cataquet » May 25th, 2002, 6:05 am

A shiner is just a mirror. If you're just using this for a card location, one of the best implementations is the clip on a watch band. If you have the right band, you can just polish it so that it's a mirror. John Cornelius lectured about this a few years back.

If your looking for a more prolonged usage (eg, in a gambling routine), then consider using a knife. A magician whose name escapes me used to take out a knife and put it on the table and say that this was to deal with any cheating. The blade thereafter acted as a shiner.

If your looking for a hand held device, go into a craft shop. You can pick up 1" mirrors that work perfectly as a hand held shiner. If you want to go a bit further with this idea, take a 10p coin and sand one side virtually flat. You've now got a decent shiner, if you use a fine enough sand paper.

Bye for now

Harold

Pete McCabe
Posts: 2332
Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Shiners

Postby Pete McCabe » May 25th, 2002, 8:54 am

Just in the last few days I read a great effect using a shiner.

The writer recommended using the mirror from a dentist's mirror tool, which has a small round mirror on a metal handle.

I plan to use blu-tack to hold it in place, in case a finger palm isn't sufficiently natural looking.

cataquet
Posts: 261
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: England

Re: Shiners

Postby cataquet » May 25th, 2002, 9:51 am

Pete, you can get really cheap dental mirrors (made of plastic), but sometimes in trying to take out the mirror, you'll crack it (the glue being stronger than either the plastic or the glass). Go instead to a craft shop and get the size of mirror that you want. You can get them in various sizes ranging from 1/4" to 2". The edges of these tend to be quite sharp, so I suggest you put bandaging around the edges so that you don't cut yourself.

At Christmas, I managed to get hold of a few 1" plastic circles that were double sided mirrors. They were intended for Christmas decorations, but they make a perfect shiner as being double sided you don't have to worry about which side up.

Also, you can get very good self-adhesive mirror mylar which you can stick on to create an instant mirror. This is not your normal mylar; there is a specific "mirror finish" version that is intended for creating perfect mirrors.

Bye for now

Harold

HighQ
Posts: 28
Joined: February 2nd, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Baltimore

Re: Shiners

Postby HighQ » May 26th, 2002, 10:29 am

Two small books that come to mind are Rudy Hunter's called Slap A Steak On That Thing, AKA The Shiner Manual, and the Allen-Giorgio shiner manuscript.
Steven's magic sells a perfect sized shiner that I use all the time. Its easy to palm and the back is fleshed colored in case your fingers spread. It is convexed so reading the card is very easy.

Oliver Corpuz
Posts: 105
Joined: May 9th, 2009, 8:33 am

Re: Shiners

Postby Oliver Corpuz » May 26th, 2002, 4:38 pm

Try an arts and crafts store. Last December I went to one in the Chicago area called "Hobby Lobby" looking for replacement eyes for an old card duck I bought at a SAM magic flea market. Next to the plastic eyes (clear bubbles with black discs in them that move around), the store had some small round mirrors (the size of a nickel) that make perfect shiners. 4 for $1. I'm not sure what they are supposed to be used for, but I knew they would make perfect shiners.

While walking around the store I also found some nice decorative fake fruit to use as final loads, a paper cylinder that is perfect for Ramsay's cylinder and coins, and a hand roller (apparently used for rubber stamping) that was perfect for smoothing out cards when making card gaffs.

I was suprised to find lots of stuff, that with a little imagination, could have a magic related use.

Oliver

Guest

Re: Shiners

Postby Guest » May 27th, 2002, 9:54 am

You can make a great little shiner out of the head of a chrome, round head upholstery tack. Remove the pointed shaft, and use magician's wax to stick it to one of your thumb nails.
If a spectator is holding a card (for example) in front of their face, back out, you can reach and touch their forehead as you ask them to concentrate. You can get a good quick view of the card in the little shiner. A similiar move can be done with something they've written on a slate.
Jim Riser does make a shiner from a coin. You'll find it in the gambling section of his web site.

Don Spurrier
Posts: 44
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: Shiners

Postby Don Spurrier » May 27th, 2002, 4:25 pm

Dennis mentions an upholstery tack. If smoking is allowed in your area, you won't have to remove the pointed shaft. Stick it into the end of a cigarette or cigar that resides in the ashtray (Not my idea; read it somewhere before). You could attach the head of the tack to the bottom of a lighter, matchbox, even your deck of cards laying on the table. However, angles are so important. So is your eyesight. Nothing gives you away so much as having to look twice...sometimes thrice (thrice?)...just to be sure!

Jim Morton
Posts: 178
Joined: February 7th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: San Francisco

Re: Shiners

Postby Jim Morton » May 28th, 2002, 11:04 am

Bed Bath and Beyond sells little two-packs of lipstick mirrors. These are designed to fit on the end of a lipstick tube. They are not convex, so they are a little knacky, but I've used them to good effect. They come with sticky tape already on their backs. Less than $3.

Jim

Jim Riser
Posts: 1086
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Shiners

Postby Jim Riser » May 29th, 2002, 3:34 pm

OK, cheap shiner seekers. I will make up to 15 (no more before I hit the road for two monnths) 5/8" diameter convex metal shiners with a 1/2" tack pooint on the back for sticking where you need it for $7.50 each postpaid.

The hitch...I need payment no later than June 5th. If interested, contact me directly - this not a "for sale" area of the forum and I do not want to violate any forum rules. Consider this a service offering :p

On a first come basis.

Michael Edwards
Posts: 516
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Shiners

Postby Michael Edwards » May 29th, 2002, 4:19 pm

For entertainment or lecture/demo purposes only, of course! As Jim notes elsewhere, using one in a real card game could be hazardous to your health.

And while we're on the subject of Mr. Riser and shiners, you may want to check out the shiner he makes from a Sacagawea coin. Very clever ;)

Jim Riser
Posts: 1086
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Shiners

Postby Jim Riser » May 29th, 2002, 9:16 pm

Right, Michael -
If someone were to use one of my holdouts, shiners, and card punches in a real card game, this individual might well win a set of "concrete overshoes" and a piece of real estate at the bottom of a local river :D

But, such goodies can help present apparent miracles in the hands of the right entertainer. The "trick" is to think beyond gambling and gambling demonstrations and realize that you have at your command a "third eye", an extended sense of touch, and a "helping hand" at your disposal. This can open up a whole new world of magical possibilities.

Jim Riser
Posts: 1086
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Shiners

Postby Jim Riser » June 3rd, 2002, 4:11 pm

Too late now. All shiners are spoken for. BTW - I am also enclosing FREE a 7/8" shiner as shown at:
http://jamesriser.com/Magic/ShinersSm/InUse.html
This should be enough to get you started playing with shiners.
Jim :D


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