The Genii Forum

Guys, I'm still looking for a very convincing way to vanish some "milk" on stage, for another effect I'm working on. I don't want to use slush powder, because I really don't believe people are that stupid. I also played around with that clown-gag thing where the white rod comes out of the carton, that is supposed to look like milk, I don't think that fools anyone. I want something that looks extremely clean and just really cool. Any ideas? Thank you.

Is there something about the milk pitcher or its updates like the sealed glass which does not serve your purposes?

Are you working solo, or do you have an assistant? The coolest liquid vanishes require someone to help you get rid of the stuff before you wet yourself. If you use an assistant, I have some suggestions for you. If not, stick to the standard stuff.

How much liquid do you want to vanish? Would Squash work? What's wrong with a milk pitcher or milk glass? What's the context in which you want to do this?

Thanks for the replies guys. To answer your question Frank, I am vanishing a small amount of milk to do the milk to lightbulb effect. Milk pitchers are outdated and I just think they look suspicious. I like my magic to look extremely clean. Everytime I have seen someone vanish some liquid with powder I think to myself..."hey that looked really cool, but he never showed me inside the cup...why?" An assistant would be an option, but I'd rather have the option of doing it by myself. I've never heard of Squash. I'll google that in a second here.

Frank, I found out what Squash is. It's an abbott trick. Saw the demo on youtube. It appears to only be able to vanish a small amount of liquid, and it appears to be a specially designed Pull. I am looking to do the vanish definitely with No jacket and to vanish a larger amount of liquid. However, that is along the lines what I would be looking for...something different in which the audience doesn't really know what happened, and can't retrace. And is a total fooler. I hope that makes sense.

FS, just bringing out milk at all is contrived. Maybe a bottle of soda can be set up to work as a sealed glass type vanisher?

Your concerns about slush powder sound too much like you're worried about fooling magicians.

Maybe im old Fashioned, but i would either use an "in the news" fake, or a foo can.

or, have a table with a resevoir, and poor it into a bottemless paper cup, crushing the cup to show that the stuff has gone.

we did this in the library scene of the musical" me and my girl".
instead of milk, it was 2 decanters full of whiskey. :)

I don't think you can buy one of these any more, but you could make one yourself from plastic "glasses" and a pair of cheap metal (Dollar Store) trays.

The tray is round, and is used to bring out the quart carton of milk and a glass.

The glass is bottomless, but has an inner shell that can be filled with liquid, and has a tape covered opening in the rear of the glass at the bottom that drains the inner shell in an instant.

The tray is hollow and can take all the liquid you pour in the glass through a series of drain holes beneath the glass. The top of the tray is also covered with absorbent felt to hold any spills or stray drops.

The glass is filled from the carton of milk, a premeasured amount that goes mostly into the tray, but partly into the inner shell as you pour so the glass is seen to fill with real milk.

The glass with its inner shell filled, is picked up and covered with a handkerchief, then set back down on the tray, covered as you go over to fiddle with the lamp, showing it and turning it on. You come back to the tray, grab the glass at the bottom near the taped hole, lift the handkerchief to show the glass is still filled with milk, then as you cover the glass and lift it from the tray, release the tape and leave the milk behind on the tray and draining into the felt or the holes in the tray. It's not a lot of liquid and drains very quickly so by the time you have lifted the glass from the tray, the liquid is gone. Whip the handkerchief away and show that the liquid has vanished and at the same moment, the light goes out. Put the handkerchief into the glass to further emphasize that it is empty, and the rest is up to the lamp.

Get the Anverdi books on liquid magic.

ALSO... Marvyn Roy's act took him around the world and to a comfortable retirement using a milk pitcher. Keep is simple.

I personnaly have a great fondness for slush powder. I won a talent show with a Water Monte act. Trust me it fools people. It is white, so if you use a plastic cup with a white inside you can possibly show an empty cup or turn it upsidedown that convinces people.

What about a cup switch? Watch Tim Ellis' Run Around Sue... beautiful. You need a table though.

what does your lamp look like? if your 'milk lamp' looks a certain way you may as well have the envanishment props look similar in style. that being the thought any of the ideas above may suit your needs.

Paul Daniels did this with a lovely victorian setting.
a reading lamp, a high back leather arm chair, and a side table with some books.

so this

plus this


equals

The De Muth Milk Bottle is still available though it is under another title. I'd have to check as I told someone a few months ago about it . In case you do not know this prop it is a standard milk bottle which you can fill with milk or any liquid. When you wish, the liquid just diminishes down till the bottle is nearly empty. The bottle can be held in the hand or simply placed on a table.
They wanted Tinkerbell (just a moving light)to 'drink'Peter Pan's medicine into which Hook had poured 'poison'. I used the De Muth Milk Bottle in the 2 productions of PP that I directed.
It was set on a ledge in the Lost Boys' Home. Hook leaned in (he was too large to get through the doorway & poured his poison( actually red food dye)into the bottle & left. Tink later 'landed' on the bottle; then and shhh! a stage hand secretly pushed a thin wire through a crack in the scenery and dislodged the small piece of plastic( smeared with vaseline) which covered the secret hole in the bottle top and the red medicine slowly diminished down the bottle till it was nearly empty. So you or your assistant pushes the plastic away and thus add an additiional effect to the Milk In Light Bulb.
A milk bottle would be a natural container in the UK to pour the milk from. Surely they have them in the US as well?
I did trace the supplier for them to, two American dealers/shops, which supplied the bottle.
Your statement about keeping up to date surely cannot be applied to milk! It must come in a bottle, a container, a jug or there is always a live cow!

Allen Tipton UK

Take one of the children's disappearing milk bottles and adapt it.

When working in a theater setting, realize that 99% of actors can not do anything even remotely complex or involved. They are concentrating on their actions, words and motions.

Richard

I found one American address. He has an Ebay store. His store is in New York.
jtflush'smagic warehouse
In Store search type: Evaporated Milk Bottle.
He has 3.
Full bottle of milk. Placed on table etc. Milk just diminishes down.
$14:95 but with postage $16:05

Allen Tipton UK

If you use a table... Here's a far simpler way. Real glass, fill with milk. cover with silk scarf that has a circular gimmick size of glass top. Lift glass thru silk, move a bit to rear and DROP the glass into a waterproof servante/bag behind table. Move away from table holding form thru silk. I looks like you are holding the glass.. suddenly grab corner of silk, let go of form and shake it out... GLASS AND MILK IS GONE.