Baffling Bill Braid - Folding Money Fooling

[Guest]

Richard,

Have you been able to master the folding procedure for the "Baffling Bill Braid" from Robert Neale' book? In your introduction you mention your difficulty with this same item.

I stopped in to H&R Books in Houston last week and Richard Hatch showed me how to do it (and he folded one of my bills)so I know that it can be done.

But I STILL can't get it! I am really close sometimes but my attempts usually end up with a small fit of rage and a crumpled up (fake) bill. I haven't yet moved up to real bills.

Any chance of a short video clip? If not I will persevere..eventually I will get there.

Great book by the way.

Take care,

Tim Brown

[Ian Kendall]

The Bill Braid is not as hard as people first think. Bob Neale asked me not to make a video of it as he plans to do one himself one day. There is, however, a speeded up video of me folding one at www.virtualmagicshow.com/stuff

The trouble is that, although it _is_ possible to braid the bill from the instructions in the book, it's only after you have finished three or four that everything will make sense to you. You have a huge advantage in that you have a bill for reference - looking at that will greatly aid the learning process.

There are two _really_ important points that are subtley mentioned in the book; the bottom of the bill is in the same orientation as the top, but it has rotated 360 degrees. Secondly, keep the folds loose during the braiding - that will make things a lot easier.

The bottom line is that you can get so far by reading the book - up till the second part of the braid - and then it's a case of looking at your reference bill and seeing which bit goes where.

Hope that helps.

Take care, Ian

[Guest]

Thanks Ian...I actually managed to get one folded but it was quite by accident. I've been close on several other occasions but my patience usually runs out and I must take a rest. I haven't had so much frustrating fun in a long time!

Tim Brown

[Richard Kaufman]

It's by far the toughest thing in the book, and we had the text vetted by both Sam Randlett and Earle Oakes, two experts in the field. I could never fold it, and I've watched people do it--there's just this point where you have a crazy mass of twisted strips and then it all flattens out into the final product. Good luck, I say to all.

[Ian Kendall]

The knack is to keep an eye on all the strips as they get messed up!

Once you know that a particular strand goes under another, and with a particular side up, it becomes easier. That's why it's useful to have a reference bill. The biggest error, and one that causes the most frustration, is to twist the bottom three times instead of two. Once that happens there's only backwards to go.

Take care, Ian