Ultimate Oil and Water by Anthony Owen

[Anthony Owen]

If I may so bold...

Here's a link to a performance of my Ultimate Oil and Water, about which Matt Field was so complimentary in this month's issue of The Magic Circular.

http://tvmagic.co.uk/tvmagicshop/produc ... 98362aa5a4

I believe Mr. Regal is reviewing it in a forthcoming issue of Genii.

Best,

Anthony Owen

[Anthony Owen]

I thought you might be interested to know that a FREE BONUS UPDATE for my Ultimate Oil and Water effect, featuring previously unreleased handlings from David Regal and myself, is now complete and will be available very soon for all previous purchasers and dealers currently stocking the effect.

The free bonus includes:

1. Regal's handling which makes the effect almost completely sleight-free.

2. My handling which enables you to have the cards examined before the effect.

3. My approach for performing the routine in a walkaround or 'street magic' situation, without a table, with all the magic happening in the hands of a spectator.

Details of how to obtain this free bonus will be announced by the folks at TVMagic.co.uk in their April newsletter, which will be sent by email in the next few days. To make sure that you obtain this information you'll need to sign up before SATURDAY 17th APRIL to receive the newsletter by opening an account here: http://tvmagic.co.uk/catalog/login.php The team at TVMagic.co.uk tell me that they will not share your email address with anyone and that you can unsubscribe easily at any time.

Also, dealers currently stocking this effect are welcome to share this free bonus with any of their previous or future purchasers of the effect, as a complimentary service to their customers.

By the way - please forgive my immodesty - but I recently performed this effect to David Blaine and he loved it! You can read exactly what he said - and see all the other rave reviews from the likes of Derren Brown, David Berglas, Daryl, Luke Dancy, Matt Field and even Genii magazine - here http://tvmagic.co.uk/catalog/product_in ... cts_id=124

Best,

Anthony

[Jonathan Townsend]

There's an interesting video online where someone started with the Owen Oil and Water and added a full deck finale.

Congrats on the fine product Anthony.

No idea what to say about doing a routine to a person - though "to each their own" in this craft.

[Anthony Owen]

Congrats on the fine product Anthony.

No idea what to say about doing a routine to a person - though "to each their own" in this craft.

Thanks Jonathan. Of course what I meant to say was not "performed this effect to David Blaine" but that I "performed this effect AT David Blaine." :)

[Jonathan Townsend]

Has anyone combined the "Whole New World" Dill/Weber item with Anthony's Oil and Water to present a routine where cards mix and unmix? I'm asking as this looks close to a suitable solution of one of the Hofzinser items, the Divider.

[Efendi Kwok]

There's an interesting video online where someone started with the Owen Oil and Water and added a full deck finale.....

The finale is Michael Boden's Total Separation if I'm not mistaken.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Efendi, are you stating that the person who made that video used Michael Boden's method or that the effect (which is Hofzinser's) is being claimed by Mr. Boden?

[Philippe Billot]

Efendi, are you stating that the person who made that video used Michael Boden's method or that the effect (which is Hofzinser's) is being claimed by Mr. Boden?

That effect IS NOT Hofzinser's !

[Jonathan Townsend]

? That's news to me Philippe, I was using the Divider item from the card problems section in Sharpe's Hofzinser book as reference.

[Philippe Billot]

See here : http://geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php/Oil_and_Water

[Efendi Kwok]

Efendi, are you stating that the person who made that video used Michael Boden's method or that the effect (which is Hofzinser's) is being claimed by Mr. Boden?

The person used Mr. Boden's method in the finale, turning the decks into all reds and blacks. You need to prepare the deck first if I'm not mistaken.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Philippe, what is the finding that the trick is not Hofzinser's?

Efendi, The Boden gaffed approach is fine. Perhaps there are better handlings so's not to lead the audience to the right answer. Either way it shows they really want their magic to work for audiences. There's a triumph type gaffus that permits this sort of ending as well. ;)

BTW, I've been doing a full deck oil and water for over thirty years. Harry Lorayne wrote it up and published it a while back. David Regal was working on a red/blue deck (yes full deck) handling of my approach way back in 1987 or so.

Would folks claim that doing a trick with a small packet is different in basic effect from doing a trick with the pack? I hope nobody here is so petty as to claim that doing the trick with two poker hands that keep sorting is different from reds and blacks separating or kings and jacks separating or court cards separating from common cards. The poker hand thing seems most organic to me these days as it motivates the dealdown into two packets, the shuffle action and variations on how to mix the cards.

[Philippe Billot]

For the public record, to separate the two colors of a pack was already solved in 1802 and variation like the one in Ponsin (1853) was already created.
I don't understand why we speak about the Hofzinser's problem as it was already solved.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Thanks Philippe, My copy of Ponsin's book (Busby's edition) does not have that item. Would you offer a citation for the first separation of the colors type trick?

I really don't like to fuss over who used an Elmsley count or an overhand count or applied stealbacks or cull sleights to a trick when it's just as well to honor the inventor of the plot and then acknowledge those whose tools you are using in ones own version of the item.

[Philippe Billot]

As I wrote in magicpedia, the first separation of colors was explained in 1802 by Hooper and its foreseeable variation, separation of spots and figures was in Ponsin in 1853.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Thanks Philippe, I fell victim to the top of the article and missed the good stuff at the bottom in the references.

[Edwin Corrie]

Ottokar Fischer's description of the Hofzinser "problem" (actually just an effect he was purported to have had a method for) known as The Magic Separation is not very explicit. In his book on Hofzinser, Magic Christian says his extensive examination of Hofziser's letters and manuscripts has not uncovered any more information about this particular effect, and though he proposes several methods that Hofzinser might have been likely to use he says there is nothing conclusive.

Ponsin's method uses tactile markings made with a knife (an early sort of punch deal), and there are other methods going back even earlier (e.g. Hocus Pocus Junior) involving the use of reflective surfaces and puddles of spilt beer. None of them that I am aware of bear any resemblance to Out of This World or Oil and Water as we know them.

Edit: The last three posts appeared while I was typing this, so apologies for the non sequitur.

[Jonathan Townsend]

The thread continuity looks pretty good. The notion of deliberate mixing and then a display of sorted cards is critical to the trick we call "oil and water". That display of magically sorted rather than a dealing procedure is what distinguished it from "out of this world" in plot - and the volunteer doing the dealing to make it the Paul Curry type trick. :)

We've got the "magician does the dealing" going way back - how about the "mix - divide - display" procedure in print?

On the performing side, anyone doing the oil/water separation action as a lift from the tabled packet - analogous to scooping up a puddle of oil off the surface of a pond -?

[Jonathan Townsend]

Getting back to Anthony Owen's item - how about incorporating his mechanics into a diminishing type routine - four cards of each color, then three, then two? That Masuda Two card item starts to appeal. ;)

[Anthony Owen]

I thought that you might be interested to know that for a limited time you can now get an updated version of the free bonus update - featuring additional handlings from David Regal and I - from here:

http://tvmagic.co.uk/catalog/product_in ... 89f5d4f5fa