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latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
I recently acquired a Billy McComb vanishing cage by Encore Magic. The vanishing length is way too long for me. Does anyone have any tips about how to best measure the length before I try to cut it? Also, with just retracting the reel, the bullet keeps getting hung up on the back of my shirt. Any solutions for this would also be much appreciated.
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
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Sealegs Inner circle The UK, Portsmouth 2596 Posts |
Tommy Wonder's work on it will give you plenty of answers to the problems you mention but expect to make a lot of alterations to get it as slick as his set up.
Neal Austin
"The golden rule is that there are no golden rules." G.B. Shaw |
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latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
I consulted the 2nd Book of Wonder and might have found a solution for the snagging problem. I am still, however, looking for the best way to determine the correct length for me.
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
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hugmagic Inner circle 7655 Posts |
Don't cut the take up line. It should pull through the clip and allow you to adjust until you get the length you need.
Richard E. Hughes, Hughes Magic Inc., 352 N. Prospect St., Ravenna, OH 44266 (330)296-4023
www.hughesmagic.com email-hugmagic@raex.com Write direct as I will be turning off my PM's. |
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
I asked Billy McComb the same question here on the Café years ago, when he was a guest. The answer was something like, you have to figure it out yourself.
What you do as far as I can determine is it takes 2 people, and a lot of trial and error. Put the unit on and temporarily tie a single knot in the rope line, or whatever your reel is connected to, not go through vanishing and retrieving a number of times. When you need adjustment have your partner move and tie the knot on your back. As fare as getting caught on your shirt, I really don't know why that would happen as the bullet is smooth. You might try wearing a snug vest, or a smaller shirt, that goes closer to your skin. The line take up reel should be placed above the wrist, and below the forearm. You do not pull the line fully out of the reel, only enough for you to have slack when doing the rest of your act. The reel does not vanish the cage. It is only for slack in movement before the vanish. If you watched the DVD that came with it, Billy McComb covers everything with the video and by his comments. Don't get discouraged, it will take a long time to get the feel of it and proper setup and handling. |
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latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
Thanks guys, these comments definitely help. I know the line needs to be shorter, I'm just super nervous about cutting anything from such an expensive reel. As Richard said, it does have the pull through clip which will help me to determine the length without cutting. So basically, when I'm ready for the vanish, the line should be very tight but fully retracted? If anyone feels this conversation should be PM only, please message me.
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
You don't explain what you mean very well. When you are ready for the vanish, the take up reel bullet has to be inside the reel and locked. The none metal line, has to be fully taught, and you are holding the cage several about 5 or six inches in front of your chest. The left hand starts to move then the right. Extend and retract the arms few inches and freeze. The cage is gone.
Do you have the Billy McComb DVD that comes with the Cage? Did they forget to enclose it with the cage? I suggest you contact them to get the DVD. |
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JNeal Inner circle I used to have 999 posts, now I have 1617 Posts |
As Bill states, the line is composed of two parts. the first part (closest to the mechanical reel) should not be cut at all. this goes from the reel and ends at the 'bullet' which prior to the vanish is at full extension. The reel is activated and the cord retracts inside and it stops at the 'bullet'. From the bullet to the cage is a second piece of cord which culminates at the clip or point where it attaches to the cage. This second length of cord is the only part that might need adjusting for length and can be cut only when the proper length of this section has been determined by experimentation.
visit me @ JNealShow.com
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Sealegs Inner circle The UK, Portsmouth 2596 Posts |
JNeal has identified the issue that Allen Michael is having. It's the length from the bullet to the cage that he is finding is too long. I agree that although this length might need adjusting it's important to be sure that the correct length has been determined before any cutting. Measure and experiment a lot and be really sure before getting the scissors out!
Neal Austin
"The golden rule is that there are no golden rules." G.B. Shaw |
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latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
Yes, the set did come with the DVD. I have been doing a lot of cutting, but just a tiny bit at a time. I think what I am going for is that when the bullet is fully retracted into the reel, the cage should be held 5 to 6 inches away from the body as Bill says, but the tension is so great that the cage will shoot up the sleeve once I let go. Is this correct? That way, when the bullet is pulled out and locked prior to the vanish, I should still have plenty of slack to move about like normal.
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
Quote:
On Jun 23, 2016, Allen Michael wrote: 1st, there was a 2 DVD set that came with it, just FYI. Yes, you got it exactly, "but the tension is so great that the cage will shoot up the sleeve once I let go." When you let go, it is inertia that takes over. |
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latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
Quote:
1st, there was a 2 DVD set that came with it, just FYI. Yes, I did get both of them. The second disc is definitely interesting as far as the history and craftsmanship of the effect. I think I still have some more line to take off, but I have run out of leader sleeves at the moment to keep trying. Just in case, can anyone recommend someone who re-threads these things? I can see how it opens up with an Allen wrench, but I probably wouldn't want to try it myself.
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
What is leader sleeve, there is nothing that is referred to with that name. Do you mean the bullet itself. If so, you should not mess with it, you could lose the line into the reel.
Encore Magic is out of business and cannot be found in Michigan. There is no one that can repair your device. As said many times on this forum, you should not cut off any of the line until you find the length that fit all your clothing you will be wearing at different times. The proper line is not commonly available. Open what up, do not open the Reel, the device that connects to the cage. If you are near Fort Wayne, IN, you can visit me at no charge. |
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latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
Bill, I am out in Vegas, so a bit far away. The leader sleeve I am referring to is a piece that is used to hold line in deep sea fishing. On this reel, it is necessary to hold the line to the clip. You need a new one each time you trim it. The line itself is simply deep sea fishing line for large fish and sharks. If the line needed replaced, I'm pretty sure it could be by someone who knows how the Martin type reel works inside. I have a whole bunch of the line I use for other things and can see how the reel itself comes apart, but I wouldn't want to do it on my own.
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
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hugmagic Inner circle 7655 Posts |
Jim Riser can work on them. As for the leader sleeves, look on eBay for Sevenstrand leader line. I think the sleeve size is A7. I usually use the 60# test that is covered in black poly.
You are right not to take it apart. As for Encore Magic, yes they are out of business. I saw Chris about a month ago but he just does not have an interest in working on magic stuff right now. He has a good job that is paying the bills unlike the magic. He has been my friend for years so we keep in touch. I had one of Chris's reels which was good. It was just larger than my Hammertoe so I sold it. Keep tinkering with it as it is worth the effort. Richard
Richard E. Hughes, Hughes Magic Inc., 352 N. Prospect St., Ravenna, OH 44266 (330)296-4023
www.hughesmagic.com email-hugmagic@raex.com Write direct as I will be turning off my PM's. |
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latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
Strange update here about my cage issues. Bill has helped me quite a bit with actually making the reel and cage work for me, but now I have a new problem. I have actually snapped the line from right under the bullet during practice of the vanish. Thank you in advance, Richard for the recommendation of Mr. Riser. I am contacting him immediately to see if he can help.
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
James P. Riser is on vacation for next few weeks, traveling the highways.
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latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
Quote:
On Jun 24, 2016, Bill Hegbli wrote: Thanks for the heads up! Is there anyone else on the planet who can rethread this thing properly? Also, is this something that commonly happens with take up reels?
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
No I don't know of anyone that can repair your line. I have only restrung powerful old finger Ring Reels.
What can happen if you break the wire line in the reel attached to the bullet, the spring can break if it goes inside the reel do to to much torque on the spring. Sounds like you need a stronger line, if it broke just practicing. As far as common, with all reel no matter what kind, if you let the line return without something attached, the line will fly to fast and break. This is a precision piece and should be handled with care and carefully. |
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Rudy Sanchez Special user 907 Posts |
Allen...Alan Zagorsky at Owen Magc Supreme can probably help you. He has worked on other builders props for me. Reach out to him, he is a great guy.
www.cesaral.com
Sales Manager for Cesaral Magic |
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