I marked up the flowers on blue bikes yesterday. You can see the markings a mile away? Copic B39 is what I used. And then rubbed them with white paper. I did not spray them. Any suggestions?

John

I did the same thing, with a fine-point, wearing a magnified headlamp. My bikes are from the early 2000's, a brick from Costco.

I didn't rub or spray or anything, and they're magnificent.

They may be obvious to you, but have you tried with an honest to goodness layperson?


Dave

For those that are using the Toolbox, May I ask on what's the common consensus for rebuilding the entire stack for things like back to Mnemonica? Will it be the one in the main manuscript, or the one in the addendum (#3)?

I am using the #3 more piles and less deals. Takes 2:30 minutes to complete both tabled deals, very fast.

Anyone think there will be a Phoenix Deck solution in the future?

John

Yes, you can see the marks a mile away, but I've been using this marking system and variations of it for over a decade and I've never been called on it. It was originally called "Farmarx." You can find a detailed description in Hidden In Plain Sight by Kirk Cahrles, (2005), pp. 21-25. There its used to display the values of the cards, as in a regular marked deck.

The advantage of the spray (and it has to be very light, or the ink will run) is that it gives the entire back a consistent sheen. I also use the spray and Teflon powder on all of my packet tricks: they last much longer and don't attract dirt.

For the fastest way to stack a deck, see my next reply.

Bammo Tarodiction Toolbox Addendum #8 has been released and distributed to all purchasers either by email or by hard copy.

Addendum #8 is the final addendum. It has to be: the system inspires so many ideas, the addendums could go on forever. When and if I have enough new and valuable ideas, I will publish a second volume. In the meantime, let me know what you come up with.

When I began to explore the possibilities of the systems described, I had no idea where the magic would lead. Eventually it led to eight addendums, so there is a lot of material to go through. To save you some time, here are my favorite effects:

• Triharder: This was the first trick I created. It plays really well.

• Macau Casino Shuffle #2: This has a great prediction.

• Tarodiction 2: This is a Tarot card version of “Macau Casino Shuffle #2.”

• Octadiction: If your primary interest is the fastest way to stack a deck, go immediately to Addendum #2.

• Pete’s Casinodiction: A really entertaining premise with a killer ending in Addendum #8. I prefer this version to the original in Addendum #3.

• Blackjack Bushwhack: Find this in Addendum #4. The kicker here is a magic square that is truly surprising.

• Messcal: This is in Addendum #5. This is a shocking effect: a randomly mixed deck further mixed face-up and face down, magically rights itself except for a face-up selection. For the kicker, the deck is spread face up and it is in order, A to K, CHSD, with the selection right where it should be.

• Messcal Lite: I love this. You don’t have to do anything. The deck is ordinary and unmarked, yet you duplicate the effect of “Messcal.” See Addendum #6.

• Messcal Lite With A Better Lie: Check Addendum #7. This is the superior version of “Messcal Lite.”

• Tarodiction Tantalizer: Find this in Addendum #8. This effect doesn’t seem even remotely possible: the spectator shuffles the deck any way it wants after selecting a card. The deck is mixed face up and face down. The deck rights itself except for the face-up selection. For the kicker, the deck is spread face up and it is in order, A to K, CHSD, with the selection right where it should be.

The material seems a long way from the Rubik’s Cube routine that inspired its creation, but in the abstract, they are the same: an algorithm that sorts into a recognizable order and an algorithm that sorts into what appears to be, but isn’t, a random order. I’m sure when the ideas get out, some great magic will result. Let me know, please.

Bob Farmer, July 2017

bammomagic@cogeco.ca

Whoops, that should be Kirk CHARLES. See here:

http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/1106

Two more unsolicited comments from purchasers:

“The Bammo Tarodiction Toolbox is a real bargain. If you enjoy the ‘thinking’ part of magic—understanding the principles, possibilities and applications—then this is for you. And if you want something that will let you run quickly (with no real understanding of ‘why does this work’) you will love this book. If you want a powerful tool that will let you create miracles then you need to get this book. The surface of creative possibilities has only been scratched and with the 8 Addendums (provided free of charge by Bob to all purchasers) you can see what I mean. I highly recommend BTT!”

“…I have to say—IT IS FANTASTIC—WHAT A GOOD IDEA!”

Does anyone else's copy of the Bammo Tarodiction Toolbox skip pages? Mine jumps from page 10 to page 22, which briefly made me think I was going crazy while trying to understand what was going on.


Thanks,

Richard

Richard: are those pages missing entirely or is it just a numbering issue? Send me an email and I'll send you a replacement.

Email sent with image attached. It appears to be a numbering issue.


Thanks for your quick response, Bob!

Richard

The Bammo Tarodiction Toolbox is going into its 6th printing. When I first decided to publish the manuscript I thought it would have a very limited appeal, but it seems there are a lot of people out there who want to be on the leading edge of card trick methodology. Thank you for all the support.

Right now I'm working on the next release, The Bammo Gaffus Maximus, a manuscript of 21st century gaffed decks. Release date is September and all Tarodiction Toolbox supporters will be advised as soon as it is available.

Any idea if I could use a Marksmen deck with this?

If you mark it.

John Lovick has given The Bammo Tarodiction Toolbox a great review in the latest Genii.

Another unsolcited comment from a happy purchaser:

“I am absolutely delighted with its superb content and the thought that has gone into it. I think Octadiction is a game changer for stack workers.”

More info at Bammomagic@cogeco.ca

Is it possible to find a video performance of the Tarodiction Tantalizer or Messcal (or its variations) somewhere? If even only of them is as great as it sounds, this is #1 on my wish list!

There are no video performances. Maybe in the future when I figure out video.

Dang, hope you'll figure video out soon because I've been thinking about how it looks for days now!

I would like to share an objective brief review. Short version. Amazing method. Average effect.
Here are some of the challenges I see for a performance piece.
Tarodiction, one of the better effects in the book, deals out three piles of cards NINE times. Every book in our art guides us away from that type of trick where we will lose the audience by dealing just ONCE.
The marking of Tarot cards is brilliant but unfortunately the face of the REQUIRED brand is very difficult for spectators to see the value of the card. Spreading the cards is not visual enough due to the design. Perhaps having the spectator and the magician deal at the same time could work around this. But then you are up to 11 deals.

For those that use memorized decks, part of the beauty is not needing special cards. Many can reset a deck in short order without markings. Plus you have to deal through 52 cards 2 times.

Overall the writing quality of the book is very poor and would have benefited from an editor or a second set of eyes. There are typos in trick methods that cause the reader to figure out what the writer intended.
Additionally, there are photographs of cards and how to mark them that are up-side-down. Overall, interesting but disappointing.