I have a copy of Dunninger's Encyclopedia of Magic and have looked at several old books on magic and some of them actually mention using chemicals for some rather unusual illusions. Has anyone ever actually done anything like that? Some of them, as written, sound quite dangerous to the performer.

Along the lines of FX I read once at the JIS (juggling Information Center) that if you mix different metals in with your torch fuel the fire would glow different colors.

I've seen chemical effects used, don't recall if I saw any of those in Dunninger's used, but a lot of that stuff dates back to the 30s and 40s, a bit before my time. And yes, some of that stuff in Dunninger's would be dangerous. Magi and theaters are a bit more safety conscious these days, and fire departments have stricter codes.

Isn't that how they get fireworks to have different colors? They add different metals or chemicals in with the gunpowder?

I would say yes.

Yes, that's correct, various metals are used to color flame.

If I recall correctly, one idea in Dunninger's Encyclopedia of Magic used a mercury-based chemical. That is dangerous, and is not recommended. Mercury is very nasty stuff to deal with. You will have trouble getting the chemical today anyway. There are better solutions (pun intended) in Modern Chemical Magic by John Lippy.

Both of those books use unsafe chemicals. Do some research before doing anything in either book. Many of the ideas in Modern Chemical Magic are relatively safe though.

Just to let you know if you mix any thing up from a recipe make sure it tells you the strength and dilution of the chemical. You don’t want to use a 100% alcohol, when the recipe should say use 100% alcohol diluted down to 50% I started a small fire when all I thought was going to happen is a flash of flame.

Along with not clear recipe and a list of tight health and safety guide lines and if you brake them your insurance wont cover you and your left to pay the damages I would not use stuff out of old books.

Look for the effect you want and buy a of the shelf version it will have strict health and safety guide lines for you to follow and all the information you need about it for insurance liability and you own risk easements.

I wrote this for people thinking of using stuff in shows but ha if you just want to play at home give it a try were all adults just make sure your will is up to date and no small animals are about.

Here is a site mentioned in another post, looks interesting

http://www.howtoadvice.com/ChemicalMagic

Yes, you have to be very careful with this kind of magic, I've just had an accident two days ago

Dunninger's Encyclopedia of Magic was published as a series of cod explanations for the ways that illusionists really did magic back in the 1920's and 1930's. Anything in it should be taken with a pound of salt.

Remarkably though there are a few gems buried in there as well.
I'll never forget the jolt of joy I felt when I went the the WMS a few years ago and saw that Owens had actually built the Heroes Mystery Horse. Had I had a few extra gazillion dollars in my pocket it would have come home with me.

I also have a modern "coffee table" magic book that supposedly has modern photographs of a magician doing the vanishing statue trick where the artifact is made out of several pounds of frozen mercury. The book of course fails to mention how you keep such an item at -38 F nor where to file the enviromental impact statement for having such a large amount of mercury in ones possesion. But I bet it would be a great feat if you could pull it off. I'm sort of suprised Angel hasn't tried it yet.

Payne states

I would a55ume (and everyone knows what happens when you a55 you me something! ) that the use of either carbon dioxide ice or liquid nitrogen was used. The CO2 ice would be easier to obtain and get close to the proper temperature

Some of what was described in the Encyclopedia ranks alongside Al Jaffee's "Mad Book of Magic and Other Dirty Tricks."

... which is also dangerous !

I loved Dunninger's Encyclopaedia when I was a kid. There was a copy my local library. Sadly, I imagine ordering some of the chemicals required for even some of the smaller tricks would nowadays get you a visit from suit wearing badge-wavers.

It should be observed that ordering a copy of Chemical Magic will get you put onto a list.

That being said, Dunninger's is one of my favorite books! Very dangerous stuff accompanies some really cool effects, so shop carefully. I believe it was he who spoke of filling a flame bowl with ether and producing it from under your jacket (or was that in Our Magic?). The only thing that I could think of was the trail of fumes leading back to your jacket, where many more fumes were residing. Sounded like a recipe for magician flambe, to me...

Also, lighting a cigarette with your finger. Small chunk of potassium in a cigarette, lit with a wet finger did not sound too safe to me...

It is somewhat like an article I once read about using a Krick (X-Ray) tube in your show. They sold the idea with "makes diamonds glow in the dark! and see someone's skeleton on stage!" When it came to the advise of tying the volunteer to the chair if they are scared, I knew that someone had WAY overstepped the boundaries of using new technology, especially when you consider the high amounts of radiation that came from those older tubes! Don't try this at home, indeed!

Older books are a treasure trove of information, but one must exercise good judgement and much caution. DO NOT try to make the flash paper in Chemical Magic!

What's the title? I've been trying to remember it for years, as I want to track down a copy.

Another way to light a cigarette is to treat the tip with potassium and have glycerine on the cellophane of the cigarette packet . Then tapping the tip in the glycerine to make it glow.

And it might have been in the encyclopedia the suggests you to keep a pice of phosphorous in your mouth and blow on a pice of paper to make it catch fire.

Both metods are dangerous and nothing anyone would recommend today.

It´s vise to be careful wth old books

Dealers sold a trick - maybe still do- called Think Ink. It is a clock reaction. After a certain amount of time, clear liquid turned black instantly. You had time to recite your patter. Pretty safe, but you wouldn't drink it. It was amazing. I can remember when Senior Mardo worked at Tannen's and he always smoked a cigar. Well, Tannen's kept all their flash paper in a metal garbage can in the back. Well as Mardo was reaching in the can to get some flash paper for some customer, an ember fell in and luckily he wasn't hurt when the whole thing went off at once...he looked like when in a cartoon an explosion went off...his face was black and his mustache was smoking...but like I said he wasn't hurt but it could have been much worse. That was just flash paper. I did a show once when a candle set some paper flowers on fire. Just like that, there was a problem. And that was just a candle and paper flowers.

As for Dunninger's Encyclopedia, I remember that the format was to alternate these outlandish things with odd things that the old magic shops actually sold at one time.

[quote]On Aug 16, 2017, malaki wrote:
It should be observed that ordering a copy of Chemical Magic will get you put onto a list...

...Also, lighting a cigarette with your finger. Small chunk of potassium in a cigarette, lit with a wet finger did not sound too safe to me...

I seem to remember a dealer--I THINK it was Abbott's--used to supply a Fire Bowl with potassium as the ignition source when the bowl was turned upright. The potassium was included in the mail with your prop.

Scary now!

Julie