Browsing through Staples the other day, I discovered some giant (4", bright brass(or "gold") plated) paperclips.

These things are so great looking that they are practically screaming "Prop!".

My first idea was to use them as a linking effect, but this is too easy, and not the least bit baffling.

Over the years, I'm sure some genius MUST have used paperclips for some diabolical magical purpose.

ANY IDEAS

You might try something where they link and unlink, then link again. Then when the spec has a look at them they are impossible to separate cause they're welded or glued shut. Sankey has a routine like this with safety pins, probably wouldn't work so well with the paperclips however.

How about paperclips that keep automatically attaching themselves to other things (like cards?), much to your apparent frustration?

Sympathetic paperclips - each paperclip is attached to its own piece of paper. When one is removed, the other is revealed to have removed itself also.

If you could get small sized clips that have the same finish, you could have growing/shrinking clips at the finale of a routine with the small clips.

Here's another one: paint the inner prong of a paperclip one color, and the outer prong a different color. Then make the colors switch, explaining that the clip has re-folded itself inside-out.

Well, I think I've worked it out. This is as far as I've gotten with this.

The effect will be show 5 separate paperclips. Deliberately and fairly counting them out.

Vanish the clips.

Instantly produce the 5 clips linked together.

Pass them out for examination, linked together.

Take a bow.

THANKS FOR THE INPUT.

There's the old trick of putting paper clips on the dollar, and having them link together without touching them. Hollingworth has some cool card routines using paperclips.

You can do a nice visible instant link with these clips that looks a lot like the linking rings move as you simply hit one clip with another.

And with a little misdirection and handling you can show all unlinked, then hit one against and instantly show all linked.

Not the biggest show, but it makes a nice lead in for using one of the monster clips in Jay Sankey's paperclipped.

BroDavid

Hi.

Try this: you freely show a number of paperclips (they can be examined), then you visibly link them one by one and then you give them linked for a new examination.

OK...they cannot be marked (they are changed at the end).

I have not my books here, but it is in one of the two "The Art of Close Up Magic", edited by Lewis Ganson. I do not remember the original Author, sorry.

I cannot give the explanation here because moderators are SOOOO bad with me!!! (Hey moderators: just kidding!).

Cheers

Stefano

Stefano Mambretti

Cheaptrick,

Yep, I bought some for the same reason. What can you do with them? Quite a lot!

Note that the clips are not brass. They are plated steel. So, they will be attracted by a magnet where brass will not. This suggests an idea for a false linking.

You can also use them for many of the effects involving individual links of chain. One example is wrapping loose links in a piece of paper and, in a flash (literally) they are linked.

I found that the linking on a dollar bill is awkward, but it works just fine with a larger strip of paper (or mylar).

You could follow up a linking of two clips ("Look, they got married") with the revelation of several regular sized clips (An 'instant' family) linked to the pair. Okay, not earthshaking, but at least slightly charismatic.

Or, you could ...

Sid

Are there any in AOA.

Sid,

I guess your mind runs in the same channels as mine. Whenever I see something cool, I wonder what diabolical mischief can I use this for.

I had an idea of using a magnet or a couple of them glue-gunned to the inner side of my wrist as a holdout.

A tiny addition to the linking clips on a dollar bill is to add a rubber band around the center of the bill before folding it in the normal manner, then when the clips link they will also be linked to the rubber band and dangling from the bill, instead of jumping in the air. I also saw a routine somewhere (Linking Ring, I think, couple years ago) using two different colored clips(the plastic coated ones). In the hand, they combined to give clips which were both colors (the plastic coating is easy to remove and make the props).

I've FINALLY solved the paper clip dilemma.

I've found that you can do the linking clip/rubber band/dollar bill routine with the giant paper clips if you use those LARGE OVERSIZED novelty store play money.

The ones I found in a dollar store measure about 4" x 9".

Works pretty well.

EFFECT:

Borrowed bill put in mysterious bag with handle on it. Disappears! LARGE bill (not necessarily the same denomination) appears.

Magus produces 2 LARGE paper clips, and long, thin rubber band.

He folds the bill, and arranges these items on the bill.

He then draws the ends of the bill outward...... and .... VOILA!!.

The paper clips are linked together and are attached to the rubber band.

The oversized bill, the rubber band, and the two oversized paper clips are presented to the bill's donor. Magus gets to keep the borrowed bill.

AMAZING!

I've found that using #33 (long, skinny rubber bands) works OK, but would probably work better with a rubber band that's a little longer.

The exact details of this effect can be found in Mark Wilson's CYCLOPEDIA, or COMPLETE COURSE. I think I've seen it in other sources, as well.