My magician friend has mentioned to me he have seen a special vanisher years ago. You can put the silk in you fist (vanisher), and it disappears like a regular one does. He told me there a way it can be returned to vanish again and again. Maybe I am a little off on the effect, but is there any Silk Vanisher out there? Thanks.

Wow! As the silk importer, I hope so! The silks are gone forever, right?

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

My friend told me the silk can be brought back again, similiar to Michael Ammars Topit.

Your friend might have been referring to the Repeat Handkerchief Vanish, attributed to Harlan Tarbell, who attributes it to Oswald Williams. You'll find it at the end of Tarbell Volume 1. It's also described in Volume 1 of the Rice Encyclopedia of Silk Magic.

But really, most silk vanishes can end with a return of the silk, including the one that uses your thumb.

Thank you. I will look into it and bring it up to him.

This is also in a book about pulls written (in great detail) by Patrick Page. Highly recommended!

There was also the Ade Duval vanishing and reappearing silk, which was kind of a dye tube with a niko device on it. It was and probably is still sold by Magic Inc.

Sid Lorraine did a repeat silk vanish at one time. He tipped it at a collector. It was simply a kraft paper tube like dye tube or finger tip. He worked it like a thimble. I remember him saying that when Percy Abbott sold it he to make a special gimmick so it was worth the money to magicians. They would not pay $3 for a paper tube. In Sid's hands with his patter, it was very nice.

Richard

Boy Richard! I had almost completely forgotten about the Magic Inc. Gimmick! I wanted one of those so much as youngster. I think it was $5.00 or so! The picture looked like a slightly larger simplex gimmick with an internal plunger and an attached dowel like Nikko gimmick that was clipped or stolen out of the hand in some fashion.

I never bought one, and would love to know more!

I had one years ago from Magic Inc and it did look good although the angles were terrible as the dye tube size gimmick hung out at an angle from your hand. The gimmick was thumb palmed. Mine was $3 when I bought it. After the vanish you simply reached into your coat, pushed the plunger gimmick, and brought the silk back out hanging from the bottom of your hand.
I hope that helps.

Yes Jeff it does! It is exactly how I thought it would work. I think it is important in this effect for the silk that is withdrawn (repeatedly) from inside the coat really appear to be loose and it sounds like this one does. the original Oswald williams method is clever as hell,(can I say that here?) but requires that you be wearing an open front jacket. In many ways it is like doing a dove steal with the attendant issues.

A not dissimilar plot was contrived( rather cleverly I think) by Jim Steinmeyer for his column in MAGIC some yers ago called a "A lesson in a lesson in magic".

Jeff is right on the money with angle problem. It is one of those gimmicks that is neat to play with but kind of hard to work in the real world.

Richard

Jay Scott Berry in his book "MAGIE DU`N MONDE NOUVEAU" published by Georges Proust has a great idea how to attach a dye tube, ball, silk, vanisher etc. to a reel so you can secretly make it appear or disappear from your hands. I am sure you can use it to retrieve a vanisher from your coat as well. Since original method by Oswald Williams is very clever and quite simple I think there is no need to change it. There is also a version of Repeat Handkerchief Vanish on Michel`s The Invisible Hand DVD using a gravity holdout. You don`t need to wear an open front jacket but still you need a jacket.
"A lesson in a lesson in magic" that Jonathan mentioned is also published in "The Conjuring Anthology" by Steinmeyer on page 77.

Bojan

I read the repeat vanisher in Pat Page.
Just wondering if the thread would be seen by spectator unless it s a stage routine?

The Pat Page book is very very good! I think that a thread as thick as carpet thread would be invisible under evening performing conditions. I work the Magic Castle very often and think it would not be seen under stage lighting.

Guys, which Pat Page book are we referring to?

It is a relatively thin soft cover book called 'Pulls" if I recall....

Lybrary has the The Pull Book, it is very good.