Can anyone tell me how far I should be from spectators to avoid exposure when using the appearing sword? I'd like to use it in a parlor performance. I want to produce it from a silk. The audience will only see it for a few seconds.

I use one in my show and I've had folks about 15 feet away and no one has figured it out. Also, I never keep it still, as soon as I produce it I'm waving it around for a few moments then hand it to my assistant and she immediately takes it away. I produce mine from either a tip over box or a large squared circle. I produce items at a fairly fast pace, so the audience doesn't have time to look at each item for very long before I'm producing the next object. I also have a kid on stage to hold the other items I produce, and of course you can't let a child hold a sword, so that's a good reason for my assistant to take it away.
Bob.

Thanks. That's good to know. I'm going to be a little less than ten feet from the front row, so I'm not sure if I should use it.