Does anyone know if in the history of magic there has been a linking ring routine with more than one key ring?

I know the original Chinese routines used many many rings, I assume they used more than one key ring…

But more modern routines – has anyone used more than one key?

Noup! The most similar thing that I heard is about the Presentation of Dai Vernon on the rings, he use a Key, expose it and says that he don't use that kind of ring and go direct to the routine.
Again this is something that I heard, I cant said I Read it in a book...if is true he use two keys, one for the expose and the other for the routine.
Anyone here heard the same rumor?
My best,
Hansel!

George Blake's Perverse Rings (as well as my version and Topper Martyn's) used 2 singles and 2 Keys. Blake's version was pre WWII.
I don't think Vernon used two, he just talked it. Jay Marshall had a comedy bit published using a single ring with two openings.

I do a three ring routine with one solid and two keys...

I came up with it and I am very proud of it, just wanted to know if it was done before...

Doesn't that complicate things needlessly? You have to conceal two breaches. What advantage do you see using the two keys?

David

Not difficult at all if you use rings like Joe Porper's locking setup.

Oooooohhhh, Thanks!

Ugabuga,

Your routine may well be original, but the idea of two or more keys (locking or otherwise) is not new and has been done many times by many people over the years.

Any exapmles? I would love to see them...

Most folks that use them don't tip off the fact, so it is often not known.

Richard Ross comes to mind

I had the exact same idea. I've seen Joe Porper's locking rings: they are just awesome. Pete could confirm this but he is a friend to Joe Porper (so he could be biased) when I don't have that privilege (I know the rings but not the man who makes them)

Funny this should come up. I have consulted with Joe on a NEW TYPE LOCKER... yesterday he showed it to R. Paul Wilson and a couple of other knowledgable magicians and it blew them away. We are going to shoot a video clip on it next week.

Basically you show two rings openly, say hanging from your thumbs... there is no XXX visible, you just GENLY tap them together and the XXX opens thanks to an incredible inner mechanism and you link them, and with very little effort can now display them openly with nothing showing.

Mr. O ... Joe will be at WMS and I'll make sure you can spend some time with him.

Eckhard Böttcher (German magician and magic shop owner) published a 4 ring routine with two key rings. That was maybe twenty years ago. He also produced and sold the set of rings.

Well Pete, you are convincing me to go with these. Have you mentioned the diameter yet? Can't seem to find it on Joe's website. I used to have 12" until they were lost in shipment so 13" would be good.
For me, a 15" set would probably be too large. Never owned a locking key (always a wide gap).

I just love George Blake's routine!!!!

I'm going to soon publish Blake's original version, thanks to Martin Breese, and add my extended version and other crazy linking ring stuff in one of my new Series Books.

According to Houdin's book (check the Learned Pig), he documents sets of rings as consisting of twelve rings. Five singles, two keys, a set of three and a set of two. Since the book was originally published more than a hundred and thirty years ago, my guess is multiple keys in a routine is, in fact, very old.

Bill

That's right, Bill, and I'll betchs it was old when Houdin wrote that.

Fu Manchu did this on his routine on a very deceptive manner.

Fu's assistant would come carrying the rngs and as if by accident, trip on the floor and let them all fall. Fu would then grab all rings, and as he performed a false count, he would so to say 'verify' if all the rings were ok. In the midle of the count he stumbled upon a key ring and complained "This one's broken! I won't use it!" and so he proceeded to do his 5 (or was it 6? can't recall) Ring Routine.


As for the first post, David Copperfield's Modern Art Museum Act featured a Linking Rings phase which used two locking keys.