Unsolicited praise for Fire Cage

I wanted to let everyone know about the Dream Illusions fire cage. I happened to catch a thread here at the Café that introduced me to an illusion builder named Jack Murray. Jack mentioned in a thread that he makes fire cage illusions at a reasonable price. After talking to Jack on the phone, I decided to buy one of his illusions for my show. Without a doubt, this is one of the best illusions that I have purchased for the price. Jack has obviously put a lot of thought into to the building of these cages. Not only is it convenient to set up, about 5 minutes, but the illusion also has many innovative features that make it a dream to perform. Jack also kept me informed as to the progress of the fabrication of the illusion, as well as the estimated shipping date. For those of you who deal with illusion builders on a regular basis, you know how rare this kind of service is.

If you are looking for a great appearance that is portable, well built and has a great impact on your audience, I highly recommend that you purchase one of these cages before Jack comes to his senses and raises the price.


Yours in magic,

Ray Anderson

Ray:
Thanks for the post. I have a small touring illusion show that plays currently for small fairs and carnivals in my area. I am thinking of getting a Blamo or fire cage type of illusion eventually, as an intro to the show. I may have to look into this. Thanks again.

Appreciate the post, I just emailed Jack to find out more and definitely look forward to hear from him soon.

And Ray puts on a great show in Austin Texas.

If you are ever there get tickets to "Esther's Follies" and prepare to laugh the night away and be mesmerized by Ray's illusions.

Thanks Ray!!! It's very gratiifying to receive such praise from a full time magician who recognizes quality. I'm pleased if my clients are!!!


Jack

Hello Everyone, I just wanted to say that i completely agree with you all. Jack Murray is a wonderful illusion builder. He builds quality props, and truly cares about his clients. Bravo Jack, great job!

Jack:
Do you have a web site where I can go and find out more about your wonderful illusions?

Hey Guys,

Glad to help. I always try to give praise to people that deserve it. Often times, you only hear the negative comments in our biz.

Ray, thanks for the show plug. Can you believe that Esther's is now in it's 25th season? We are still having a great time doing the show down here in Austin.

Ray Anderson

Yes Kyle, I have a website but it's new and does not have examples of everything I can build. I hope to be adding to it as soon as possible!!
I have been very busy with Fire Cage orders as of late, and my clients include Gay Blackstone, and Stevens Magic Emporium. I'm currently building one for Murray Hatfield, a Café' user from Canada.
I also build custom ATA cases, and doubt if many can beat my pricing!!



Regards
Jack Murray

Jack, That is awesome. Thanks so much. I will check out your site and possibly send you an e-mail.

I wanted to wade in and add my praise for Jack Murray and his work. After reading about the Firecage here I called Jack and ordered one for myself. Jack kept in touch throughout the process and made sure I was aware of everything along the way.

When the prop arrived I set it up right away and without ever looking at the instructions. It went together easily in about 5 minutes.

The prop is sturdy, attractive and well worth every penny of the cost, and the fact that it includes a case is a great bonus. I look forward to premiering it on my annual tour.

Murray Hatfield

Where is the fire in the illusion?
It still looks good though.
Gary

Hey Pyro,

This version has a wick trap that extinguishes the fire automaticaly when the illusion is performed. Although this mechanism works fine, I prefer to use a tray with smokeless shot shell powder. This gives you a great flash of fire rather than an ongoing flame. Either of these methods look good, it's just a matter of taste.

Ray

Using smokeless shot shell powder instead of wicking, changes the fire effect from open flame (wicking) to a pyrotechnic device.
Meaning you now have a class 1.4 pyro device needing a pyro license, ATF permit, pyro insurance and a fire marshal's permit and fire watch to use. In some cities you now need these for open flame but for smokeless shot shell powder a must.

Zigmont is correct. I should have stated this in my post.
We use several pyro effects throughout our performances.
Since we are an ongoing show with our own theater, it is worth the effort of obtaining the necessary permits. If you are a traveling show, it might not be worth the hassle.

Ray

Zig is right. The last time I performed mine at a Disney Hotel I needed a fire marshall ($500). He also made me show him that the foulard was treated with flame retardant. I had to produce the retardant and re-treat before the show.
That is the only downside of the fire cage.

Just a thought. Theatre FX sells a tiny battery operated fogger that you could quite easily install (with minor modifications) in the fire cage.

Instead of a burst of fire - a stream of fog would begin to fill the cage then you pull the cloth over and whip it off and voila...your assistant. This would completely eliminate any problems with fire marshalls or theatres with tough fire rules...

Murray

That would be a smoke cage and not quite the same impact.
Even smoke will need firewatch in most US theaters and hotels. It's a changing world.