I have a routine that is adapted from Tim Wright's Billiard Ball Routine, where he ends with a large ball kicker ending. You know the one! He used 4 balls in that routine, and I wanted to add a flash 4, (which would show 8 balls) prior to the large ball kicker ending. Trouble is, I'm tring to figure out a way to ditch the flash 4 and have it make sense in the routine. All the other balls go into a contraption and out comes a large ball. Well, the flash 4 wont fit... thus the dilemma. Any suggestions?

There is generally a hook at one end of the set, I alternately have hooked them on the back of my table or chair as I ditch the others, or back under my coat, again with misdirection as I ditch. Look at the other props around where they may logically go, a miser's dream bucket you used earlier a traditional top hat, even onto the back pants pocket. That's all I can think of, I'm sure others will jump in with their experiences.

Magically,
Walt

What contraption are you talking about? I too wanted to end my routine that way and was trying to come up with a good way of doing a blendo type effect with the billiard balls.

What about using the flash 4 that tim describes in the video.. that way you can cleanly drop 8 balls in the hat one at a time.

Thanks for the help.

Mtpascoe - The contraption that I am referring to is my Ball-O-Matic. See the attached picture. It is basically a paint bucket.

Graham - I can't drop the flash four into my contraption. It won't fit.

Walt - The ditching ideas that you have mentioned are my best ideas as of yet, I'm just feeling like they don't make as much sense with the routine, but at least this idea will work. At this point, I will either use the ideas that you are describing, or just leave the flash four out and do this routine producing a max of 4 balls.

Thanks for the help... Any other ideas are welcome.

Click here to view attached image.

Do you own tims video? he shows a very deceptive flash 4 that can be displayed as normal but are not attached by a wire thus allowing to drop 8 regular balls. I have not watched the video in years but I'm pretty sure this method is on the tape...pm me if you need more info.

Right - I do own the dvd. He has a routine where his four balls become one large ball out of his hat. That is no problem. He also shows you how to use a flash four, but fitting the flash 4 and the four balls in my contraption wont work (not without some creative modifications). Anyway - thanks for the feedback.

Karrell Fox Had a neat "flash four" production in connection with the Multiplying Sponge Balls (w. a sh---). Off-hand I see no reason why this same principle wouldn't work with any multiplying balls routine.

It's called "Ball-O-Matic" and can be found in one of his lecture notes as well as in the great Foxy book CLEVER..LIKE A FOX.

Julie

Tony, the other thing you might try is to remove the wire from the balls and replace it with thick cord the color of the balls, and knot it on either side of each ball, with just enough room between for your fingers. They will work about the same if you get the cord spacing right, and this is one way they made them in "the old days" because they are now more flexible, perhaps they'll fit in your prop. Another two-cents, Walt

Watch the video again. are you using the standard flash four?. he shows a method for a flash four without having the balls attached at the end.

Walt - you are a smart guy. Good idea. Before I invested in a Fakini flash four, I made a home made version with an elastic cord connecting foam golf balls. The elastic would allow the four balls to squese between my fingers and fold up in a way that they would fit insite my contraption. I have been wondering if I want to take apart a $100 item. But the idea you are talking about is a great one. I may just do that. Thanks...

One other possibility (dependent on angles) is to have a bag/servant attached to the back of you table, so that you can actually drop the flash four behind the can into the bag. from the front, it would still appear to be going into the can. I have used a similar ruse effectively in the past, but it does mean you can't have any severe angles.

There are other climax options other than the hard wired one on Tim's video. There is the balls that nest inside one another and hinge open very quickly. There are the vernet's that take up less room (Which could be modified obviously). Also, there is the option of running a thin flexible wire through the four balls instead of a rigid one. That way they are stiff, yet supple.

Thanks guys. All good ideas. Stucky - your avitar is really freaky. I'm actually a little scared.

A couple of things...

1. Julie's right. Karrell Fox's Ball-O-Matic is terriffic....I use it. VERY magical and gets the "oooohs'a and ahhh's".
2. Ditching needn't be a big deal........as a matter of fact, I'm a big believer of Harry Lorayne's favorite phrase..."Don't make a move out of it". To be more precise in regards to ditching, misdirection works wonders, doesn't it? Sometimes things are simply more magical when they're simply not there anymore....a servante behind your table, coupled with a turn to hide the ditch can be very effective!

Thanks Rainboguy - that is certainly the most simple solution. I already have a great servante off the back of the table. I was concerned about each element making sense, but maybe the appearance and vanish of the final four will just be a fun bit of whimsy in the middle of the routine.

Here is the basic routine structure -
I have a cloth over the ball-o-matic. I remove the cloth, showing both sides of the cloth and begin to talk about the ball-o-matic. As I talk a ball pops to the top of the cloth. I grab the ball and drop it in the bucket. As I do another pops on top of the cloth. I remove it and drop it into the ball-o-matic bucket. I repeat two more times apparently dropping a total of 4 in the ball-o-matic.

I then put the cloth away and remove one of the balls. I have some fun, vanish through the forehead, sneeze it out the nose. Then vanish it by throwing it invisibly back into the ball-o-matic. I then reach in and grab the ball again, showing my hand to only have one ball. Then one ball becomes 2, then I take one and put it back, and it returns. Then two, becomes three. I take one and put it back in the bucket, and it returns. Then three becomes four. Then as I turn and hold out four, the four become eight. Wow, at this point, I put the four away, leaving four in one hand.

Then I begin the process of putting each one back in the ball-o-matic only... every time I put one away, it comes back and I realize after all four should be in the bucket, that they are still between my fingers. Confused but determined, I do this process again, same result. I then take them off one by one in a nonsequencial order. This seems to work. I wipe my hands and turn the bucket over dropping out a large 5" ball from the now empty ball-o-matic. Apparently the little balls all fused together to make one big ball. The end!

Generally speaking, in magic, the simplest solution is the best.

Also, Tony, may I suggest that, if you can, get yourself to Colon Michigan during Abbott's Magic Get-Together. Tim Wright is there every year and will, I'm sure, be happy to talk with you in-depth about billiard ball moves and tips.

Also, FWIW, Frank Radtke's son, Randy, has taken on the Fakini business and Fakini always has a booth at Abbott's.

I've been going to Abbott's Get-Together for 30 years and wouldn't miss it for the world.....it's really special...mainly because of the people you meet and talk magic with there.

Sounds like a great get-together, and I would love to meet Tim Wright. I don't get to Michigan much. However, this weekend I will be at Magic At The Beach with Levent. So, I'm hoping he will give me a few multiplying ball pointers. It should be a fun weekend.

Also, if any of you are interested, I uploaded a quick video of me doing the routine I described above. I haven't performed this for an audience as of yet.

http://www.youtube.com/user/AnthonyJThomas?feature=mhum

What do y'all think?

Tony:

Levent is an expert at billiard balls, so it will be great for you to meet him and talk to him. I will say this though, even though it's a long drive, trust me, if you ever get to Colon Michigan for an Abbott's get-together, you will always want to go back.

There is literally no place in the world like Colon, Michigan, for magicians. In my opinion, it's like a magician's holy pilgrimmage to magic Mecca, quite literally.....once there, if you truly love magic, Colon will always be part of your life...it's that special.

Some of the happiest days of my life have been in Colon during Abbott's get-together.......perhaps some of the other magicians here on the Café who have been there can interject their thoughts on this, too!

Why not make a bigger ball so that it can easily contain the flash four gimmick? The reason the original John Booth hollow ball is the size it is, is because John used to put it in a top hat. In your case you can make a bigger ball and pail.

Best regards,
Levent
http://www.LeventMagic.com