Danny Archer, he calls this "Coin-Aid." It's on the Coin-Vention DvDs from his as well.

I was thinking of doing something similar! I might do a modification to the skin on my left wrist, I want a slit on the underside of the wrist and expand the skin on the underside of my underarm, making a skin-sleeve, so I can do the "the pumpkin seed vanish" from bobo's while not wearing anything. Maybe on the beach or in the sauna. But since my starsign is aries Im afraid it will mess up my feng shui at home?

Is there any milage in a small powerful magnet concealed in the crook of the fingers, with a flesh-tone 'fake skin' over it?

As mystery artists, we modify or purchase pre-modified things: coins, pens, paper money, playing cards, shirts, jackets, pants, keychains, wallets, etc., etc. I guess "self modification" is a kind of threshold. Even contemplating crossing that threshold obviously makes some people uncomfortable. But...If the risks are low enough and one can afford it...why not? Such a procedure would merely be yet another weapon in a performer's toolbox. And if a magnet in the hand is the beginning of the Augmented Magician, then the sky's the limit. In the future, questions regarding whether a performer has"had work done" might not be about face lifts.

Just hope that you never need an MRI.

And I can imagine fairly painful afterwards.
If I had a dollar for every time the magnet in my back pocket accidentally slammed up against the posts at the gas station.....

So I actually have a magnet implanted in my right ring fingertip. It is powerful enough to pick up table silverware, spin them on my finger etc.

The best part is when I sometimes explain I have a magnet in my finger to spectators they almost never believe me and still keep asking how I -really- do it.

Happy to answer questions and would love any good effect ideas.

Semi-related I also have rewritable NFC tags implanted in the backs of each of my hands. Can touch someone else's phone to my hand and have it open a picture of their card

If you weren't too serious, why are you wasting our time?

Might help with arthritis. On the other hand, it might suck the iron out of your blood. Or demagnetize your wristwatch. If you wear braces, flossing your teeth could become disastrous. Of course, if you got one in each hand, you could still clap. Once. Oh, decisions, decisions...

Reviving an old thread here, but I've just reached the 6-month milestone with my implant and I thought I'd throw my two cents in for anyone researching getting one of their own.

Mostly, I think magicians need to understand straight away that you aren't putting an m5 in your finger. The magnets used for these implants are powerful, but very small. The procedure was invented with the goal of sensing alternating EMF fields; they are not optimal for controlling permanent magnets. Many magicians may be disappointed that they don't have more "power" from their implant. Don't get me wrong, you can do *amazing* PK work with these and they can often operate at a significant distance, it's just that the forces are smaller. Do not expect things to fly across the table when you wave your hand, but rather expect to see subtler and slower movements.

If you do get one, know that both the sensory experience *and* your ability to move and lift objects will increase over time. The first is obvious as your nerves heal, but the second less so. Human tissue is a very effective blocker of magnetic fields. Because the implants are so small, and magnetic power is exponential with distance like gravity, even a few millimeters can make a big difference. As the wound heals and the swelling goes down, your magnet gets closer to the surface of your skin. You get more power out of it, and objects are easier to lift because a balancing point between the poles becomes more accessible.

Do your research about the different options for coating and magnet size, and make sure you know the details of the magnet that is implanted. Smaller magnets provide more sensitivity in the fingertips, larger magnets provide more movement and lifting power. Do not implant anything less than N52 grade, as it's simply not worth the effort. As for the actual procedure, I highly recommend finding a professional trained by Steve Haworth, or going to Steve himself if you are able. I think it's worth having this done by someone with experience and knowledge. That said, a professional body-mod artist (in the US at least) cannot use anesthetics. The pain is very intense. If you know someone with medical training who could do this for you at home with some internet-purchased lidocaine, consider that option.

Pros:
The magnet is right out in front, directly next to the props, and nobody will ever see it.
The sensory experience of alternating EMF fields is very strong.
Just right for activating magnetic switches like hall-effect sensors and reed switches.
PK objects respond directly to your hand, allowing complete freedom to focus on performance.
Ultimate reliability and consistency. Never get caught without it. Always active. Position and polar orientation in your finger is fixed, so the *sweet spots* become very easy to find.
Perfect example of Teller's axiom. If they begin to suspect the truth, they will dismiss the idea as ridiculous. Even if you tell them directly, they think it's part of the show and they won't believe you.

Cons:
No kidding, it's *extremely painful*. *EXTREMELY PAINFUL*. Do not ignore this warning.
It takes months for your nerves to heal fully.
Scar is still visible after 6 months. (That said, I'm not deformed, and it's nothing that would raise suspicion or distract an audience.)
Mileage may vary with your ability to sense and control permanent magnets from a distance. It will all depend on how your magnet finally chooses to settle under your skin.
Risk of rejection or infection like any piercing. Pay close attention and be disciplined about the after-care routines until you are fully healed.

I got this knowing that I had a particular use for it as a magician, but the main reason was that I wanted to explore body-tech modification, and this was an easy entry-level procedure to try. Overall, it's one of the coolest things I've ever done for myself and I am very glad I went through with it. I'm hooked and ready to join the grindr cult. In 6 more months I plan to get an RFID chip implanted. But if you don't have that extra interest, I am not sure this is worth the surgery just for PK magic.

I happen to be a licensed nurse. What you are describing is very a very dangerous thing. Any doctor or nurse that performed such a procedure would no doubt face disciplinary action. You are having a foreign body placed directly into your finger. You run a high risk of infection as well as an autoimmune response. What ever metal the magnet is made from can also leach out into your blood and poison you. Neodymium magnets are made from rare earth materials. Where I live they are attempting to extract these materials from coal waste. I sure would not want to put that in my body.

You need the back that up with some science, because I think you’re just giving your knee jerk opinion and have not actually researched this matter. Thousands of people around the world have these implants. Can you supply some statistics on how many have had serious negative reactions, or cite studies on the specific risks that make this more dangerous than other bio- implants?

I do want my posts to be useful and accurate info for people researching the procedure, so let’s talk about the serious risks you are concerned about. As a licensed nurse I’m sure you’re familiar with the advancements in bio-coating that have allowed implants to become a reality. My magnet is coated in titanium to keep it from chipping and then coated in bio-grade silicon. It’s a foreign body, but so is a pacemaker, the nails they put it a broken leg, or the ID chip in my cat’s neck. The risks of infection are no greater than any other small piercing. It’s fairly large and it’s in a sensitive spot, so the basic risks of a piercing are more likely to occur than with an ear piercing, but no more severe. The magnet is very close to my skin and if my body rejected it, it would literally just push it’s way out like a splinter. This is not an assumption, it happened to an acquaintance. He waited a month and had the magnet re-implanted and now it’s been in there for years.

Really I think your ideas come from a lack of understanding magnets. Are you against medical implants in general? Probably not, but something about the mystery of magnets makes people nervous. I’ve been told I can’t have an MRI by people who operate the machines every day but don’t understand the actual physics that they employ. That’s absurd. I haven’t needed one, but plenty of other people with the implants have had them without consequence, and with some study of magnetism you can understand why. Your fear of “rare earth material” gives you away. You’re scared of things you don’t understand. Heavy metal poisoning is a risk, but the rare earth mineral in my magnet is Neodymium, and it’s not a heavy metal. The other main component in the alloy is Nickel, which is of course a heavy metal. But you are talking about an object that is millimeters in size and ~10% Nickel corroding at a very slow rate. Even if the coating was dissolved and the titanium got badly chipped, it would take a year or more before I risked even losing my finger, and there’s just not enough Nickel in there to cause anything more serious. If your math and medical expertise suggests that it *is* enough Nickel, please show your work.

Just because it’s in coal doesn’t make it dangerous. Coal is primarily carbon. You don’t want that in your body either?

Let me be very clear: Your medical expertise puts you in a good position to talk about the general risks of bio-implants. Your dismal understanding of the physical properties of magnets and your general chemo-phobia should preclude you from commenting on the specific risks of this procedure. As I said before if you have some studies or even anecdotal evidence you can cite to back up your claims, please feel free to share.

The one thing you said that is true is the one thing I already addressed: For legal reasons, in the US at least, this cannot be done by a medical professional. You must find a body-mod artist trained in the procedure or someone willing to do it at home who isn’t risking their career.

In the interest of science and accuracy:

Reading over my post I see a mistake. I said Nickel is part of the magnetic alloy, and it’s not really. It is used in many neodymium magnets as a surface to protect the actual alloy, which is mostly iron. A little iron in my blood won’t hurt me, but to be honest once I started thinking about it, I realized I am not sure if my magnet was coated in titanium *instead of* nickel, or just as an extra layer of protection.

It’s an academic point though. None of these metals are poisonous enough in these quantities to cause a sudden emergency.

Sounds sort of like a bodybuilder injecting Synthol into his biceps. He thinks he looks good. Everyone else thinks he's an idiot.

I think I look entirely unenhanced. It’s kind of the point.

When the silverware on the table spins and laptops shut down with a wave of my hand, my audiences are stunned and many of them want to launch long conversations about the *true* possibility of psychic ohenomena, They don’t know how I did it, so they can’t judge my allegedly egotistical methods. I didn’t post here for the judgment of other magicians, I posted to provide the info, and the report of a successful and satisfying experience. Do with it as you will.

I’m a psychic you know, so here’s a prediction. Someone’s about to complain that it’s a bad idea to shut down laptops using a magnet...

Check out this NY Times article
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/12/us/gr......top-news

I will celebrate 4 years with my implant this summer. Still no complications, and the ways I’ve found to utilize it for magic have only grown. Since then I’ve also had two NFC chips implanted, which I use to help control phones during Inject routines and other digital magic. Implants are a real option.

The so-called bodybuilders who injected synthol into their arms thought that was a real option. Now, some of them are risking amputation. Makes you wonder what the long term effects of this idiocy might be.

If you’ve got any idea what you’re actually afraid of, I’m interested to hear it. So far in 4 years all I’ve heard is vague admonitions like this. My advice to those considering it, which is all I’m here to provide, is listen to others who’ve had it done and those who perform the implantation, as you would with any tattoo, piercing, or similar procedure. There are good reasons someone might choose to keep strapping the magnet to their knee and buy an NFC ring instead, but these unfounded medical fears shouldn’t be one of them.

Do you have a medic alert bracelet or something else to let people know before they put you in an MRI machine if you're unable to communicate?
That could go badly otherwise.