Hi there,

I have a couple of questions to ask on the behalf of a street performer friend of mine. Firstly, where can you find plans for the Zig Zag Lady illusion? Can it be bought on its own or is it only in certain books?

Also, what are some other illusions (with published plans) that are completely angle-proof? Obviously when performing on the street you need to be able to have people walk behind your stage without seeing anything.

Do any of these illusions fold up into a manageable size? I understand that the Zig Zag Lady can be folded up into two largish briefcase sized boxes with handles.

Thanks for your help,
Adam V

The Paul Osborne plan is designed to fold up, but it loses some of its rigidity. I would recommend building it without the hinges. You might be able to make it so it would knock down and still be rigid when assembled. Look here for knock-down hardware:

http://store.yahoo.com/squaredrive/kdf-6511.html

The "official" version of the plans is in "The Magic of Robert Harbin", a limited-edition book that is out of print and seldom comes up for sale. There is one of the unauthorized reproductions currently listed on eBay. The auction ends today at 1:52 Pacific Time, and the current bid is just over $200. Do a "titles and descriptions" search for "Robert Harbin". If you are interested in illusions, this would be a great book in which to invest. Mr. Harbin was a great thinker and designer.

From time to time, someone lists knock-off Zig Zag plans on eBay.

As for surrounded illusions, look at Modern Art and the Substitution Trunk. The book "Illusions in the Round" has several ideas that could be expanded upon.

Good luck.

Amos McCormick

To shore up the side of the boxes on the OsbornE Zig Zag, I added a metal brace in the inside of each box. Boxes are as solid as no hinges and when you take the braces out, they fold up and fix quite nicely.

Biggest things are the bottom box and the base.

See the one I built at http://www.yourmagicman.com/contact.htm