Clinton, I'm off to Magic Live,
but next weekend call or email me
and I can give you the soup-to-nuts details on this,
and where I have and have not been able to perform this.
Walt

I saw that illusion last year. It was performed by a friend of mine and the results were great. People enjoyed it. I hope that helps.

Luis De Matos has a Floating ball routine designed to be performed by one person. No assistants needed. I don't perform it but bought the DVD because I heard the hook up was clever and may be useful for other floating effects.

I have an original Don Wayne Floating Ball on the way. However, it does not come with instructions or thread. Can any help me in getting the original instructions (including the solo version) or let me know where I can find the routine?

Jonathan Neal (who is a member here, user name JNeal) is the co-executor (with Christopher Hart) of Don Wayne's estate . He might be able to provide instructions. I remember that he posted last month that he had discovered a dozen 'Don Wayne Floating Balls' while clearing out Don's storage facility and would be making them available for sale.

I agree 100% with Bill H. This is a huge undertaking to make this thing look right. Much more than getting a Mylar curtain. I a magic show last year and the thread stood out for all to see. I would suggest trying to get a Tommy Wonder zombie and the Golden Zombie book and going that route

Lighting. It's all about the light.

Doug

Buy a Zombie and Neil Fosters books, you'll be happy.
There are half a dozen th@@@d floating balls, skulls, candles.
the are for illusionists who already have full stage shows and staffs.
The Don Wayne CAN be done one- man and close-up under some conditions, but not vary well or very often.
Zombie is also a stage, parlor (sometimes) effect, but it is one-man and has a one hundred year history.

An old thread, I know, but I agree with "ringmaster" ...
the way forward is a Zombie, and so easy to use.

However, through much disrespectful disclosure via social media, this effect might not be so "magical" any more.
Perhaps it is time to "re-invent" this classic effect ...

Wulfie

Wulfie is right. I miss the old days of brown carpet thread and actual LIGHTING skills! Red and blue Gels. Blocking and testing the tech over and over. Here is a good semi-close up version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1iBQvfXbKA

And, it CAN be done close up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OILFFLStgQg

Very pricey, but worth every penny!

Doug

Thanks for sharing Dougini ...

The best one man floating ball is by Luis deMatos this is by far the best one man floating ball you are in complete control of the entire routine without assistance . It takes time to rig it but once it’s rigged you’re good to go retails for $1600 And for the Don Wayne floating ball it’s just the ball smaller than the Luis ball you could buy the Don Wayne and then get the Luis deMato routine with DVD and line separate for about 40 bucks

Please, what books has Neil Foster authored on performing the Zombie floating ball ? I know of no such books.

Joe Karson , the creator of Zombie, is the author of a small booklet published by Abbott's Magic Co. - 'Tips on Zombie' and the updated version called 'Further Tips on Zombie' (with contributions from numerous magicians , including Neil Foster, but Foster is not credited as the author of the book, it is Joe Karson). Perhaps you are thinking of those booklets ?

While we are on the subject, a very good book is 'Zombie: The Floating Ball Teach-In' by Lewis Ganson

It is available at Lybrary.com , along with Karson's 'Further Tips on Zombie'.

Of course, Tommy Wonder's theories on performing Zombie and modifying the gimmick in 'The Books of Wonder' (Vol. 2) is essential reading, too. (if possible, augment with viewing the video "Visions of Wonder" where he physically demonstrates his ideas on the technique used for floating the ball. )

You have it backwards regarding Further Tips on Zombie. It was Neil Foster who compiled the collection while Joe Karson and the others were contributors. Abbotts acquired the rights to Tips on Zombie and looked to expand it. Joe Karson was battling alcoholism and had reduced performing and creating at that time (though he had another creative surge in late 70s). He had started to hand over the reins to others. Neil Foster stepped in to the role and did a good job getting others to provide items beyond Joe's initial material. Sid Lorraine explained to me how he was "persuaded" to do the illustrations for it despite a pile of other projects he had. So it is really Neil's and Sid's book and was marketed that way by Abbotts.

Having performed this for many decades I have a few thoughts. I have done this in every type of venue from the small and intimate Playboy Club in LA where it was done less then about 8 feet to the audience on a fully lit stage to the 7,000 set Sun Dome in Phoenix. I still remember doing a week in the Palace at the Magic Castle with Mike Caveny and during the ball routine when my assistant ran off to do a costume stage in the dressing room was heard to have said, “Wait a minute… who’s running the ball?” JNeal and I actually helped Don manufacture these balls at his home. It was an amazing process. Yes, I went through a few over the year and now have a replacement for them that I installed in a show room in Vegas for another act. The original Don Wayne Floating Ball prop was simply the ball (made of lightweight Duroplas™) and the one man instructions. This is a variation Don came up with that gives you a lot more control from my experience then the actual Okito hook up. You could also buy the Don Wayne Floating Ball Routine which was a manuscript detailing a method utilizing an assistant off stage to control the movement of the ball. This is the method that David used on his special with the Mirror Ball. I do like some of the things you can do with the Luis DeMatos hook up but for me, Don’s method served me well for years. I also created a hook up/mount for theaters that took about 1 minute to set up and about the same to strike. Minus the thread it probably cost me about $1. I also developed several variations of Don’s more elaborate system that could emulate full 3D flight over a hundred feet in any direction. It has always been one of my favorite effects and well worth the year or so I had to rehearse with it to get it where I wanted.

If you perform it . people will see the string. Performed the zombie ball safer