Reading through Lane and Grant's "They're Off" there is an effect that says to use DeMuth's "Saltrix." It is a salt shaker that can be used to secretly produce some object(s). Anyone know were I can find a detailed description of the salt shaker? The Lane and Grant pamphlet mentions the main feature but no details, as it assumes you can go out and buy one -- maybe in 1935!

Oh, here is the description:
"A magician seated at a table shows his left hand empty, mentions that he likes salted peanuts, but that they never have quite enough salt on them, so he picks up the salt cellar, closes his left fist, shakes some salt in the fist, opens his hand, and there are a lot of salted peanuts. He puts a little more salt on them and starts to eat them. If he isn't a hog he will pass some to the company."

It is a neat little item and for sale up to the 60s (when I got mine). I haven't seen one for sale even on the vintage magic sites in years.


I've sent you a PM.

I reckon you are not wanting to purchase the prop, as I see you like to make things yourself. We can't address magic secrets on the open forums.

I did a little searching and you might find some info if you go to the Learned Pig Project and look up Demuth Saltrix.

Here is a picture of the Al Baker Salt Shaker, from the early days as well. I know it is not the Demuth, but again similar.

https://www.ktmagic.com/Auction/APViewItem.asp?ID=661

I can only suggest you take a look at Vernet Ethereal Salt Shaker, not exactly the same as the simpler Demuth from 1935, but similar.

http://www.vernetmagic.com/producto/ethereal-salt/

Thanks, Bill, for the info. The ethereal salt shaker is on my to-buy list. I would possibly buy the Saltrix if it were still available.

But yes I like to make things too!

Couldn't find any info on Saltrix on TLPP (lybrary.com site).

I used to have a gimmick salt shaker which use to produce a silk. Maybe this similar method to Saltrix.

The Demuth "Saltrix" also the same thing that was also marketed as "Demuth Salt Shaker" and "Salt-Sational" by Demuth?

See Ed Mishell's review of Demuth Salt Shaker in Genii -

Ed Mishell review of Demuth Salt Shak







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In The Jinx No. 16, January 1936 there is an article on adopting DeMuth's "Saltrix" to a tobbacco pouch. The working is pretty clear from the illustrations.

It does seem the same/very similar to "Salt-Sational".

Thanks for the confirmation.

I found an interesting reference to De Muth's "Saltrix" in Genii, July 1938 in the column "In the Marketplace of Bagdad Where the Merchants Gather" , which says:
"Kanter is selling 'Saltrix' , the trick that is proving so sensational in Dai Vernon's hands."

For years I was under the false impression that the salt shaker I had was Tannen's "Salt-Go". This is because I purchased it from Tannen's when I was a kid , promptly lost track of the original instruction sheet , but have continued to use the shaker over the years since then. In my mind because I had purchased it at Tannen's and Tannen's sold a salt vanish called "Salt Go" I thought that was what I had. However, discussing Salt-Go with someone who had it I realized that the way the gimmick was delivered into the hand is different in Tannen's Salt-Go from the version I had (although the gimmick is similar size and shape). Then I just recently came across a copy of the instructions for a trick called "Salt-Sational" credited to De Muth. It's the same shaker that I have. The instruction sheet says it is a "P. Cinimod Release". No idea who P. Cinimod is. At the beginning of these instructions it says: "We are now proud to be able to offer this streamlined modern version of the classic salt trick by De Muth." For whatever reason , P. Cinimod decided to call it "Salt-Sational" instead of "New Improved Saltrix" or "Streamlined Saltrix" , or "Streamlined De Muth Salt Shaker", but it seems to be the same thing as De Muth's Saltrix , which Ed Mishell reviews as "De Muth's Salt Shaker' in the March 1965 issue of Genii, without noting that it was previously called "Saltrix'. The "De Muth's Salt Shaker" Mishell is reviewing was released by Lou Tannen. So it seems to have had three separate names: "Saltrix" when originally released by De Muth in the 1930's, then as "De Muth's Salt Shaker" in the 1960's , and finally as "Salt-Sational" in the 1970's. I'm not sure what exactly the "streamlined modern" addition is to Saltrix in the case of Salt-Sational , as I can't imagine how the original could have differed much from the Salt-Sational shaker I have ... I suspect the only difference is the style of salt shaker used , which may be different than the salt shaker originally used by De Muth when Saltrix was released in the 1930's ?

Salt-Sational uses this style of "waffle cut" shaker which has been used in diners for decades.

Click here to view attached image.

Well now that is as definitive as it gets. Great detective work, David. You've clearly earned that pipe.

P. Cinimod is Dominic Paolino. He marketed tricks like Clippo, Return of the Fly, and the above.

Thank you for solving that mystery !



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If I remember correctly, Tannen's also sold that waffle salt shaker called "Salt Go". It was a vanish and reproduction of salt. The instructions said to vanish the salt in the stolen gimmick in the shaker. Then to produce it was not pour, but a throwing up of the hand, and releasing small amounts of salt into the air. I did not care for that reappearance throwing salt in the air. The gimmick was in the shaker and stolen out.

A year or so, the local dollar store had these waffle salt shakers in stock. They sold quickly, as I purchased one, and when I went back for another, they were all gone.

You can use a coin collector's clear plastic tube for the gimmick, or clear pill vial. That is what Tannen used for the gimmick.

Hmmmmm ... the image I posted previously in this topic seems to have vanished.

Here it is again, if anyone is interested:




This is what the salt shaker used in the effect looks like:



These type of salt shakers are still fairly common. ( https://www.amazon.com/Retro-Style-Peppe......HOFE1XG/ ) And even if they weren't , who really cares? To the audience it should be perceived as just a salt shaker, a container to hold salt. New designs for salt and pepper shakers are introduced all the time. As long as it is seen by the audience to be functional as a salt shaker it will do. Magicians tend to overthink these things , worrying about whether it looks like an "ordinary, everyday item". I put together this image showing various real salt shakers with a few gimmicked salt shakers added to the mix.




.

This came up again recently on another magic forum, talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the various types of tricky salt shakers invented for the envanishment of a quantity of salt. In the discussion the Vernet Ethereal Salt received the usual scorn for not looking like "an ordinary, everyday salt shaker" , but again my response is: "What exactly IS an ordinary, everyday salt shaker?" (see my updated photo with a couple of more salt shakers added to the line-up. There are three gimmicked salt shakers in this line up. Can you tell just by looking at them that they are not ordinary, everyday salt shakers ? But which one of these salt shakers sets the standard for what may be considered an "ordinary" looking salt shaker ? There are dozens of salt shaker designs manufactured.



(the three in the line up above are : Al Baker Salt Shaker , Fred Demuth Salt Shaker, Vernet Ethereal Salt Shaker (which is based on the working of the earlier Aldini Miracle Salt Shaker)

Now, all that said ,the Vernet salt shaker would definitely be improved if it were made of real glass (or heavier acrylic) and a real metal cap rather than the chromed plastic cap, although from a distance I don't think anyone can tell that it's not a metal cap. The Vernet shaker is not really best used for close-up at a table, but works better for a parlor or stage stand-up presentation.

The Vernet shaker is based on the original Aldini Miracle Salt Shaker which was made from a real glass shaker (with metal cap). These are hard to find nowadays. Aldini (Alex H. Weiner) actually marketed three different magic salt shakers over the years. The first was the Aldini Miracle Salt Shaker (1969), then later he marketed one called the "Improved" Aldini Magic Salt Shaker (1978), fabricated entirely from plastic. It worked on the same principle as his original Miracle Shaker, but in my opinion did not look as good.





The final one was also called Aldini's Magic Salt Shaker (1985), but it worked on a different principle. Aldini actually published the workings of the last version in his column in The New Tops magazine , March 1985 edition. Steven Dick later re-released this third Aldini shaker as "Superior Salt Shaker". This version is also made from a real glass (with metal cap) salt shaker commonly found in restaurants and diners.


These Aldini Magic Salt Shakers show up for sale more often , either as the latter day "Superior Salt Shaker" by Steven Dick or as the original "Aldini Magic Salt Shaker". Hint: if you see an "Aldini Salt Shaker" listed on eBay or a magic auction site , ascertain with the seller whether it is the earlier Aldini Miracle Shaker version or the later Aldini Magic Salt Shaker version, which outwardly look the same , but work differently. The middle-period Aldini shaker, called the Improved Aldini Magic Salt Shaker is obvious from the plastic cap , rather than having a chromed metal cap.

The Vernet Ethereal Salt Shaker was most certainly inspired by the original Aldini Miracle Salt Shaker. Although I don't think the all plastic Vernet shaker is that bad , it is not nearly as good as the original Aldini Miracle Shaker , which was made from a real glass shaker (with metal cap). When the Vernet salt shaker was first introduced in 1978 it came with a duplicate ungimmicked shaker, which expanded the presentational possibilities. At some point Vernet stopped supplying the duplicate ungimmicked shaker.

Ad for Vernet Salt Shaker from Tannen's in Genii magazine , 1979 -


The first run of the Vernet Ethereal Salt Shaker came with two shakers -



With the Aldini Miracle Salt Shaker (1969 - 1972), the Aldini Improved Magic Salt Shaker (1978 - 1982), the Aldini Magic Salt Shaker (1985 - 1989) ,Superior Shaker (mid-2000's - to - 2022) version by Steven Dick , and the Vernet Ethereal Salt Shaker (1978 - to - present) the effect is that ALL of the salt is poured out of the salt shaker (and can, if desired , reappear in the salt shaker), which differs from the earlier Al Baker Salt Shaker (aka "Tricky Salt Shaker" as supplied later by MAK Magic) , which allows for pouring out about 2/3rds of the salt (leaving the shaker about 1/3rd full of salt). A slightly different version , inspired by the Al Baker shaker, was marketed later as the C & M Magic Salt Shaker. The effect of the C & M Shaker is the same as the Al Baker shaker (about 2/3rds of the salt in the shaker is poured out into the hand or into a well in a handkerchief , then vanishes) although the working is slightly different.


As mentioned previously, the Frederick DeMuth salt shaker (originally marketed by DeMuth as "Saltrix" in the late 1930's, then as "Improved DeMuth Salt Shaker" by Tannen's in the 1960's, and a later version of it called "Salt-Sation" made by P. Cinimod marketed through Tannen's in the 1970's) and Lou Tannen's own "Salt-Go" are similar in working , although the DeMuth salt shaker is of somewhat more complicated construction than Tannen's Salt-Go which is clever and extraordinarily easy to manufacture compared to the DeMuth salt shaker (reflected in the prices: in 1965 Tannen's sold the Improved DeMuth Salt Shaker for $3.00 , while Salt-Go was available for half that price at $1.50.) Both the DeMuth Salt Shaker and the Tannen Salt-Go shaker used this popular "waffle cut" style of glass salt shaker from Anchor Hocking , which is still made today in 2026.

Two images that didn't make it into the previous post.

This shows the Al Baker Shaker (left) compared to the Before (full) and After (2/3rds empty) views of the similar C & M Salt Shaker.




Ad for the Al Baker Salt Shaker from the 1940's -

Although my last few posts have veered off the original topic of the Demuth Salt Shaker (which is quite good and if you can find a used one it's worth getting) for those interested here is a little more info regarding the C & M Productions Magic Salt Shaker. C & M Productions was based in Tacoma, WA and put out a number of effects in the 1980's and 1990's (I'm not sure when they went out of business ... I seem to recall they were still around into the early 2000's)

The C & M shaker is similar ,but not quite the same as the Al Baker shaker. Both use a tapered, paneled glass shaker with a stainless steel "mushroom" cap which is still very commonly found in restaurants and diners. With both the Al Baker shaker and the C & M shaker the cap is removed from the shaker and the performer appears to pour salt into his closed fist or into a well made in a handkerchief draped over his fist. About 2/3rds -3/4ths of the salt is poured out , leaving some salt still in the shaker Then the salt vanishes. (the salt can be reproduced using various kinds of salt pour gimmicks -- short or long pour -- as desired). With the initial vanish you are absolutely clean when the salt vanishes, nothing is concealed in either hand , both hands shown absolutely empty.
Some performers prefer to leave the cap on when making the pour, the logic being that in reality if you have the cap off , all the salt would be dumped out of the shaker the first time you turned the shaker mouth down into the well in the handkerchief draped over your fist, whereas if the cap is still on , it would take a bit of time and several shakes to empty out most of the salt from the shaker (try this with a real salt shaker and you'll see).


One advantage to the C & M shaker is that it may be reset more quickly than the Baker shaker. Also, you only need to make a single pouring action (turning the shaker with the open mouth down into the top of the fist or into the handkerchief) ,whereas with the Baker shaker you need to make a few pours: turning the shaker upside down, then turning the shaker upright , then down again, two or three times. Karrell Fox said this of the C & M Shaker: "The shaker is really tops ... best idea on these lines in years! If Al Baker were alive this is the shaker he would use." C & M used this endorsement from Karrell Fox in their ads for their shaker and I'm inclined to agree with Karrell Fox's assessment, having used both the Baker shaker and the C & M variation on the Baker shaker. Both are good, but for me the C & M is a bit smoother working. The C & M shaker does have a slight angle restriction that the Baker shaker does not have, but for the most part this is not an issue. (for example, if you had the C & M shaker sitting openly on your table at the start and there were people seated to your extreme sides or behind you, they would notice something about the shaker. This could be overcome by having the shaker sitting in front of other props on your table which block the view from behind , or by bringing out the shaker from your case or from your coat pocket with it already held in your hand, which effectively disguises the gaff.)

Here's an advertisement from the now defunct C & M Productions -



These show up on eBay and magic auction sites from time to time.

Magicraft Products (Tim Dermeer) made them for years and I think UF Grant made them. It was the Baker style shaker. I still used a few years ago with a Candle to Salt effect. Still plays well for laymen.

The Al Baker shaker is great , no doubt about it. (the advantage of the C & M shaker is the faster re-set time). I'm surprised no one makes the Baker style shaker any more. It's a timeless effect , the type of salt shaker used is still quite common.

Click here to view attached image.

For those of you who have an Al Baker Shaker (it's not too difficult to make one -- if you PM me I can give you some tips) here is a good presentational tip from Orville Meyer in 1942 , not long after the Baker Shaker was introduced. (in 1940).

The presentational point Orville Meyer mentions in his handling for the Baker shaker -- that of pouring out some salt from the shaker onto a plate or a spectator's hand and inviting them to "taste it, it's real salt" -- is the vitally important point that most people seem to ignore when presenting the Vernet shaker. The Vernet is made so that you can shake out some real salt onto a dish or a spectator's hand, so they can see that it's real salt. Then you vanish the salt by pouring out the rest of it into your fist or into a handkerchief draped over your fist.

The same presentational point applies to the Demuth shaker, the late-1970's Aldini shaker, or the C & M shaker -- before vanishing the salt , pour some salt out so that people can see (and/or taste) that it is real salt. It establishes two important points in the mind of the viewers:
1.)it is real salt, and 2.)the salt is really coming out of the shaker.