I'm still doing my evolved version of Mark Wilson's BIL. So I'm now considering different methods for loading a signed bill into a lemon, kiwi, or a fruit cake.

No shills (use to use shills), serial number erasing, or seriously heavy, knuckle-busting methods.

The load itself should be jet-fast, the item to be loaded should be inspectable before.

Reading material and teaching video suggestions appreciated.

TIA

Hunter´s Vitamin C

I’m not being a jerk but what are the circumstances that you would wish to have a lemon inspected before a trick?

Not an "inspect this lemon" sort of inspection; more of a pick a fruit, any fruit at all...expecting that they'll look at it.

I'd like to perform it at my end of summer BBQ.

You could use Sankey's Paperclipped method to affect a signed bill to just about anywhere.

You can take a lemon, remove the "pip" off one end (pip is the little brown remnant of the stem). Push in blunt end of a sharpie to create a hole into lemon. (Squeeze a bit of juice out too to reduce how wet the bill gets). You can then replace the pip, holding in place with a little wax or glue stick.

It'll pass quick inspection and blend in with other lemons. Easy enough to load after taking off pip.

Do you do this for "live load" after a bill is signed during the routine? That seems more like a pre-show sort of preparation ... and the original post seems to be asking for in media res (in the middle of things) help. I am just thinking out loud as I know I could easily have misunderstood. I have begun reading about these methods in case I decide to move to a signed bill method.

A bill to a fruitcake too? Also Yuen who mentioned using Paperclipped?
I haven't been successful getting paperclips on a lemon.

I would probably do it like this. have a bowl of oranges. vanish the bill in something else using
a great flesh colored flexible tt. have someone freely select an orange. Ask them if they want to change their mind.notice'' something about the end of that orange. have someone take part of the peel off the end.
Notice a tiny bit of paper, show your hands empty, open it, extract part of the bill, let someone else pull it out, you open up the orange and ditch the tt. Spectators might remember the free choice and their pulling it out more than the method.

Yes. I am looking for a way to load a signed bill into a freely selected orange, lemon, watermelon...

I haven't had the time to watch the lecture I purchased that's supposed to have a solution...

The Final Answer by Scott Alexander is what you seek. I don't know that one is currently available for sale though.

Griz326, you described the late great Billy McComb's Bill in lemon routine exactly. I did some looking and can't find it in my collection of books, I thought it was in Billy's 25 Years book, but it is not. He had a spectator choose a lemon from a bowl of lemons, like you described.

It looks like Griz326 lost interest and has moved on.

For those that are interested, I found a PDF book on Lybrary.com that lists Billy McComb work, including the his Bill in Lemon routine.

The book is called, "The Professional Touch by Billy McComb".

https://www.lybrary.com/the-professional-touch-p-74718.html

The book was taken from a Billy McComb video Tape. Maybe that is where I learned it, as I converted many of my my tapes to DVD, but they are buried away.

I haven't lost interest, but have been distracted by the fire danger on my ranch.

Thank you for the link, Bill.

I just finished reading McComb's Bill in Lemon. For practical purposes, it was the way that I have always done bill in lemon, the Mark Wilson method.

I'm looking for a 100% free choice, 100% impromptu bill in lemon. The loading gaffs that I've tried all have problems.

I'd prefer that the bill vanish or destruction happen in the audience member's hands. Maybe I could get them to load the lemon for me while they're at it

My experiments all look like I'm molesting the ***ed lemon

McComb's routine is the closest method to a totally free choice. It is up to you to present it correctly.

If the bill is held by the spectator, then there is no published method to remove the bill without the spectator knowing about it. If you are good at creating routines, then maybe you can come up with some kind of patter to cause so much confusion, that the spectator totally forget he had the bill in his hand.

You are looking for the impossible. Are you only planning to perform this for magicians? As regular people, know nothing about methods for the BIL.

You are also about 10 years to late to get the Sharpie bill loader, I believe was invented by Bill Abbott. It was $400.

It sounds like you want method over entertainment value.

Paul Potassy DVD set has his Bill in Lemon, that the ending matches what you want, from the audience and spectator point of view. But he uses a lot of already invented methods for the Bill, lemon, and signing the bill.

Hi griz326.


There used to be billet knives available, which could load the lemon as it was being cut. I'm not sure if these are still available, but may be an option for your routine.



Jim

I've tried a number of billet loaders. I thought they were duds.

My BIL has killed and still kills although I do it infrequently. That's actually the reason for my quest: I don't do shows a anymore. Normally I do magic, impromptu, at BBQs when requested; I never walk around with 3 lemons in my pocket

The effect is truly wonderous. I'd love to find a way to make it impromptu.

Years ago I saw a method for bill in egg. It was easy, but lacked "that moment" of pulling apart the lemon and displaying the bill stuck in the lemon.

You could use Carl Cloutier’s Bill In Kiwi method. Have the bill signed, vanished, the show a small bowl of lemons, limes, or kiwis. Have one selected, and do the s#*@$h. Cut open the fruit to reveal the signed bill. This is a great method that can be used on stage, close up, walk around, or a parlor setting.

FYI: Craig's Chop routine gave me an impromptu BIL.

I've been doing the BIL for more than 50 years. My routine is extremely clean. It's based upon one in Kaplan's "The Fine Art of Magic," but I've taken it to a different set of extremes. Griz326 will not want to do it. That's fine. I'd rather he didn't. I don't mind pre show preparation.