Explicit Content By
Sean Fields
Foreword By Kenton Knepper It’s easy to get bent out of shape about these things. Sean Fields is a smart guy. But when he told me he was working on a book about bending keys and such, I was cautious. Sean knows I have used “bending” to make a part of my living since the 1970s. Lately there have been many jumping on the “I bend things too” bandwagon. Most of these people teach bending as if it is a card or coin move. They misunderstand the power power of bending, and instruct others to perform such effects in quick, multi-climax sequences. Such folks really don’t have a clue about what they are teaching at all. Sean Fields understands the soul of bending. That’s what so many others miss. There is a feel and an intention to bending that has nothing to do with sleight of hand. From this perspective only can a performer invent and teach such true effects. Rarely do I get excited about what others create in this this realm. So little of the neo-bender’s material is realistic. Sean’s effects are authentic to the spirit of bending. I confess I will be adding a few of his techniques to my own performances. I will also tell you what I told Sean: He is dangerously close to explaining methods some have used to start religions, and the real work people like myself have tried for many decades to keep secret. So, to those who who read this book, beware. You are playing with fire. If you cannot treat the the power of bending with respect, don’t so it. You’ll get burned. Third degree burns. Go back to card tricks. On the other hand, if you dare to handle properly and with great care the material Sean tips here, you will be
thrilled. You must be clear how you define and label what you do however, or be thought a prophet. Have a clear intention, catch the feel and soul of really bending metal with your mind, and then perform the real work in these pages… if you dare. Kenton Knepper
Introduction Mentalism is, by its very nature, an implicit art. The magic happens in the mind of the spectator, and nothing is seen to happen. As a magician, I always looked for, and performed explicit effects that allowed the spectators to see the magic. When I started in mentalism, I was astounded at the impact a simple center tear could have. But I was still uncomfortable with it. I wanted the audience to see something happening, which brought me to psychokinesis. I was immediately enthralled with psychokenesis, the ability to move, bend, levitate, or otherwise alter items, seemingly with the power of the mind alone. I have studied the work of those before me, Theodore Annemann, Kenton Knepper, Ben Harris, Richard Osterlind, Steve ‘Banachek’ Shaw, and of course, Uri Geller. I have studied their techniques, watching to see how they make the illusion of psychic ability so realistic. I have also taken my studies to the most important school for budding young mentalists, the school of trial and error. What I present here are the moves, techniques, subtleties, nuances, theory, and psychology that I have used to make my mentalism demonstrations more explicit; to allow the psychic occurrences to be seen. Nothing is for everyone and I know there is some things presented here that simply will not work for you. That is fine, for the most part; the material presented here is completely completely attainable by virtually any magician or mentalist with the desire to learn it. Everything I present here is, as far as I know, completely original, and has never seen print, until now. I have used these methods for years now, and they have never failed to astound laymen and magicians alike. They are now here for your perusal, study, and subsequent use. I hope the techniques here serve you as well as they have served me.
Sean Fields
Forget Geller This is a technique I have been using to bend coins for quite some time. It alone has convinced spectators of my strange, unusual powers, and it has fooled the pants off of magicians who are not familiar with the technique. It is a very very strong piece; don’t let the method fool you. There has been a resurgence of sorts as of late with bending effects, namely coins. And there are plenty to choose from; Silver Shifter, The The Quantum Bender, The Yuval Koran Bender, The Xpert Bend, and Bent Cent to name a few. These are all excellent effects, and excellent gimmicks, ranging from just a few bucks, to hundreds of dollars. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, so regardless of your personal performing circumstances, or personal preference, there is something for you. This is not offered as a replacement to any of these bends, but rather, as a supplement. This effect is strong on its own, but becomes stronger when combined with any of the above-mentioned effects (I personally use Bent Cent, and will detail my routine at the end of the description). By the way, I am left handed, so if you are right handed, simply mirror the directions for this effect, and all that follow. Effect: A coin is borrowed, and lays flat on the palm. The mentalist gently strokes the coin, and it bends upwards, around his finger! The coin is immediately handed back to its awestruck owner as an impossible souvenir of the spectacular display of mental ability just witnessed. Method: Okay, I almost don’t want to tell you the method. Partly because I love this effect, and am unsure I want to share it, and partly because I know many of you will not do it. Well, before I change my mind, here goes; sleeving. Yup, that’s right, sleeving. Alright, I assume if you are still with me, you are one of the few who is not afraid of sleeving, and want to learn this routine. I will try to detail this as well as possible, so stay with me. To begin, you need to bend a coin, I use a quarter, because it is still small enough to bend without any real difficulty, but large enough for the effect to register. You can use any coin that is just my personal preference.
Bending the coin is a simple matter of taking the coin, and wrapping it in card stock, or cloth, and taking two pairs of pliers, gripping the coin by opposite sides, and bending it. You could also use one of those fancy coin-bending devices they are selling now, whatever floats your boat, just as long as you get the coin bent into a loose ‘taco’ shape. Once the coin is bent, put it in your left pants pocket, and you are ready to go. For illustration purposes, lets assume the quarter is bent tails side in. Reach into your pockets with both hands, as you ask to borrow a quarter, as your left hand leaves its pocket, it clips the coin between the first and second fingers and steals it out. Do this casually, and it will will fly right by them; the idea of a switch is destroyed before they could even think about it. When they hand you the quarter, extend your right hand, and have them drop the quarter on it. Make sure the quarter is facing the same direction as your bent quarter (tails side up). If it is not, adjust it so that it is. You are now about to do something integral to the routine, and indeed, bending in general. You are now going to condition your audience. This is what really makes the effect work, the psychological illusion. The visual illusion is strengthened by the psychological illusion. Gently stroke the borrowed coin in a circular motion with your left first finger, as you simply say, “Watch.” That’s it. That little motion and that simple word make this effect. You draw attention to the gentle motion you are using, and the flat condition of the coin. This is what they will remember, even though the actual mechanics look slightly different. After gently stroking the coin as described above a few times, you will now switch the coin for the bent one. This is so easy, it is sick. Hold your hands as if you were going to clap, the palm down left hand above the palm up right hand. Bring your hands together, so that the right thumb hits the left thumb crotch. If done with the tiniest bit of force, the borrowed coin will be propelled up the sleeve. Immediately after the coin is sleeved, the left fingers spread which of course, releases the clipped, bent coin. Press your left first finger onto the bent coin, and slowly draw your finger back, revealing the the bend. It really looks as though the coin bends upwards, and around your finger, as you stroke it.
Slowly raise your left hand, palm towards the spectator, fingers wide apart, and pause for a moment. This allows the spectator a moment to truly appreciate the effect, and this position also signifies the end of the effect, an applause cue of sorts. As I mentioned, I use this in conjunction with Bent Cent. Routining the two together makes both effects stronger by association. Here is an outline of the routine: When asked to do an impromptu demonstration of mind over matter, I do Bent Cent. Each and every time I do it, they always ask to see it again. So this time, I ask for a quarter, and do Forget Geller. I let them keep both coins. This floors them. The reason these two effects work so well together is that the methods cancel each other out. Bent Cent makes Forget Geller stronger, because it uses no switches, whereas the latter does. Forget Geller makes Bent Cent stronger because is uses a borrowed coin, Bent Cent does not. And when you let the spectator keep both coins, a very strange, but very desirable thing occurs; the coins are now theirs, and they refer refer to them as “My coins.” Because of this, when they show the coins around, which they will, they always say “Look what he did to my coins!” which strengthens the illusion of your ability to bend coins, keys and silverware by your mental faculties. Try this effect just once; you will see how strong it really is. And if you are familiar with Bent Cent, try the routine I outlined. You will almost feel guilty at how powerful it is. Almost…
The Omni Bender In my quest to design the ‘perfect’ key-bending gimmick, I researched other methods, spent far too much money on prototypes, and re-invented the proverbial wheel more than once. At the end of the the day, the method that was was perfect for me was was the method that started my quest to begin with! Not only that, but the bender cost me less than a dollar to make, and is the best key bender I have ever used! The routine described here has all of the misdirection needed worked in with the choreography and the items used; it is virtually selfworking. This alone could be worth the price of the book. Effect: A key ring is shown full of keys, and given to the spectator. The spectator is asked to select a key, or if they wish, they can provide their own. The key is then handed to the magician, who then causes it to visibly melt and bent down, simply by stroking it! The key is immediately given back to the spectator for examination. Method: As I mentioned above, this is the best bender I have ever used. Its design has a couple of key features that make the bends not only easier, but rounder, which allows for a very strong illusion of the key bending right before their eyes. All you need to assemble the bender is a 1” long hex nut, and a bolt to match. Screw the bolt into the nut, and there you have it, The Omni Bender. I know you are probably looking at this thing thinking “I have seen WAY nicer benders than this atrocity!” and the truth is, you probably have. But this bender was not developed with style in mind, but rather function, and ease of use. You will notice that if you put a key into the opening in the bender, only about half of the shaft will fit (keep the jokes to yourself). Another thing you may notice is that the opening is larger than on other benders. This allows for a very smooth, rounded bend, which is what we want. The other feature that makes this bender unique is the ability to unscrew the bolt, extending the length of the bender, giving you more leverage for the bend, thus making the bend easier. This is a nice feature for those who haven’t the strength in their hands to bend a key with a shorter bender. The one thing that this bender is lacking is a pull, reel, or any other sort of ditching gimmick. This was not an oversight, but rather an intentional feature. I wanted to be able to use the bender in any sort of clothing. I didn’t want to have to be wearing a jacket, jacket, or even sleeves for that matter. Because the gimmick is never suspected, let alone detected, you really don’t have to worry
too much about ditching the gimmick, and the routine given takes care of the ditch in a very natural manner. The only other thing you need is a ring of keys. If you go to your local locksmith, or any little kiosk in the mall that cuts keys, and ask nicely for the keys that didn’t work, they will most likely give them them to you. Take these keys, throw them on a key ring, and put them in your right pants pocket. The bender is in your left pants pocket. Reach into both pockets, and with your left hand, finger palm the bender, open side up, towards the index finger, while your right hand pulls out the keys. keys. Hand the key ring to the spectator, and have him select one, mentioning that we could use one of his keys, but if this demonstration is successful, it would be damaged, maybe even rendered rendered useless. They will more often than not simply take a key from the key ring, and examine it. It really doesn’t matter if they use their own, and hey, you warned them! Once they have removed a key from the key ring, reach forward with the left hand palm down, and retrieve retrieve it with the left fingers. The bender stays out of view, because the hand is palm down. You must now insert the key into the bender. This is simple; you just aim, and slide. Hold the key with your left fingers by the base of the crown; you will be able to guide the shaft of the key into the opening in the bender with very little difficulty. You can, of course use your right hand to aid in slipping the key into the bender if need be. Once the key is positioned in the bender, you are ready to proceed. With your right hand, roll back the left sleeve. As you do this, you bend the key. This is a simple matter. All you have to do is push forward with your thumb, and pull in slightly with the fingers, and voila, the key is bent. The larger action of rolling up your sleeve covers the smaller action of putting in the bend. Now transfer the key only to the right fingers, keeping the bender in the left hand, and roll back the right sleeve. Once the sleeve is rolled back, your left hand should be directly above your pocket. You got it; drop the bender into your pocket! The bend is done, the gimmick is gone, and the effect hasn’t even started yet! Transfer the key back to your left hand, keeping the bend hidden behind the left first and second fingers. Let the the rest of the fingers curl naturally. With your right first finger, gently stroke the head of the key, but push ever so gently. This will pull the key down, bringing the bend into view. It really looks like the key is bending as you stroke it! After the bend is visible, give the key back to the spectator to keep.
Here is an alternate handling if you aren’t wearing sleeves, or pockets you can easily ditch into. After the spectator selects a key and hands it to you, put it in the bender, as already described. Gesture with the right hand to the key ring they are still holding, and ask why they selected the key they did. As you carry on this brief conversation, bend the key. Take the key in your right hand, and reach forward with the left hand to take the key ring from them. The left hand simply goes to the pocket to put the key ring away, and leaves the bender behind with it. You can also extend the bending sequence by following up the above ‘stroking’ bend with the optical bend. This is simple. After the ‘stroking’ bend, hold the key vertically, so the fingers are only holding the extreme end of the key, and allow gravity to pull the head of the key downward. While the key really doesn’t bend any further, the illusion is that it keeps bending, even after you finish rubbing it. Ben Harris was the first that I saw to use the optical bend with a key, in his excellent treatise on the subject, ‘Gellerism Revealed’. One final thought, Kenton Knepper had a wonderful idea. Before you put the keys on the key ring, bend the the key ring. To do this, you simply have to hold the key ring firmly with one pair of pliers, and with another, larger pair, squeeze the diameter of the key ring until it is bent in a slightly oval shape. Now you put the keys on the key ring. After the effect is finished, you can call attention to the key ring that the spectator is still holding, and encourage them to try to bend a key while it is still on the key ring. After a moment, have them look through the keys to see if one of them bent, and upon receiving a negative response, look closely at the keys, and point out the bend in the key ring, stating that you have seen people who have successfully bent keys, but no one has ever bent the key ring!
The Callous Bend This is something relatively new to me. I kind of fell into this while practicing some key bending, and it has since become become a faithful standby for me. It takes practice, and only certain keys will work, but when the situation is right, this is a stone cold killer. Oh, and it got its name for a reason. It hurts. Effect: The magician borrows a key, has it examined, examined, and has a spectator hold onto it tightly. The spectator begins to feel the key heat up, and then move while in her hand! She opens her hand, only to discover the key is bent, and of course, still warm to the touch. Method: This is going to be hard to take on faith; I know that coming into this. However, those of you who go through the pain of learning this (pun intended), and then take the leap to perform it will have a very solid piece of magic. I said at the out set that this will not work with every key, and it doesn’t, at least, not for me. I have to to use a tin, brass, or aluminium key. These are the cheap alternatives to steel keys, and are quite common, so you shouldn’t have any issues finding a couple to practice with. In fact, you probably have one on your key ring right now! Okay, now let’s go through the effect proper. Borrow a key, and have it examined. When you take it back, extend you left hand palm up to receive the the key. Arrange to have the end of the shaft at the base of the the second finger, the head of the key at the base of the first finger. With the key in this position, close your hand, and turn your hand over, as you demonstrate how you want want the spectator to hold the key. As you do, however, you are going to bend the key. When your hand is in a fist, your left thumb will be more or less directly above the head of the key, and presses down on it. If the key is positioned correctly, the thumb presses down, the middle fingertip acts as a pivot, or bend point, and the end of the key is anchored at the base of the middle finger. This will take some practice to learn the exact position of the key that works for you, but once you find the sweet spot, you are set. Now that the key is bent, the rest is just performance, and a very healthy dose of suggestion. Turn your hand palm up, and pick the key up with your right hand and very openly put it in the spectator’s hand. You may have the urge to try try and hide the
bend, the spectator does not suspect anything yet, and will not notice it. Have her close her hand around it. Here comes the real work. Tell her to concentrate, and imagine that key becoming warmer. Tell her that soon, imagination will give way to reality, and the key will begin to warm up. Because her body heat is warming up the key, she will begin to feel the key warm up, and respond positively that she can feel it. Have her squeeze tightly, and tell her that as the key gets hotter, the heat will begin to cause the key to warp, or twist. Because she is squeezing so tightly, the key key will begin to dig into her skin slightly, and cause some minor discomfort, and she will mistake this ‘cutting’ sensation for a ‘burning’ sensation, and after a while, she will have to loosen her grip (don’t worry, this is subconscious), and that will cause the key to shift slightly, so she will actually feel the key move. Have her open her hand to reveal reveal the bend. You can even have her, or someone else touch the key, to feel the residual energy, as the key is still warm. This is a very strong piece. It is completely impromptu, and makes an excellent excellent addition to a spoon bending routine. Give it a try.
Ringu Out of everything in this book, this is the one I was going to hold back, simply because I know that most of you will not be comfortable bending peoples rings, and those of you that might be, will not believe that this works. It does. Effect: The magician borrows a spectator’s spectator’s ring, and cleanly lays it on his hand. With no cover whatsoever, the ring begins to bend right before the flabbergasted spectators eyes! The ring is immediately handed back to its speechless owner in its now bent condition. Method: The method employed here is a very under utilized one in the realm of psychokinetic effects. The one behind principle is used to great effect here. here. With most bending effects the bend is put it early, hidden, and then revealed. Here, the bend is revealed before the work is put in. Sound weird? It is. This entire effect is based around an optical illusion. The illusion of the ring ring being bent before it actually is. Properly performed, the illusion is spectacular. Try this, take a ring, and lay it flat on your hand, and hold your hand just below shoulder height. Now look down at the ring, and slowly tilt your hand away from you. It looks like the ring begins to flatten out. This is simply because your point of view is changing, but the illusion is remarkable when done well. Now that you know the basis on which the routine is based, let’s get into the actual performance of the routine. I should mention a couple of things here on the outset. First off, I only do this for women, because women are more likely to be wearing rings, namely simple bands that they bought for themselves. Ideally, a silver thumb ring is perfect, but as we delve into the routine, you will become familiar with the types of rings that you will be able to use. I also like to use thumb rings because very seldom do these have a sentimental value, and their monetary value is usually quite low as well. well. Many women wear these rings for the fashion value only, and are usually quite laid back when I tell them that if this works, their ring may wind up warped. To begin, borrow a ring. It should be a simple band, preferably silver as mentioned above. The reason you want this kind of ring is because you need to be able to bend it with the fingers when the time comes, and silver is a very soft metal. As well, many thumb rings are quite wide across, but quite thin. This makes the illusion even stronger. After you receive the ring, lay it on your palm up right hand, just below shoulder height. You want the spectator looking more or less down on her ring, but just barely. Now, you need to condition her to what is about to happen, and the following patter fits the bill nicely.
“Alright, focus on your ring, stare at it. Don’t look at me, my hand, the floor, that guy over there, look nowhere else, just your ring. You have to concentrate. Sometimes this happens immediately, sometimes it takes awhile, but it always happens.” This serves one very important purpose; it makes them stare at the ring, intently, which aids the bending illusion. It also creates anticipation, which also aids the illusion. You too, will now stare at the ring. Do not move a muscle, or say a word, just stare at the ring, and make sure she is still staring at the ring. Stare at the ring for as long as you possibly can, thirty seconds is just about perfect. After thirty seconds or so, slowly begin to tilt your hand towards you; so that the fingers begin to point towards the spectator’s spectator’s eyes. You have to do this very slowly for the illusion be convincing, you don’t want the motion of your hand to be noticed, just the bending of the ring. About a ten degree tilt of the hand is plenty. Once you do start to tilt your hand, comment that it is happening, so that she will actually see the ring bending, otherwise it may just fly right by her. But when she sees it, she will let you know! After tilting your hand upwards, she will definitely react. Now is the time to solidify the illusion. With your left hand, come over to pick the ring up, thumb in the back, closest to you, fingers in the front, completely closed. You will notice the fingers completely cover the ring, this is only for a fraction of a second, and is all the cover you need to put the work in. As you pick the ring up, squeeze it, not hard, just enough to put a bend in . You do this as you turn your hand palm up, gently snapping the ring to a vertical position, displaying the bent condition. Hand the ring back back to the spectator to inspect. As I said, this is very gutsy, because you are putting the bend in when the heat is high. It is also very unorthodox, as you are putting the bend in after it is revealed. As gutsy and unorthodox as it is, it is a powerful powerful piece, and it can be a reputation maker. If for some reason, you wanted to bend harder rings, such as thicker bands, or low karat gold rings, you can modify the Omni Bender. Simply cut notches into the open end with a hacksaw, at opposite sides, and you can bend more rings by simply slipping them into the notches, and twisting the bender slightly. Unless your last name is Geller, I wouldn’t recommend this however.
For those who don’t want to bend a spectator’s ring, this will work with a twist off bottle cap, such as those found on ‘The King of Beers’. Just imagine the rim of the bottle cap as a ring, ignoring the actual top, and proceed as above. This works quite well because the the pleats in the rim aid the illusion. It is a bit more difficult to bend a bottle cap with just the fingers of one hand quickly and invisibly however, but with practice is definitely possible. You can also do this effect with your own ring, just take it off, and comm ent on strange things that seem to happen to the ring. You take it off at night, before you go to bed, and when you get up, you can’t seem to get it on your finger, and do the bend, displaying why you can’t get it on your finger in the morning. If you were so inclined, you could buy a few cheap silver rings, and give them away in the bent bent condition after the demonstration. I wouldn’t do this every time, but for an influential client, this is a great giveaway. You can also do this in a more orthodox manner. Regardless of whether you are using your ring, or a spectator’s ring, you can do this. Hold the ring by its diameter in the left hand, and pivot it around a few times with the right hand, to show it all around, from all sides. Pivot it again, but as you do, squeeze the ring with your right hand slightly to bend it, just make sure that you end with the side of the ring facing the spectator, the opening is not visible. The ring should be in a slightly oval shape, and you should be holding the ring by the ‘points’ of the oval with the left thumb and middle finger. To reveal the bend, pivot the ring with the left first finger, so the opening comes into view slowly, as does the bend. This is quite creepy. creepy. This is very visual, although not as visual as the original handling. It is also somewhat easier. Try them both, and use the one you are most comfortable with.
Pent People have been bending rods, and rod-like objects forever. Theodore Annemann started it all by bending a glass-mixing glass-m ixing rod. Steve ‘Banachek’ Shaw, Richard Osterlind, and Ted Lesley among countless others have used the principle as well, and the list of items items bent is just as long. Nails, spikes, glass rods, wine glasses, you name it, it has been been bent. What I offer here is a very visual bend, with an everyday object, that isn’t metal! While this was developed independently, Andy Leviss, Banachek, and Kenton Knepper both have had similar ideas, and this appears here with their permission. I urge you to have a look at their routines as well. This is a perfect close up application of the idea, as well as a great giveaway, which makes for a great conversation piece. Effect: At some point in his show, the mentalist draws attention to his pen, and how sometimes, when he is writing, strange things happen. He then begins to to slowly rub the center of his pen, pen, and very slowly, it begins to bend. bend. Once it has been bent, he gives it to the spectator to show everyone she knows what the psychic guy did to the pen. Method: This is such a great piece. I worked with this for quite a few years until I finally had something that was easy to make, easy to do, and packed an extremely strong punch, especially when combined with other psychokinetic effects. To make the gaff, get a Bic pen. Not the white round ones, but the super cheap, clear plastic hex shaped ones. I played with countless varieties of pens, and in my opinion, these work the best for this routine because when rotated, there shape gives the illusion of movement, as well as there are very few distinct markings on them, which further disguise the secret. Now get a lighter, and slowly heat the middle of the pen, from about an inch or two away. You don’t want to melt the pen, just get it hot enough to bend slightly. Holding the pen away from the flame prevents scorch marks, and allows you to control the heat applied to the pen. Because this preparation involves fire, I must make this disclaimer; if you are under 18, or are accident prone, please get competent adult supervision/assistance during this preparation. Once the middle of the pen is warm and pliable, bend the pen slightly, just a few degrees. Let it cool, and inspect it for scorch marks and obvious melt points. If the pen is scorched, a little soap and water and some elbow grease will take care
of it. If it is obviously melted, toss it and try try again (the pens are cheap, quit complaining!). Put the cap back on the pen, and put the pen in your pocket, along with a matching unbent pen, and you are set to perform. Perform a few effects, in which the pen is in play, preferably effects in which the spectator handles the pen. Billet effects, add a number effects, prediction or telepathic effects, whatever, just get them used to not only the presence of the pen, but the condition of the pen. At some point, put the pen in your pocket, and do another effect that does not involve the pen. Here comes the big switch; go to your pocket, and grab the the bent pen. Now, you could immediately go into the effect, effect, but I prefer to do a few more effects with the pen in play first, ones that don’t involve the spectator handling the pen (obviously) as it adds time misdirection. If for some reason reason I need to put the pen down, I simply put it behind my ear. This casual handling of the pen is what sells this effect. That, and the illusion is amazing. When you want to perform the effect, draw attention to the pen, and hold it vertically in your left hand by the writing tip (this makes the ‘paddle’ type move that follows very easy), easy), with the bend bend facing the spectator directly. This hides the bend perfectly. perfectly. When you want to bend the pen, simply start rubbing the middle of the pen with the right fingers, gently, and slowly twist the pen with the left fingers, kind of like a very slow paddle move. This slowly brings the bend bend into view, and it looks like the pen just starts melting, and bending sideways as you right hand rubs! Once the pen has been rotated so that the bend is completely in view, you can give the pen to the spectator to inspect, with the warning that it may still be a little warm. Allow the spectator to keep the pen as a souvenir, along with your business card. This is a great giveaway because the pen still works, so she will use it, and remember you as the guy (or girl) who bent it just by thinking about it! She will no doubt show everyone she meets, which is good for you, and your business. Another subtle point; because the pens are so common, and no attention was drawn to whose pen it was originally, remember, the spectator used the pen during the performance, and she now owns the pen, so she will remember it being her pen to begin with; possession over origin. As I told you at the outset, many people have used this idea before. I always try to carry a set of pens with me in case I am put on the spot for an ‘impromptu’ piece of magic. This is a very solid piece, and I urge you to give it a try. You
will more than likely fool yourself the first time, and will definitely fool your audiences every time!
Pent-Ultimate After reading the above effect, mentalist extraordinaire, Banachek, offered the following effect. While the effect is the same, and indeed, the revelation is the same, the method is quite different. This version requires only one pen, no switches, and the pen can be in play the entire time, until you want to display the bend. This is a very slick effect, from one of mentalism most prolific prolific thinkers. Do not pass this by. Effect: A pen is caused to visibly bend, by simply thinking about it! Method: Before we get started, started, I will tell you, you will need to gimmick a pen. It is very easy, and only takes a minute or two. Once the pen is prepared, you are ready to perform this effect at a moments notice. You need to get a Bic pen. Not the clear ones used in the previous effect, but the round white ones, the same pen Banachek uses for his outstanding PK Pen effect. Once you have the correct style pen in your possession, you need to bend it. To do this, simply bend the pen backwards and forwards a few times. The plastic will soften slightly. Do this slowly, if you bend the pen too quickly, you run the risk of cracking or creasing the plastic. After the back and forth action, you will notice there will be a pronounced bend in the pen. Here is the slick part; straighten the pen. It will stay straight! However, if you bend the pen again, the bend will come back, just as it was when you initially bent it. This is the basis of this method, and what makes it so cool. After using the gimmicked pen for a few effects, comment on how you would like to offer them a demonstration of mind over matter. Allow the spectator to examine the pen, and once they are finished, take it back, and hold it in your left hand, the end of the pen butting against your pinky finger, the tip of the pen between your first finger and thumb, the hand in a loose fist. As you patter, simply push forward with the left thumb, the bend will come back. When you are ready to display your ability, adjust the pen, so that you are holding just the extreme tip with your left first finger and thumb, and the bend is towards the audience, as in the previous effect. Begin to massage the pen with your right first finger and thumb, and secretly rotate it so the bend bend comes into view. This is the exact same handling as the previous effect. After the bend bend is completely in view, allow the spectator to
examine the pen again, if you wish, and move onto other demonstrations of psychokinesis. You can avoid having the spectator examine the pen prior to the effect by simply allowing them to use it, and keep possession of it until you want to do this effect. This is far subtler, and the recommended approach.
The Tesla Experiment This is the ultimate mind reading effect, an explicit display of telepathic ability. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? How can you make mind reading an explicit event? It is actually quite simple; involve the senses. Involve as many senses as you can. In this effect, I get not only sight involved, but hearing and touch as well. This makes for an absolute showstopper. I will tell you ahead of time, there are gimmicks involved, most of which many of you will have. If you don’t have all the necessary necessary gimmicks, you can still do this effect, but I urge you to try to get the gimmicks if you don’t already have them, this effect is simply too good to pass by. Effect: The magician has the spectator think of someone close to them. The spectator then imagines the thought being transferred into one of her fingertips. The magician then determines determines the finger that the thought resides in! The spectator then feels the finger get warm, and then sees her finger start to glow, and finally, the magician brings his fingertip close to hers, there is a loud zap, and a bright flash of light; the thought has successfully been transferred! The magician immediately reveals the thought of person. Method: I can’t stress enough how cool this is. I had this idea for quite some time, and was using it to great effect, but I was missing one key point; the audible transfer of the thought. I then saw Criss Angel’s Paranormal special, and the idea of using the sense of hearing as well as the senses of touch and sight was too good not to incorporate. What you have here is the most powerful powerful version of the effect to date. You will need to get a few things to make this effect possible. You probably have them all already, and if not, they are readily available from your local magic dealer. You will need a D’Lite gimmick, a Joy Buzzer, and a FISM Flash. I am sure you can already reverse engineer the effect, but read on, there are some key subtleties that really sell this effect. effect. Simple ethics prevent me from detailing the workings of these these gimmicks, so I will will not. I also assume you already own them, or at least know what they are. Just a note, I remove the stupid little ring that comes attached to the Joy Buzzer, as it is unnecessary for this effect, and can actually prove to be a bit of an annoyance, if not a hindrance. To begin, have the D’Lite, the Joy Buzzer (already wound), and a pen in your left hand pocket, and the FISM Flash set up, ready for use.
Hand a billet and the pen to the spectator, and have her right down the name of someone important to her. When she is done, explain that the writing writing helps her focus her subconscious, and that it is no longer needed, as she is now focused. As you say this, perform your favourite billet tear. I use the Osterlind Perfected Center Tear, but any tear will do. I will describe a simple center center tear for the sake of completion. Richard Busch has some excellent excellent work with this, as does Bob Cassidy. If you are unfamiliar with the work of these gentlemen, go and get there books and videos, they are worth their weight in gold. In fact, any sort of peek will do, The Mind Spy Wallet, The Thought Transmitter, or Mind Readers Wallet, whatever, you just have to know the name of the person they are thinking of. Standard Center Tear Introduce the billet and the pen, and draw a line across the middle of the billet, and then draw an ‘X’ on top of the line, much the same way as one would mark the line on a document for someone to ‘sign here’. Fold the billet left to right, then bottom to top. The billet is now folded into fourths. As you do this, have the spectator think of someone close to her. Hand her the billet and the pen, and have her write the name of the person she is thinking of to ‘focus her thoughts’, and when she is done, to fold the paper back up. Just a quick note, but telling her to ‘fold the paper back up’ it subtly encourages her to fold it up the exact same way you gave it to her. Once she is done, take the billet back. Hold the billet so the folded edges are on the left, and bottom respectively. To perform the tear, simply tear the paper vertically in thirds, keeping the left most third closest to you. Now turn all the pieces ninety degrees, degrees, and tear in thirds again, and again, keeping the left most pieces closest to you. After you have torn the paper, the rear most piece will be the original center of the paper, the portion with the name on it. Throw the pieces in the garbage, but hold back the rear most piece. You can now slip your left thumb into the opening of this piece and pop it open by pressing your thumb against the middle finger and moving it forward slightly; this is widely known as the umbrella move. The piece is now open, hidden behind your left fingers, so you can read the name at your leisure. Simply put your hand in your pocket to ditch the piece, and you can continue with the rest of the routine.
This is a very simple explanation of the center tear; a more concise explanation can be found in Corinda’s 13 Steps to Mentalism. Once you have determined the name, take the pen back, and put it in your pocket. While in there, slip on the D’Lite. Bring your hand out, and say the following or something similar: “You now have your thought locked away deep in your mind, correct? You are the only person who knows for certain who you are thinking of, wouldn’t you say? All right, now what I need you to do is imagine that that thought taking a physical form, taking the form of a little ball of energy. Now imagine that thought, that energy, moving from your mind, to your heart, to the tip of one of your fingers.” As you give the above patter, gesture from your head, to your chest, to the tip of your first finger. This subtly nudges the spectator to think of the first finger. If they don’t, it doesn’t matter; you are about to find out using a very old muscle reading technique. Have the spectator hold her hand out, fingers outstretched. Now with your index finger, touch each each of her fingers, pushing back slightly. You will notice that the finger she is thinking of will will offer slight resistance. If you are uncomfortable with muscle reading, you can completely forgo this sequence, and just have her imagine her thought going to the tip of her first finger. This just deepens the mystery slightly. In any event, you now know what finger her thought resides in, and you will now prove to her that the thought is there, with a little little linguistic deception. Say the following, or whatever suits you along these lines: “Can you feel the thought in your fingertip? It usually feels warm, like your finger is heating up from the inside out, barely at first, but then the feeling grows, and is hard to ignore.” By telling the spectator that her finger should be getting hot, you create anticipation (there’s that word again), and she will fill in the blanks, and her finger really will begin to feel warm, and in fact, the sensation matches the description given in the patter. Try it on yourself, pick a finger, and will will it to get hot. Weird, huh? After she concurs that her finger is getting warm, or even if she doesn’t, follow up with:
“Sometimes, you can even see the thought glowing, taking shape in the tip of your finger. It is a little bright in here, maybe if we covered it up a bit, it would be easier to see.” As you say this, cup your hands around aroun d her outstretched finger, with your fingers just barely spread, and wait a moment. When the time is right, trigger the D’Lite. There will be a glow emanating from inside your cupped hands, and she will believe that it is truly coming from her fingertip! After a brief moment of the glowing finger bit, take your hands away, which will terminate the glow. Relax for a moment, and let the the effect sink in, as you do, casually put your hands in your pockets, and ditch the D’Lite, and finger palm the Joy Buzzer in the left hand, trigger towards the fingers. Bring your hands out of your pockets, extend your left first finger and explain that now want the spectator to try to send the thought to you, and patter: “Okay, I want you to try to send the thought to me, from your finger to mine. It may feel a bit strange, almost electric, but it will not hurt you, shock or surprise you maybe, but not hurt you.” This plants the idea that the transfer of the thought will be akin to an electric shock. Believe me, they will be shocked! Slowly bring your left finger towards their extended finger; very slowly. When you are about half an inch away, trigger the FISM Flash, and tap the trigger on the Joy Buzzer. This will cause a loud electric buzz, and there will be be a bright flash of light. Her mind will fill in the missing feeling of the shock, because all the other stimulus is there. there. She will remember feeling feeling a shock. Now you can simply reveal the thought, but do so immediately, as it really seems as though the thought jumped to you in the electric shock. You now have all the time in the world to put the Joy Buzzer back in your pocket, because if the spectator hasn’t fainted, she will be in a state of shock (no pun intended), as will the rest of the audience. You really have to try it. Even if you don’t have a FISM Flash (they are a bit pricey, and I know they can be hard to come by), if you only have a D’Lite and a Joy Buzzer, the effect is still superb. As I mentioned, I did this effect for sometime without a Joy Buzzer, and it worked wonderfully, but the addition of the Joy Buzzer solidifies the electricity illusion perfectly. Just an idea, rather than the FISM Flash and Joy Buzzer, you could eliminate both, and just use a Funkenring. The Funkenring will not only produce the
sound desired, but rather than a brilliant flash of light, sparks will fly when the fingers come together! I didn’t want to give this up. I really shouldn’t have given this up. In fact, forget you read this at all. This effect is so strong, it defies description. You really have to see this performed, or perform it yourself to appreciate the impact it has on an audience. I told you even a billet tear could be turned into a highly visual, explicit routine!
Elemental For some time, I wanted to be able to 'control the elements', in essence, cause a glass of water to boil with my mind, and indeed, freeze solid with the power of my mind. Some time ago, inspiration struck, and I have been working out this idea since. I have not tried it yet, but I will do so very soon. I present you with the basic idea of the conceptual effect, Elemental, for your consideration. Effect: A small glass of water is poured from a nearby pitcher. The magician stares intently at the glass of water, with his hands poised a few inches away from the glass. Instantly, the glass of water begins to boil! The magician causes the boiling to cease, and then begins to concentrate again. A few brief moments later, the water water is seen to 'fog' slightly, it is frozen! The magician inverts the glass, and bangs the magically made iceberg onto the table for the spectators to chip pieces off to cool down their drinks (that means everything is examinable, and normal). Method: This is the one effect that that has eluded me for years. What I present here is the culmination of years of desire to achieve the above effect. effect. There are no new principles here, just a new effect using tried, tested and true ideas, routined into one extremely explicit display of your mental abilities. Before you even attempt this this effect, you will need a few few things. You will need a packet of Eno Antacid, some slush powder, a stack of transparent plastic cups, a pitcher of water, and two thumb tips. To prepare, take one of the cups, fill it with water, and freeze it. You must also load both thumb tips, one with the Eno, one with the slush powder. Your preparation is done, now comes the set up. To set up, take the 'frozen' cup, and put it mouth down on the table. Invert the stack of cups, and stack them on top of the frozen cup. You will notice the bottom most cup (the frozen cup) is rendered completely invisible simply by the nature of the cups, and the rolled lip that encompasses the mouths of the cups. When you are ready to perform, put both hands in your pocket, and load the thumb tip with the Eno on your left thumb. Introduce the stack of cups, and the pitcher of water, and ask if anyone would like a glass of water. Regardless of the response, take a cup from the top of the stack, and pour yourself a glass of water. Take a sip, and ask if they want want to see a remarkable demonstration of mind over matter. After they respond in the affirmative, push the glass of water forward, and begin concentrating. Nothing will happen, yet. Relax for a moment, and as you do,
remove your left thumb from the thumb tip, keeping the tip finger palmed in the left hand. Pick the glass up with your left hand by the mouth, and transfer it to the right hand. Once your right hand grabs the glass, fingers closed, covering the glass from view for the most part, your left hand tilts slightly, secretly dropping the bubbly, bubbly, bubbly Eno into the glass. Concentrate again for a moment, and place the cup on the table, removing the right hand, showing the water to be 'boiling'. As this is going on, there is ample time to ditch the thumb tip into your left pocket. Once you see the bubbling beginning to stop, relax. It will seem that as you relax, relax, the water stops boiling. With your right hand, slide the glass to the left slightly, and concentrate again. Again, nothing happens. Relax as before, but this time, steal the tip with the slush powder with the right hand. Just as before, you are going to dump the slush powder into the cup, as your left hand covers the cup from the front. Concentrate, and remove the left hand to reveal the water has 'frozen'. The illusion of frozen water is strengthened by the slight 'fogging' that will occur due to the slush powder. Invert the cup slowly, to show that the water is not pouring out, proving that it is frozen. The other reason for doing this slowly is to ensure the globule of water will not come out. With the cup inverted, now it is time to perform the only switch in the routine. The cup is inverted directly in front of you; the stack of cups is off to your right. With your right hand, reach for the stack, and as you move to the left, your right pinky finger slightly separates the bottom cup (the real frozen cup) from the rest of the stack. Once the stack is directly in front of you, your left hand takes it, but lifts it up slightly, thus leaving the real frozen cup on the table, hidden behind the right hand. The left hand immediately drops the stack onto the 'slushed' cup. Both hands continue moving to the left. The left hand moves the stack of cups all the way to the right, off the table if possible, while the right hand leaves the hidden cup in the exact same spot that the 'slushed' cup just occupied, and continues moving to the left, to take the pitcher, and place it on the floor as well. well. Done smoothly, it really seems as though you are simply tidying up so you have enough room to do the following. Grab the cup with your left hand, and bang it gently on the table, jarring the giant ice cube, so that it slides out of the cup, and remains on the table, as you take the cup and put it mouth up off to one side. Now everyone can touch the mini iceberg, even chip bits off to put in their drink. You may recognize the use of a bubbling antacid to emulate emula te boiling liquid. The idea is old, and well known to magicians, but it is so well known because it is very good. I claim claim no originality there.
The switch at the end is somewhat similar to Dean Dill's Blizzard, however, the effects are completely different.
Molten This is a very cool idea. Metal bending is, by its very nature, a very visual form of mentalism. This effect can, and will will strengthen your existing metal bending effects by association. Most metal bending effects effects are explained by the performer as heat induced. This effect proves it. Effect: After bending keys, coins, coins, cutlery, and various other other objects, the mental marvel explains that the metal actually becomes almost molten during the demonstrations, and offers to show the spectators this phenomenon. The performer picks up a spoon, and begins to slowly, gently massage it, just below the bowl. Soon, the spoon becomes red hot, and glows hellishly. It then begins to melt, the bowl drooping down! The magician causes the heat to cease, and drops the spoon on the table, frozen in its now mangled form, for all to examine. Method: This is exceptionally simple, as it is really just performance. To do this effect, you will need our old friend, the D’Lite. The D’Lite resides quietly in your left pants pocket. pocket. Make sure there is a spoon on the the table. At some point during your performance, or during your patter about psychokinesis, and metal bending, put your hands in your pockets, and slip the D’Lite onto your left thumb. Remove your hands from your pockets, and pick up the spoon with your right hand, with the bowl nearest your thumb. As you discuss your innate abilities, abili ties, gesture slightly with your left hand, casually displaying its emptiness. At the same time, time, your right hand puts in ‘the work’. work’. With the right thumb ‘inside’ the bowl of the spoon, the handle of the spoon butts against the base of the pinkie finger, and your hand is in a loose fist. By pressing forward slightly with the right thumb, the spoon will bend against the knuckle of the first finger. Transfer the spoon into the left hand, and offer to demonstrate your uncanny skill. The bowl of the spoon is just above your first finger, while the handle is hidden behind your left fingers, which remain close together. Massage the ‘neck’ of the spoon, just below the bowl with your first finger and thumb, which has the D’Lite on it. After a few few moments of this this rubbing, trigger the D’Lite. If you keep your left fingers close together, a faint red glow will emanate from behind them, which the audience assumes to be the spoon heating up.
After the spoon has ‘heated up’, loosen your grip on the spoon slightly. This will cause gravity to pull the bowl of the spoon downward, downward, in front of your fingers. It really looks like the spoon gets red hot, and melts! Try it for yourself to see how weird this looks. After the spoon has drooped downward, release pressure on the D’Lite, allowing the glow to cease, and drop the spoon onto the table, and slowly show your hands to be ‘empty’. Allow the spectator to pick up the spoon and inspect it. The illusion created is that the heat from your fingertips ceased, and the spoon froze in its new shape. You can now ditch the D’Lite in your pocket at your leisure; the spectator will no doubt be examining the spoon. As you probably guessed, you can use the red hot idea with any bend you like, I just happen to prefer the bend described for this particular effect. You can also use the bend described independently of the red-hot idea, it is a very strong bend, not to be overlooked. In any event, try this effect; you will impress yourself with the illusion!
The Fabric Of Space The first time I saw someone perform Banachek’s Psychokinetic Touches, I was astounded. Years later, when I learned the effect, I could not contain my glee. The method was devious, the effect remarkable. The only problem I had was that no matter how much I wanted, I could not make the method suit my performing style. I immediately got to work on a method that suited me better, and I present my adaptation here for your consideration. Effect: The magician begins pattering about shadows, and their physical peculiarities. With a spectator several feet away, the magician casts a shadow across the spectators face, and the spectator cringes and screams, as they feel the shadow touch them! Method: This will no doubt be met with scepticism by mentalists, and open arms by magicians. The reason for this is the use of a gimmick. The gimmick in question is an Invisible Thread Reel. The use of the reel allows for some very slick subtleties, the most notable of which will be the spectator’s reaction as your shadow moves across their face. I have worked with several different ways to use thread to accomplish this effect, some original ideas, some the work of others. What I found was that where the thread contacts them is integral to the the illusion. If the thread touches them somewhere that isn’t sensitive enough, it feels like thread; the thread had to touch them somewhere extremely sensitive (get your mind out of the gutter!). To begin, have an Invisible Thread Reel pinned inside your jacket, just below chest height if you are going to be doing this to a seated spectator, at chest height if the spectator will be standing. For illustration purposes, I will assume that the spectator will be seated, and will describe the the effect as such. If they are standing, you need only change the anchor point for the thread to a higher elevation. With the reel in position, you are ready ready to go. At some point in your performance, begin to talk about shadows, and their place in legend and mythology. Continue pattering about the idea that shadows have physical properties, and offer a demonstration. Pull up a chair, and have a willing participant sit down. Once they are seated, it is a simple matter of anchoring the wax from the reel to the back of the chair, right behind their right shoulder. Take a step or two back, and get ready to scare the daylights out of them!
Instruct the spectator to relax, and remain absolutely calm, and perfectly still. This subtly tells them that they are safe, and ensures that when they do react, they won’t move too much, and break the thread. Once they are relaxed, continue your patter about shadows, and begin to move your hands from left to right in front of their face. As you do, however, hook the thread between your first finger and thumb. As your hands pass in front of their face, the thread will be drawn across their neck, and they will react! Don’t hold the thread on their neck, just touch their neck once or twice, and relax your hands, so the thread is no longer touching their neck. Walk over to the spectator, shake their hand, and thank them for their participation. As you do, simply remove the wax from the back of the chair, and allow the reel to retract as they stand up. The only thing that could kill this effect is lighting. Check your lighting before you perform this. Indirect, diffused lighting is best. I am not trying to reinvent the wheel here, as for many; Banachek’s original effect is beyond improvement. All I offer here is an alternative for those who are not comfortable with the original effect. I have not given any patter, as this effect is highly dependant on a believable, personal patter. There are unlimited patter possibilities; shadows, ghosts, fears, whatever blows your hair back. Try this, and I am sure it will will find its way into your reserves, for when the time is just right.
Post Impression This is the furthest thing from explicit mentalism in this book, but is included here as those who I have taught it to really enjoyed it, and asked me to publish it so that others may learn it. It is extremely extremely simple, as well, well, extremely clean looking. I urge you to try this; it will no doubt take its place in your mental rolodex of effects. Effect: The Effect: The mentalist introduces a pad of Post It notes. They are normal, and can be examined. He then hands the participant a pen, and turns his head. He instructs the person to draw a simple picture, or word on the pad of paper, and peel off the piece with his image on it and put it in his pocket. The spectator can then again examine the pad to ensure there are no impressions, or anything of the sort. The magician turns around, peels off a note, and immediately duplicates the image that the spectator drew! Method: This Method: This is very simple, but very, very slick. Although the Post It pad can be examined, and looks normal, it is gimmicked. And although the spectator cannot find any sort of impressions that is exactly how you get the image! I said the Post It pad was gimmicked, but don't freak out, the gimmick is simple, invisible, and quick and easy to make. The secret is invisible tape. To start, obtain a pad of Post It notes, but the SMALLEST size available. It is, 1" by 1 1/2" if I am not mistaken. Next get some invisible tape; you know the stuff, the flat, non-reflective transparent tape, sometimes referred to as satin finish tape. Both of these can be obtained in any office supply store. To gimmick the pad, remove the top TWO sheets of paper from the pad as one. Now, stick two strips of tape side by side across the top sheet of the pad. The width of the tape is exactly 1/2 that of the Post It notes. Use scissors to trim any excess from the edges. Place the two sheets back on top, and you are set to go. Begin your patter about telepathy, thought transference, whatever floats your boat, and propose an experiment. Call attention to the pad of paper, and have the spectator look it over (if you wish). Now turn around, and have the spectator draw a SIMPLE picture, or word, whatever, as long as it is SIMPLE. When they have finished drawing the image, have them remove the sheet, and put it out of sight. Once they have done this, have them examine the pad again (again, if you wish as it is not necessary). Once done, turn back around.
Recap what has transpired thus far, and explain now the experiment begins. Remove the top sheet from the pad, and as you do, you can see what they drew, as there is now an impression in the tape! Lighting IS a factor here. You want the strongest light source above you, about a foot or two in front, in essence above the spectator. Throw the pad down FACE UP onto the table. You don't want to put it face down, as it may draw attention to the method. Remember; don't run if you aren't being chased! You are now miles ahead, as you know what the spectator drew, and only NOW is the experiment beginning! Go through your performance, and slowly duplicate on your piece of paper what the spectator drew! As I said, this is not for everybody, but those who work on this have a great bit of mentalism at their disposal. It has been a lengthy description, but this is really not that difficult to make, or perform, and can be as quick and direct, or slow and deliberate, as you want to make it. You may also want to try this in conjunction with The Explicit Billet Tear. Just a thought.
Final Thoughts Putting some of these routines into print has been exceptionally difficult, but I am glad I did. The routines I have described are all exceptionally powerful and practical for the ‘real world’, there is no magic club magic here. I hope that I have shown you that mentalism can be just as visual as other forms of magic, if you think about the effect. I hope to spark your imagination, and get your creative juices flowing about effects currently in your repertoire, and effects that you may not have considered doing because they read too dry. Any effect can be made into a visual, explicit piece of true magic, if you simply think about it. So please, think about your effects. Think about how to to make them more visual, more explicit, and in turn, more powerful. powerful. The reactions you will will get will be exponentially stronger than ever before. But please, if anyone asks you about this book, warn them, it contains Explicit Content. Keep it real,
Sean Fields
