Levitation Tricks
Levitation tricks range from rather simple and obvious tricks to amazingly realistic illusions. The floating match trick sits somewhere between both extremes. It's easy to perform and looks great.
We're going to make a match levitate.
Now you may have seen a number of match levitation tricks in the past.
For example, you start with a match and place it on a special playing card with two thin pieces of thread wrapped lengthways around the card. After picking up the match you tell the crowd that you will make the match float in mid air, then proceed to bend the card so that it bulges down slightly in the center. This leave the match which is lying on the thread appear to be floating above the surface of the playing card.
But to be perfectly honest, it isn't very believable, is it!
And if anyone sees the thread or looks at the playing card, they'll see straight through you and the trick.
So how about this - You borrow an ordinary match from someone. You place it on the palm of your hand. Then you tell the owner of the match to concentrate on the match. Ask them to tap into their psychic powers and make the match move. After a few seconds of serious concentration the match starts to move. It wriggles, jumps and then stands up on end.
The whole audience, and in particular your volunteer is amazed.
So how did you do it?
Well you need two props for this levitation illusion.
The first is a small, powerful magnet, the second is a thin piece of steel rod about an inch long. Take an ordinary match, cut it in half lengthwise, hollow out a small semi-circle channel in both parts of the match, then insert the rod and glue the match back together. The aim is to make the match look the same as it was before you cut it in half. It's a tricky little procedure, but it's worth the effort, as this prop can be used again and again.
Once you've created the trick match, you're ready to start.
Attach the magnet to the outer side of the top of your forearm, near your elbow. Use a thin bandage to keep it in place and make sure that you wear loose clothing to cover it up.
Conceal your match in the palm of your hand and ask one of your audience if you can borrow a match. Take a match from your spectator and pretend to place it in the palm of your hand. But make sure that you use the trick match that you've got hidden in your hand, and conceal the ordinary match for later.
Hold out the palm of your hand with the fixed match on it and ask your volunteer to concentrate on it. As you keep telling them to concentrate, slowly move the palm of your hand towards the magnet on your opposite elbow.
As the match gets closer to the magnet, it will start to move and wriggle. With practice you'll be able to control how much and how fast it moves according to how near it gets to the magnet. Eventually, when the time is right, move the palm of your hand directly above the magnet and the match will stand on end. Instead of wondering how you did it, your volunteer will walk away thinking they have special powers.
To make the trick even more convincing, you could end the performance by switching your match for the match that you took from your volunteer, striking it and allowing it to burn down. This will "prove" to your audience that there was nothing special about the match used for the trick.
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The Floating Match
We're going to make a match levitate.
Now you may have seen a number of match levitation tricks in the past.
For example, you start with a match and place it on a special playing card with two thin pieces of thread wrapped lengthways around the card. After picking up the match you tell the crowd that you will make the match float in mid air, then proceed to bend the card so that it bulges down slightly in the center. This leave the match which is lying on the thread appear to be floating above the surface of the playing card.
But to be perfectly honest, it isn't very believable, is it!
And if anyone sees the thread or looks at the playing card, they'll see straight through you and the trick.
So how about this - You borrow an ordinary match from someone. You place it on the palm of your hand. Then you tell the owner of the match to concentrate on the match. Ask them to tap into their psychic powers and make the match move. After a few seconds of serious concentration the match starts to move. It wriggles, jumps and then stands up on end.
The whole audience, and in particular your volunteer is amazed.
So how did you do it?
Well you need two props for this levitation illusion.
The first is a small, powerful magnet, the second is a thin piece of steel rod about an inch long. Take an ordinary match, cut it in half lengthwise, hollow out a small semi-circle channel in both parts of the match, then insert the rod and glue the match back together. The aim is to make the match look the same as it was before you cut it in half. It's a tricky little procedure, but it's worth the effort, as this prop can be used again and again.
Once you've created the trick match, you're ready to start.
Attach the magnet to the outer side of the top of your forearm, near your elbow. Use a thin bandage to keep it in place and make sure that you wear loose clothing to cover it up.
Conceal your match in the palm of your hand and ask one of your audience if you can borrow a match. Take a match from your spectator and pretend to place it in the palm of your hand. But make sure that you use the trick match that you've got hidden in your hand, and conceal the ordinary match for later.
Hold out the palm of your hand with the fixed match on it and ask your volunteer to concentrate on it. As you keep telling them to concentrate, slowly move the palm of your hand towards the magnet on your opposite elbow.
As the match gets closer to the magnet, it will start to move and wriggle. With practice you'll be able to control how much and how fast it moves according to how near it gets to the magnet. Eventually, when the time is right, move the palm of your hand directly above the magnet and the match will stand on end. Instead of wondering how you did it, your volunteer will walk away thinking they have special powers.
To make the trick even more convincing, you could end the performance by switching your match for the match that you took from your volunteer, striking it and allowing it to burn down. This will "prove" to your audience that there was nothing special about the match used for the trick.
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