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Sense-less Practice

By Jim Krenz Leave a Comment

I’m about to tell you to do something senseless.

Perhaps I should say “sense-less” instead of senseless.

What is sense-less practice? It is a way of improving your skills by the absence of one of your senses.

For example, you are practicing your second deal. Normally, you either watch the deal from your point of view or the view from a mirror or video camera. This takes you out of the moment. You aren’t truly present with the sleight when you are observing it.

How to address this? Simple. Close your eyes. Yes, closed. No peeking. Use a blindfold if necessary. Now practice. Feel the cards. Feel their form in your hands. Do the sleight. Feel how your hands move. Most likely, it will feel horrible. Awkward. Uncomfortable. Push through that fear and practice without sight. As progress is made, your other senses (in this case, touch) will become more sensitive.

When you feel that you have made progress, do it again, but this time, in front of a video camera. Watch the recording. See where the move lacks, then practice it sightless again. Do this until you can do the sleight effortlessly without sight. This is the path to mastery.

Experiment with the absence of other senses. Wear ear plugs so you can’t hear the cards moving in your hands. Wear gloves (start with form-fitting latex, progress to cotton for the courageous) so you can’t feel the cards. This is like a runner wearing ankle weights. The weights make the athlete work harder. Practicing with gloves on will be challenging as hell. But when the they come off, the transformation feels amazing.

If you pursue this technique seriously, you will become “one” with the move. You won’t just master the sleight, you will be a master of it.

Enough reading. Get to work.

Filed Under: Magic, Theory

Eddie Raymond’s Invisible Thread

By Jim Krenz Leave a Comment

I’ve been procrastinating on writing this up. How do you talk about something that is invisible? If I post a photo, and you can’t see the invisible thread, that means it’s a great product, right? Hell, I could post a photo of nothing, and you’d never know. Quite the conundrum.

Let’s start off with the packaging. The threads arrived in a card-stock envelope—much better than a paper envelope. Each item is in a tiny, tidy ziplock bag. And that is it. No instructions, no DVD, no tips or handling suggestions. Just raw supplies, intended for the working professional.

World’s Best Invisible Elastic Bands
Invisible Elastic Bands in the bag

Inside the plastic bag, there is a three panel folded cover (Eddie calls this a folding card wallet) that protects another folded card. This card has five invisible elastic bands stored on it. This card has half holes cut into the ends, to keep the bands from getting tangled.

Invisible elastic bands and card wallet

The card does an adequate job of keeping the threads in order. That said, when I originally pulled the card from the folder, they caught on an edge, and they tangled up a bit. It took a minute or so to straighten them back out. I’m not sure that the threads could be packed better (especially at their price), so my recommendation is to be mindful while opening the packaging.

The loops are tied by hand. If you have ever tried to tie invisible elastic thread, you know that it is an acquired skill—one that takes patience, a keen eye and a fine touch. Eddie knows what he is doing.

The bands are tied well. They have a good elasticity. They are as invisible as thread comes. There isn’t much more to say.

You get fifteen bands for twelve dollars. Now that is quite the deal.

If you buy in quantity, Eddie sells forty-five bands for $24. No, that is not a typo—that is a steal!

•••

World’s Best Invisible Elastic Thread

Invisible Elastic Thread in bagInvisible thread wrapped on plastic tab

Here we have seventy-five to one hundred feet of elastic invisible thread stored on a small plastic tab. Perfect if you want to tie your own threads or use the thread in a non-band method.

The price? Five packs for $12! Even better, buy two and get a third for free—that is fifteen packs for twenty-four dollars. Incredible!

•••

Easy Spool Thread

Invisible thread in dispenser

Here, you get two hundred feet of elastic invisible thread in a small plastic dispenser. The dispenser is the type that tooth floss comes in, with a handy widget to cut thread after you spool some out. Tie this thread into a loop yourself or use it for other routines.

$14 delivered in the USA. Buy two for $28—get a third for free.

Clearly Eddie is insane—stock up at these low prices before the asylum catches up with him!

•••

In Closing

My only complaints: no instructions, handling or tips are included. If you buy threads from Eddie, you need to know what to do with them. Personally, I’d love to see a video of Eddie performing with the thread, with detailed explanations of his handling and tips. Not that I personally need them, but I love our art, and you never know when one tip or idea can improve your performances.

My other issue is that Eddie’s website is from the nineties. No store, no shopping cart, no order form—just his e-mail address. Seriously Eddie, your website needs some love.

You can buy Eddie’s thread at EddieRaymond.com — it is great thread, economically packaged and priced humbly. Shipping is free in the USA, and only $2 elsewhere. It is clear that Eddie loves invisible thread, and he is sharing that love with you. Highly recommended.

Filed Under: Magic, Magicians, Review

The wonderful Fred Kaps

By Jim Krenz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYh_vPGApbo?rel=0

Filed Under: Video

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