Where's the best place to store your magician's case?

Michael asks: 'Where do you store your equipment when you are doing walk-around magic? Should I keep everything with me, or have an area that I use as a base?'

It would be lovely if magicians only performed material that allows them to carry everything they need with them at a magic gig. Working without a bag or case is a great position to be in, as it allows you to just turn up and start performing. However, in reality, that's just too limiting. Unless you are performing only mentalism or card magic, chances are you will need to take a wide range of items with you to most gigs. Take a look at this post about essential items to keep in your magicians case.

Here's a short video I recorded at a recent gig that talks about something I highly recommend you start doing when you take magic bookings:

Ask for a private room

Whenever possible, either myself or my agent will ask the client for a private room or area to be put aside for me to set up. It's worth taking a moment to ask for this, as it's often easily provided. Most venues do have small side rooms that could be put aside for the magician, or they will be happy to set aside a screened off area for your use. Don't assume that this will be an issue, as almost all venues are used to this request. You may also find that either the venue or the client will provide some refreshments in that area for you. There is never any harm in asking…

Finding your own place to store your magicians case

Most of the time, you will need to turn up at a gig, have a look around, and choose a place that will be best to store your magician's case. You need to pick an area with the following 2 features:

1) Easy access

You will need to return to your magician's case several times through the event, so it's important to make sure you will be able to gain access easily when required. At the same time you need to find an area where the case won't be in the way. It's a balancing act between accessibility and consideration for the guests and event staff.

2) Security

A lot of magicians have had their magician's case stolen over the years. That's really not a nice feeling! Pick somewhere that is quite hidden, so your case it not in view to people passing by. Keep items like your wallet or car keys with you if possible.

Put your business card on your magicians case.

Leave one of your business cards on the case when you are away from it. If a staff member or security find the case when you are away, they will know who it belongs too and why it's there. Your business card as a 'marker' will also stop them moving the case to reception or a cloakroom.

Switching Items Without Getting Caught

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

Joe is having trouble switching items when he performs magic tricks. He keeps getting busted when he does a switch.

Joe writes:

'I've realised that I'm not very good at switching or at least I don't know how to without being detected :).

So for Example, with LINK-O, a powerful move would be to show a normal pack of polo mints that are inspected, then switch it with the special labelled ones. Any Suggestions?
Thanks.I’m having trouble switching items. Whenever I try to do a switch, I get busted. Any tips?'

How to perform a magicians switch

Hi Joe,

Many thanks for getting in touch.

The secret of switching items without detection is to remove any of your guilt while doing it. It also helps to have a good understanding of the on-beat and off-beat moments that performance naturally creates in order to maximise the chances of getting away with it. Here is a link to a free eBook on misdirection which talks about the off-beat/on-beat and how to recognise it:

Ben Williams writes:

There is a limit to how much I will have things inspected. For example, when I perform Linko, I never have a normal pack of Polos examined before the trick. Saying, 'Hey, check these out, make sure they are normal' could cause the spectator to think “There must be funny Polo packets or magic Polos”. Even people who hadn't thought of that, would probably then be thinking it in the back of their minds.

I find that what works for me best is to take out the top two Polos and hand the spectator the pack and say, “sorry, can you just hold onto these for a second”. when you ask this, they have no desire to look at it because you are showing them something with the Polos and not the pack. When you move the logo on the pack, they will think that they would have spotted it if there were something up with the pack as they were holding onto it themselves.

By inviting people to examine objects it automatically arouses suspicion. Unless you have something so unbelievably clean you can ham it up, and then it is, in my opinion, not a great idea to enforce the fairness of everything. If you hand a packet of Polos to someone and ask them to check it out it will make people look harder at the packet. When that suspicion is in their mind, you will most likely get busted switching it.

I sometimes use the method where I have an extra cut out of a Polo on the packet stuck down with either lip balm or a glue stick of repositionable glue. This way when you drag it there is no question the Polo was there on the design as they were looking right at it.

So to sum up, try to relax, forget about the moment when you are going to switch. If you are worried about switching you will be sending out signals of tension and anxiousness which your spectators will pick up on no matter how small they are and make sure you are engaging the audience at the time of the switch and it will help out lots. Over time, you will not worry about it at all, and you will find you don't get busted.

Know Your PK Ring Size – Magnetic Ring Size Chart

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

How to pick the right size magnetic PK Ring

The magnetic PK ring has become an essential part of every close-up magicians tool kit. Now that the market has been blown out for the water with the release of the Kinetic PK Ring, magicians all over the world are looking to upgrade their existing PK rings, or taking their first jump into using a PK ring in their routines.

Which magnetic pk ring should I choose?

When choosing a PK ring it really boils down to how much you are prepared to pay for your ring. After Jim Trainer made the magnetic PK ring popular with the original Wizard G2 Ring, there have been a whole host of low grade clone versions flooding the magic market. Most of these quickly die away as word gets out about their limited durability and resistance to shattering. Because the best PK Rings are a complete magnet, rather that being just a metal band with a magnet attached, it's well worth investing in the most durable version available. Cheap PK rings will easily shatter if dropped or banged against a hard object.

If you already own a G2 Wizard PK Ring, then you probably don't need to upgrade until your current ring starts to look worn or it cracks/shatters. However, once you upgrade, you will notice a significant difference in magnet strengh and durability.

If you own a cheap clone ring from China/India, then we recommend upgrading to a professional quality PK ring as soon as possible. The difference in performance and durability is considerable.

The Kinetic PK Ring

From customer feedback and our own experience, we always recommend the high grade professional version of the magnetic PK Ring. The best on the market is the Kinetic PK Ring. It's not cheap, but worth every penny. If you are going to wear your ring often, then it's worth spending a little more from the start.

Road test your magnetic PK Ring

It's worth choosing a supplier that will allow you to try out you ring before you decide if you want to keep it. Some magic dealers provide a trial period for your purchase, so you can wear the ring, see how it looks, and make sure it is strong enough for your needs. The Merchant of Magic offer a 365 day return policy on their PK Rings, so you can take up to a year to decide if the ring is right for you!

Which size magnetic PK Ring? – Knowing your ring size

The first step is to either mesure your finger diameter, or go to a jewelry shop and have your UK ring size measured. Once you have those stats you can use the chart below to find out which size ring to order.

If you get your measurments wrong, don't worry. Good magic shops will allow you to send the ring back for an alternative size.