Bill is right, one would be better off using different shades and colors of "stains" instead of burning the wood. It will keep the object in better condition for much longer. And safer as well.

You vait a veek. Had to do that Malini line... it was too easy.

Greg

The only way I can wait a week is if my wife is in the bathroom.

What premise do you guys use for having a block of wood with you?

ive been tempted to get one recently - the only thing I can think of framing it as a development of mind power, you would train yourself to move tiny objects, moving up in weight and size...then give a demo...

and then get the audience to try it too...

The Telekinetic Timbers I have are from Sam Dalal<samdalal@vsnl.com> and they have two effects(a slight modification).Apart from the timber falling off..there is another movement of a diff. kind and the whole thing takes less than 20 secs to 30 secs.
What I didn't have was a PRESENTATION.
Thanks for the haunted house angle.Any other presentation ideas from the esteemed members in this forum?(or PM me).Actually I already have the 'haunted house' angle for another effect.

I would scorch them. They are only good for lighting the fire.

My presentation:

Set fire to a stack of TT timbers warm hands bake a potatoe.

Serve with cheese.

Waits for applause........?

Exactly. I first perform metal bending, then go to PK pens (including moving it in their hand), signed coin bends, falling pens then to the T Timber. I only use it for the really receptive crowds who have that look and hunger in their eyes. Sometimes while strolling, I will set it a great distance away on a ledge then return back to the table I am at and sit down. You have plenty of time to kill.

The other night I did it on a very receptive audience at a table surrounded by a nice size crowd. I got on my knees to concentrate on that certain sweet spot. Cameras and videos were rolling. I use to be in fear with all this since it would not work all the time. Now it works everytime. You just cannot rush it. Mama TT gets angry when you rush her.

Its also nice to be truthful with the audience (for me anyway). It sells it better. I tell them this effect takes a lot of concentration so please let me concentrate. Placement is so very important and I really do have to focus on that. One micro CM off and you are finished.

I read once where a performer closed with this that resulted with a standing ovation of 500. Hard to beat.

Thanks for the responses - I have now braved it thanks to Bill's insight.

I took a blow torch to my timber... Yes a blow torch!

It now looks like its been in an inferno of a haunted house fire!!! and yep.. It still works fine!!! Thanks again for the feedback it will make my routine much more authentic now..

More spooked audiences Horrah!

Slydini's advice comes to mind... "vait a veek if you have to"

Rosemary, I put that above... and I believe that's a Malini quote. I could be wrong.

Greg

Although it's probably not original with me, I bought one to use in conjunction with a story about the Winchester House.

http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com

http://www.prairieghosts.com/winchester.html

I picked up a number of brochures advertising the house. You might e-mail the proprietors and ask them for a brochure.

Terry

You're not wrong. I think he was responding on what to do if you have a card palmed and someone was looking at your hand.
"You vait."
How long?
"A veek."

Malini was right... Most telekinetic effects are too fast and do not allow proper build up. Take Kennedy's "JUMP!" for example, the item moves after just a few seconds, you can hardly finish your sentence after the set up

That's a very good point. One can take advantage of the wait period.

Wood blocks should look like a piece of wood !

Maybe I am too fuzzy about props. If you have ever seen http://www.labcomagic.com/ products you know what real woodwork should look like.
A piece of cut off wood has end grain at the ends.
My timber blocks came with lengthwise-grain veneer glued to the ends. (you can have them for FREE, just the postage, send a PM) Anyone familiar with wood can see they are fake. Agreed, most people especially in the plastic-wood-furnitured US would not notice the fake even on close inspection, but my clients are often (Finland!) in the timber industy, and they cannot be fooled with wrong direction veneer.
Can anyone tell me whether there is a brand that has real looking blocks, those I would want to buy.

Kaarlo von Freymann Helsinki Finland

Criss Angel looks terrible in the photo on the Labco site. I have never seen him look like that. Are you sure that is him? That guy looks more like an addict.

First of all I would use PK movement effects (pens then blocks) as precursors to metal bending which in my mind is the ultimate PK effect (next to my “mentally crushing a spectator's car” routine; it’s like “Healed & Sealed” in reverse but on a much bigger scale).

The original Telekinetic Timber was produced by Bob Koch and was/is a well made item. It looks like a seamless block of lumber; Hank Lee advertises the one he sells as the original for about $55. I'm not sure where the pieces of garbage I'm seeing described on this site described are coming from.

These type effects suffer from the burden of “dead time” which is why mentalism can so often be BORING! Before you can ask an audience to sit there while you stare at a block of wood to make it tip over for close to a minute, you must have compelled them and entertained them on a great many levels OR YOU WILL LOOSE THEM. Your audience must be locked into the anticipation and want you to succeed. This is the reason why the entertaining presentation of mentalism needs careful consideration and study.

I just came up with an idea! How about this: You do the TKT and then try to repeat but with more mental energy and focus and instead of the block tipping the bottle it is leaning against EXPLODES! (It’ll be in my next book.)

Why try to repeat the effect? Having something else happen (bottle exploding) than the so-called intended effect (block tipping over) can be done right at the beginning. We've discussed this type of effect in various threads in the past.

If the dead time with this type of effect has the posibility to bore, it doesn't seem to me that stating that you will repeat the effect would be exciting to the spectators and create any expectations.

Terry