Does anybody know any good sources of Match Magic (magic to do with matches!!!) Its an area of magic that I find myself doing more and more of and I want to increase my knowledge.

Cheers MB

Martin Gardner's "Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic" has a bunch of stuff that uses matches. He also published a booklet, Matchic, a number of years ago. It is contained in his book, "Martin Gardner Presents". If you don't have these books they are both worth getting.

Floating Match, Self Lighting Cigarette and Broken and Restored Match.

Jay Sankey has a few Match trick on Secret Files and has a Match Tricks called "Ouch" on one of his Very best of Sankey dvd. Check them out.

Is that the one where you tear out a match stick, light it and have it reappear in the book of matches?

I think the broken and restored referred to is probably the one where you let the spectator break the match inside a hankerchief.

I really like the one you describe though, Dynamike. Whenever I come across a pub or hotel that gives away those boxes I always get the to give me a few for that trick.

Penetrating Matches - another old, old classic - I love it. It's like a miniature illusion. It really looks like they go thru each other.

You can also do a paddle move if your matches are colored on one side. You can do the penetrating matches move right after that.

-- Frank

See "The Flying Match" in Eugene Burger's MASTERING THE ART OF MAGIC pg. 188.

Brian B

Seems to me someone wrote a book, titled "MATCHIC" anyone know of this?

John Carney has a wonderful match routine that he shares in "Carneycopia", page 128, called 'Suicide Match'. It is well worth the effort to learn it.

Bob

Bob, do you get very good reactions from that effect? It always seemed to be a lot of preparation, so I never performed it.

Yes it definitely gets excellent reactions! As far as the prep time, it takes me maybe 30 seconds. I have a very small Swiss army knife with scissors. Two snips and I'm set. I encourage you to give it a try. PS - heed John's advice about removing half of the matches; it can be embarrassing if you don't.

Bob

Johnny Ace Palmer showed me a trick years ago where he pulls a match out and lights it. Then vanishes it and it reapears burnt, attached in the book among the unburnt matches. Then he pulls 2 matches out and burns all of the matches in the book. Then he vanishes the remaining unburnt match in his hand and he shows that it's again in the matchbook among the burnt matches. It's probably as old as the hills but I think he has his handling in a set of his lecture notes. It's a very nice routine and it's plot is logical with a nice beginning, middle and end.

Pete: I believe that was Martin Gardner.

Oh....as for the original question in this thread:

I've heard only good things about the Skinner Match Routine, which can be seen on the latest Bill Malone videos. (Which I don't have yet! )

Bob

There were a couple of books on match tricks. One by Gardner, another by Sam Berland, if my memory serves me, and then another whose name and author I can't remember, but I can look it up. Some of the effects:

1)The burnt match back to matchbook, with a repeat where you tear the burnt match out, close the book, throw the match away, and the spectator picks up the book of matches expecting to find the burnt match returned, but instead the book is empty, all the matches have vanished!

2) Matches through the table - a handful of loose matches passed thru the table.

3) Multiplying matchbooks - like the blliard balls but with matchbooks...

There are a ton of other things, from different sources. Here are a few things that I can remember off the top of my head:

1.)T. Nelson Downs trick with wooden matches - in "Select Secrets", by Dai Vernon, I think he called it the flying matches. You apparently throw the matches up to the cieling, where they vanish, one at a time (there are three), then reproduce them in a fan at your fingertips. Completely slieght of hand, and beautiful in the right hands. Jack McMillen taught me this, he was fascinated by it....

2.) Francis Carlyle effect in Stars of Magic - head of match vanishes and re-appears several times. Great application of the paddle move...

3.) Flying Matchbooks - a production, multiplication, and transposition effect that was marketed in the sixties, and used gaffed paper matchbooks - I have the direction sheet somewhere, and will find it if anyone is interested - you can make the gaffs yourself from the directions...

4.) Penetrating matches - old as the hills, but there was a whole issue dedicated to this in Fulves magazine, Pallbearers. Martin Gardner has made quite a study of this simple trick...

5.) Bill to matchbook - a dollar bill is visibly turned into a book of matches, then the book is opened and a match removed and lit, or whatever you want to doas a folow-up, since the book of matches, though gaffed, will stand visual examination...

6.) This is not a trick, but a great gag - you go to light a match, drop it on the floor, light another match and use it as a light to look for the match you dropped! Pretty dopey, but funny, sight gag. Smacks of Biro...

There are several tricks with the old match boxes with the wooden matches, you know with a drawer and cover, in the Phoenix magazine. One was a ball penetration, where the ball is set on the drawer full of matches and drops right thru, another where the closed box is set on top of a coin, picked up and the coin is gone. You open the drawer and the coin is inside, on top of the matches. Can't remember the rest, but they are worth looking up.

I'm sure I'll think of more, but that is all that comes to mind right now...

Best, PSC

In Karl Fulves "Self Working Table Magic" there is a chapter devoted to match magic and tricks.

Also if you can get a copy of Melbourne Christopher's Magic Book there is a chapter on matches which can be used as a complete routine. I don't know how available that book may be but a search should produce some copies.

Thanks Bob! I'll definitely check it out then. I guess that was a diamond that got lost in...well...all the other diamonds in that book!

Martin Gardner's Matchic is for sale over at the Magic Auction: http://www.magicauction.com/Mag_auc/book6.htm
BK14849 MATCH - IC, 1974 S/C GARDNER, MARTIN VG $0.00 $4.75

I ran across a great match-as-paddle routine the other day. It was posted on MagicTalk by Josh Mandel (who is apparently on here sporadically). I won't copy and paste the routine here, but you can see it at http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~roy/magictalk-wi......cks.html. In a nutshell, the effect is of an X being drawn on both sides of a book match head, and disappearing first from one side, then from the other, and finally reappearing on both sides. The spec then "blows away" one X, leaving examinable matches. (Actually the trick is performed with two in the same hand, which is that much more deceptive, since they have no idea where to look!)

Enjoy! (and thanks, Josh, if you ever happen to see this post!)

Cheers!
Keith