Hey there guys, I'm thinking of trying to work on this routine...

Anyone have any recommendations on how to make the needles blunt?

Thanks...

Use a grinder or a file.
FM

Why waste your time blunting your needles? Even blunted they are pointy little things. I use them as they come from the package with no problem. Once you start playing with the trick you will find that proper sizing (needles come in different lengths and diameters), proper technique, and a little practice, and you’ll have no worry.

What exactly is this act?

I saw David Ben of Toronto do this trick on his Christmas show "The Conjuror". Wow!very impressive, I loved his way of doing it.
I don't know if he will share his thoughts with you on this, but you can try to contact him.
His web site is http://www.magicana.com or try google David Ben.
Richard Lyn

A basic outline of the routine: Performer shows a packet of (plate full of, apple stuck full of, etc.) sewing needles. The needles are shown/seen to be singles (unattached).

The performer places a number of needles (usually one at a time, Teller has them stuck in an apple and takes huge bites from the apple, very dramatic) places them on his tongue and swallows them.

The mouth is shown empty.

Then a length of sewing thread (string, dental floss) is taken and placed in the mouth (usually “slurped” in a la a length of spaghetti) and swallowed.

After some gyrations (mugging, facial expressions, etc.) an end of the string is seen at the lips. It is pulled on and the needles emerge tied on the thread at regular intervals.

This routine (in one form or another) has been performed for over 100 years and was actually a feature in Harry Houdini’s act from his dime museum days. It wasn’t new when Houdini performed it.

The "razor blade" version of the trick became popular in the late 1930's and more or less replaced the needle trick.

There is even a version that uses lifesavers (candy) where the lifesavers come out strung on a length of string, ribbon, or even on a stretched bit of chewed bubble gum.

Aside from the Steinmeyer and swami reference is there any other published work on this? Harry?

Thanks for the info btw...

p.s. needles always seem to make the most sense to me, I guess because you are threading the needles...

I have just recently posted this on a similar thread, there is a good Indian needle routine in the Tarbell Collection. Can't remember which of the 8 books it is one though, sorry!

For people interested in Tarbell its called 'Houdini's famous needle trick'.

And now Criss Angel's version... owwwwwwwwch!!!

Magic Inc sells the routine and needles. Discibed by the late Jay Marshall I believe. Gives staging and everything.

Im still practising the routine, I love it though, I dunno why I just really like the idea, I didn't really like Criss Angels version, it makes more sense to have them coming back out the mouth, at least that's slightly fesable!

If I'm not mistaken, "the Criss Angel version" sans the belly button extraction was a method written up in an issue of Invocation. As I recall that method involved the needles being placed in a wine glass and then swallowed with a bit of wine. The secret work was quite clever.

It took a bit of searching but I found it in the June 1989 No.51 of the NEW INVOCATION (page 612 of the Compleat Inovcation Vol 3). The effect is Dagerous Cocktail (The Needles Revisited) by R. Macaire. Very clever stuff.
It's funny, there is a lady (her name escapes me right now) who has a razor blade eating video which was much talked about in the Bizarre section of the Café. After seeing the video I remembered this needle effect from Invocation and thought I should write her about it as it seemed like something which would fit her style. About a week later I caught the Angel special and was suprised to see him do the same effect.

Thanks for looking that up, is there anyway that these can be purchased because I cant seem to find that variation of the trick anywhere? Even though I said I don't like it as much, I wouldnt mind performing it on occasions just for a change.

Ok found it, sorry I didn't realise there was a book of the magazines.

Just to clarify does the routine in the new invocation end in the threaded needles coming out of the belly button?

No, as I posted above the "Angel version" seems to be the same method as in the New Invocation minus the needles coming out of the belly button. The one in the New Invocation ends in the traditional way of pulling the threaded string of needles from the mouth. The methodology of swallowing the needles (placing in a wine glass, pouring wine into the glass, and swallowing the contents) is covered in the New Invocation routine.

There is a needle /string from mouth routine in The Jinx.

I also think there is a great version in the Charlatan's Handbook if you can still find it.