I love playing with finger choppers and have been using them in my show again. I'm not going to use a cigarette in the hole though - there are kids, and I just would prefer to avoid it. I thought about carrots, but I'm not sure if the moisture in a carrot will eventually harm the prop. Has anyone found a good item to stick in the cigarette hole in a finger chopper besides a cigarette?

Maybe a thin pretzel?
I sold a lot of the clear, see-through finger choppers by first cutting a strip of paper with it before setting it for the trick. I would hold one end of the strip of paper and the "volunteer" would hold the other end. Then I would set the blade for the trick. (You pretty much need a person holding each end of the strip for instead of being cut, the paper strip will be pulled in between the clear plastic sides of the chopper.)

I would be a little wary about doing the trick for very young kids, though. If a child found a finger chopper lying around he/she might try to do the trick on their own. (I've heard stories about children trying to imitate the magician who cut someone's tie in two going home and cutting their Dad's tie in two. Children love to imitate things they see adults do.)

----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez

Well don't do any illusions then. The kids will all be sawing their siblings in half or sticking swords through them. And don't pull any coins from their ears. They'll be trying to stick coins back in later. Don't pull your finger off. Don't make any animals vanish. Probably best not to do any magic at all.

Oh and don't tell them any fairy tales. If the kids imitate those...yikes

Mike, all three of you have valid points.

That was good! Lol

You might try using a Crayon instead of a cigarette.

Murf

You could try balsa. Chopping through "solid wood" impresses people.