Sorry if this has been covered, but can anyone direct me to a source that has instructions for building a Mirror Box? I have really been building a lot of props for my kids shows lately. I have never owned a Mirror Box so I don't have that to look at and re-create. I can probably feel my way around and develop it on my own, but I would rather read instructions from a good source and have a better shot at it coming out right the first time.

What I did, was buy the cardboard Dragon Box and make mine using that as the prototype. Works quite well.

What type of mirror box are you looking to create?

Amos McCormick

Amos,
I am not quite sure what type I am looking for. To be honest, I didn't realize there were varieties of it. I am looking to produce my rabbit from it, if that narrows it down at all.

Build it large enough for your rabbit. Make a cardboard prototype before actually making out of wood.

Well, I guess there is not much more to it, but I just wanted to make sure. I was curious about the release for the mirror, what kind of padding do you put on the floor of the box, stuff like that. Like I said, I could probably feel my way around and make a box, but I just wanted to get any little details I could before I dove into this project.

The mirror does not move. The box is square on the ends. The inside is brightly colored, usually. Or painted black, with pin strips on the inside to show the depth. It has a door that is on the front and one on the back.

Here is a small box called MANDARIN BOX
http://www.dickbarrymagic.com/cgi-bin/we......Specials

Now you even have a picture, scroll down the page to the green box.

Danny, with your description of a drop-down mirror, I'm wondering if you're perhaps looking for something more along the lines of the Mak Magic Wagon.

To me, opening the front door to show the box empty, then closing it and reaching in from the top to produce the item never did look right.

If you have not built anything before, you probably want to go with a mirror that does not move. It would usually go top front edge to back bottom edge. However, if you built something more like the "tent in the desert", a small one, you could have mirrors that open. In this situation instead of the way I described above it is the classic "V" arrangement. You would need to design some logical reason for a small dowel to go up thru the top of the box, tent. In the tent in the desert it is a flag pole with a flag on top. This covers the front edges.

It is also possible to make an arrangement as I first described the mirror, that drops flat. I have never seen this done with a mirror however, usually black art is fine for this.
quack

Thanks for the feedback. I don't know what happened to my last post. I wrote a post in resonse to wmhegbli, and part of his post that I responded to, and my response, are now deleted. Sounds strange to me, who could have deleted my post? Would Moderaters delete something like that?

Anyway, what I said in that post was that I have been building my own props for a little while now and I am enjoying it. My impression of a Mirror Box was likely incorrect. After looking at a demo of a mirror box online, I realized it is NOT what I want to build. I was picturing something similiar to the production box I now own, which is just Black Art and a trap door. But I was picturing a mirrored door that drops down after I close the front panel, I am not sure if this is a legit idea or not.

Honestly, I have never seen such a device, but I do not see whey it could not be made to work. If you used the plastic mirror, not glass,and put a back on it, I think it would work. I would play with it a bit prior to making a solid box however. Unlike the black felt, a mirror needs to be carefully fitted so at the audience angle, it reflects the inside of the box...not the floor,their faces, their feet, etc. This type of mirror, front corner to back bottom is about the easiest to get in that way. You can make it so opening a top lid, automatically drops the flap, with the front doors closed. Then you open the front doors, the top is already open, and the rabbit or whatever is a great surprise.
quack

Magicduck,
That is exactly what I was thinking, I guess it would sort of be a combination of a mirror box and a production box. I am not familiar with a box like that or what it would be called. But it sounds possible. I am curious now. I've gotta play around with this.

And like Mushu said, I don't like showing a mirror box empty then closing the door and retrieving something from it. It doesn't seem impressive.

Wally Reid designed a rabbit box, a very nice one, similar to what we are talking about. I know they sell it at abbotts. He uses black art very well.

You point about the mirror box is valid. If you show one door open to show it empty, it is a bit lame when you cannot open that door again as you make the production. Instead you have to open a top door.

With a vanish you have an opposite situation and it works much better. Take a duck wringer made with the mirror principal we have discussed. You do not show it empty at first but could I gues. You open the top and put the fowl in. Then you close it. turn the crank..out comes a flat fowl. You then show whole box empty by taking the front off and they see all the way to the back. Much stronger going in this direction than the other way where you open the front, close it and then open the top for the production...it is like "why is he not opening the front so we can see the stuff in there." I think that is one reason the mirror box is cardboard and cheap...a good kids effect to learn principals of magic.
quack
quack

Magicduck,

Danny wants to build the item himself. Not purchase a trick box.

BTW it is called Rabbit Wringer, not duck wringer. Yes Abbott's Rabbit box production is the newest item Abbott's ever made. The also have dove to Duck, which could use a Rabbit as well as animal bags to produce from silks.

Danny was asking about a mirror box so I stuck with his question.

Wmhegbil,
Yeah, I was originally asking about a mirror box, but as it turned out, what I was picturing was not the typical mirror box. The discussion kind of went off on a tangent.

But it's true, I do want to build it myself. I still have no sources, I guess because what I want to build is not a typical production box. I guess I will experiment on my own to try to turn what I am seeing in my mind into a reality.

Great, We need a new stage trick on the market. Stage magic has very little to none new items on the market. I do think the last good item was the Abbott's Bunny Box.

Close up has too much new items, but the real magic is in stand up shows.

Danny, If you can be more specific of what you want to produce, how big and how you want to present it. I can help. It sounds to me like you want a mirror in a box that is solid all except for the front so it can be seen to be empty, close the front door, open it and have something there. Is this correct? Please let me know.
Bruce

WM,

I know Danny wants to build a box, I had given him some advice on that. He just had a different idea in mind, which was entirely different than the traditional mirror box.I was explaining that the "dropping" flap he wanted was done already in black art by Wally Reid. If he wants to see how it is designed, it is in Reid's excellent book: Magic On Stage, a great bargain. But I thought that if he wanted to see what such a box looks like, he could find it in an Abbott catalog. They have been selling it at least 25 years.

As for the wringer....mine is a duck wringer, so that is what I was refering to. It was custom made, uses a mirror and not the "hanging bag" principal, and the size is for a duck. I seldom purchase dealer items so a number of my effects are not available on the magic market. My material, with my own modifications, comes from books such as Eric Lewis' Trilogy, the Thayer books, assorted Harbin and Joe Berg material, Jack Hughes Trilogy. So it is classic material but much of it is not available to purchase from dealers.

quack

Perhaps the Mak's Circus Wagon would suit your purposes and you could probably make one as well.

I was working on the same type of box with the dropping mirror. The idea was for a visual and "instantanous" production. The dropping gaff happens with the doors open. The tricky part is that using a mirror at a 45 degrees, you must deal with the fact that the diangle measurement will be longer than the depth of a square box. So you must make the box's depth deeper than its height.

Jim