Hello fellow Magi, I recently purchased a Stratosphere from another member here on the Café' and it did not come with instructions. I know how to perform the effect, but this effect is not for me as it is for a young person that I am mentoring and I would like to have the complete instructions. If you have a set could you please PM me and let me know if you can send it via snail mail, email, or by Fax. It would be greatly appreciated.

Rodney

I pm'd you. Glad to help.

I did the same thing, bought mines at a convention...but no instrucitons. After playing with it, I didn't find it hard to figure out...the hard part is putting together a routine for it.

PM me for any details that you might be missing, maybe I can help.

I think what you need is some routining ideas, which I think would be great here...

or I could be wrong

Once you get the instructions ..look at other objects that can be used instead of just colored balls. (Think Walmart, Michaels or Hobby Lobby)


I left my vanisher at a gig..and before I realized it, I couldn't remember which one. My vanish of the last ball/apple, is done as a 4 year old..quick close your eyes...as I drop it into my bag....Hey I'm only 4 years old..(as I hold up 3 fingers)


Harris

I never use the vanisher. I have a routine for the stratospheres in my book. I have used the same routine in about 14,000 shows - truly.

I believe the "vanisher" is called a gung-ho box.

I really never got into the magic of the gung-ho box. Since I never found it magical, I substituted humor instead and made "real" magic with my routine when I vanish the ball in plain view and magically have a child make it appear in the tubes.

I use to perform this effect with a stop traffic lights patter. I get better response with the 20th Century Silks though than this routine. As for the Gung-Ho box, you definitely have to watch your angles. I never liked the box. You can vanish the ball by placing it inside an empty frame with a hole in the middle and make it disappear with caught gut loop or invisible thread. I think this looks more magical for the spectators..

Thanks to all, I now have the instructions being sent to me.

Rodney

Yes, it is on the way. I missed the mail on Saturday, so it sat in my mailbox until Tuesday (Columbus Day was Monday). So, you can expect it on Thursday or Friday.

Can someone please DM me the instructions too. I can provide a photo if need be.

Sent you a PM.

I agree that the "gung-ho" box as a method to vanish the red ball is weak. It can be made somewhat stronger if the balls you are using are bouncy , so you throw the ball to the floor , let it bounce upwards and catch it inside the box , then immediately open the doors of the box to show that the ball has transformed into a red silk handkerchief (which was of course concealed in the box to begin with) It should be done in a continuous, smooth movement - Bounce ball up , catch it in box, and open the doors as you blow the silk forward, so it bursts out of the box and drifts down to the floor. (taking attention off the box, which is quietly closed and set down on the table) This presentation can look good if practiced so it is done smoothly. If doing this in a typical birthday party situation where children are seated on the floor directly in front of you , I would probably not let the silk drift down to the floor , because the kids will all make a grab for it. Maybe use red confetti in the box , so when you open the doors and blow through it the confetti is blown forward and drifts down to the floor (messy, but maybe ok?) or a large red silk or red streamer that unfurls out of the box as the doors are opened, but the end of the streamer is secured with a thumbtack to the floor of the box , so it doesn't fall to the floor?

Just to be clear, that's not my idea to use the silk in the box, it's actually in the original instruction sheet from MAK Magic. And other people on the Cafe have mentioned the idea of bouncing the ball up and catching it in the box, to add a bit more showmanship and flash to the presentation.




If I were performing this trick nowadays I would probably use one of those good old magician's helpers the servante or a table well , or ditch it into a hat or some other prop sitting on my table, in the act of covering it with a cloth. (inside the double cloth is a lightweight *form* that will make it appear as if a ball is being held under the cloth) so if this is done in a natural manner , no one suspects that you ditched the ball , it just looks like you covered it with a cloth and are holding it under the cloth ... then with a flick the cloth is opened out and the ball is GONE. You could also probably do this by ditching it in a t_pit under cover of covering it with the cloth.

Thank you David

Practical Magic has a very nice presentation, which can be found on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/ashZpq2uj3w?si=Y0L3OTS_K7mvmyxb

Thanks for posting this link - that is definitely a great routine for Stratosphere. Another good routine is in Sammy Smith’s book *Big Laughs for Little People*.

Vijay

I never cared for the gung ho box. I got my method from watching Danny Orleans - put the red ball in a paper bag, switch the bag, pop the bag, the ball is back where it belongs.