1. is junk and does not work.

2. is the one I was referring to as the best India model ever.

3. Owen's as I said do not make the cages, that what I was told.

4. is the same as number one.

5. we were discussing semi-rigid cages, Abbott's is another whole different animal.

6. 1st that is not a Milson-Worth cage, it looks more like the one made in South America. That is one you need a dermal tool to clean off all the metal flash that is sticking out. Again, even Milson-Worth aluminum edges with brass bars, did not work very well. That is why Tommy Wonder totally redesigned it.

So eliminating the Milson-Worth copies, Owen's, and Riser, and Abbott's, there are only 2 cages available that will actually work and available for anyone to purchase.

I may be able to get some sets of the McComb dad's. I will let people know. Yes, Encore Magic is out of business but I still have contact and may be able to get some made up.

There will be a very good Lindhorst cage coming on the market in the next month or two from Walter Blaney. It will have his life's work on the cage with it.

The Owen's cage have had problems with being too tight to collapse down properly. The early ones were made by Fred Rickard. They were the best. Riser's are very good when you can get them.

There have been probably more bad cages made that anything else in magic. Even some of the early German ones had their flaws. It is not an easy trick to make properly. And you have really work with it to learn how to do it properly.

My experience with Owen cages is that they are often stiff when new...but break in nicely over time. (Remember when we used to do that with new cars? LOL)

Billy McComb's Slow Motion Vanishing Cage, without the silk cover:

Pop:

Thanks for posting this....Billy was special, wasn't he?

Billy was the greatest man and greatest magician I have ever known.

Pop:

I can't say that I really knew Billy per se, but I did have a chance to meet him and chat with him briefly at The Magic Castle in October of 1987.

I do perform two of his tricks regularly, the McCombical prediction and his version of the half-dyed hank........I pay careful attention to the nuances of his presentation and follow his instruction tips very carefully.....I've found that it's "the little things" that count and make a BIG difference in the overall showmanship of any effect...and one thing is for sure...BILLY WAS A MAGNIFICENT SHOWMAN!!!

Here's a little treat: Billy's last Television appearance.........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWN_lmluzlA

Here is a better performance I videoed at the Magic Castle:

Very nice!!!

This one is much better, and this is how it should be done.

Kyle Eschen on Master of Illusions

That was magical..

Here is the 2nd generation man who started the Vanishing Bird Cage craze for many decades Harry Blackstone Jr., continued his fathers legacy with a little cage.




Here is another famous magician by the name of Paul Daniels from England.

Looked good, but the arms were too high, and the motion of the arms drew the eye toward the action. I saw the cage going up the sleeve the first time I watched. I doubt a lay person would, though, but after a few viewings on video--probably.

Both Harry Blackstone and Paul Daniels covered the vanish completely--it isn't a visible vanish. Both good versions, and entertaining, but not as visually magical.

Billy holds everything low, and the arms don't move much. The hands hide the action as they close. What little you can pick up from the camera, is usually covered by his transparent chiffon silk, as in this video of his stage show:



Billy only did the uncovered version for the movie Presto because that is what they wanted, but he always felt that the transparent cover gave just enough shade so that the cage seemed to just dissolve into nothing.

Hey Pop Haydn, you are right, I have watched Kyle Eschen's performance 10 times or more, and never caught those errors. Still my opinion is that it is a great funny performance. The kid is good.

I believe this difference is more of a personal choice, I really like the visual vanish of the cage. I use to do it at ever show, and always received great responses from my audiences. I don't want the effect to be a dissolving of the cage, but a "POOF" - "IT'S GONE" effect. Just what I like in the Vanishing Bird Cage. I absolutely love Billy's idea of a mouse instead of Canary. He box is genius, and his handling excellent. Just don't like the silk cover idea. I hope that is okay.

Of course, it is okay! It is all just opinion. I watched Billy hundreds of times, and his cage always just melted away into nothingness. The chiffon added just enough cover to make the whole thing look magical and impossible. The chiffon is totally transparent, and the cage is clearly seen at all times. It is a joke for Billy, saying that the mouse "only performs well in the dark" when obviously the scarf is totally transparent.

It is only when the chiffon folds up as the cage vanishes does it become hard to see through. The folds are just thick enough to block the shine of the metal. It was one of the most beautiful moments in magic for me, and you can watch it on video hundreds of times and not see anything. The silent fall of the chiffon to the floor accents the vanish, and the direction of the cage's vanish--away from the sleeve.

The uncovered versions are easily spotted in repeated viewings or frame by frame.

I also think that the "surprise" quick vanish seems to the audience to "take advantage." Something happened during that fast movement! I wasn't really looking in the right place... In the slow motion version, the audience is watching the whole process and isn't "startled" out of their study. They see the transformation from solid to nothing. Plus, I think Billy really sells the solidity of the cage by taking it out of a box, and holding it several different ways. His onstage hookup and handling add more to this, and make it possible to use the effect at any time during his show.

The uncovered slow motion vanish from Presto still looks better to me than the Kyle Eschen version, even though both flash a little.

Still, I agree with you about Eschen's performance. He is very good, and cracks me up. I am a big fan of his. I think if he adopted Billy's handling, it would be even better.

Not a fan of the McComb vanish either. In my opinion Tommy Wonders version was the very finest ever. With sleeves rolled up, fast, instantaneous and no arm/hand movements.....it just disappeared!

Tommy's is Brilliant.

In one of the visions of wonder tapes.. Tommy wonder goes over some great modifications for the cage that solve many of your problems. Give it a look.

Oh will you look at that.. A bit too late on the reply.

Hello All,

if you have ever wanted to do this great effect in the manner of Billy McComb (and many others) who pick up the cage from a table and vanish it...at any time of your choosing, you need to use a take up pull. I am finally selling the one I have used since 1980. It works very well and was given to me by the great Charlie Miller!
When these show up on the auctions sites, they quickly become prohibitively expensive. I am selling mine here on the Café' and here is the link:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=76

Thank you all for your time... this is a very rare and special item!