The Magicanada Project

Michael Kras

... Silly Putty.

You heard me correctly, this is the thread to brainstorm on possible ideas for effects using Silly Putty. I know Paul Harris has a few in one of his book which I use all the time.

Anyways, this is the place to brainstorm on ideas usinh Silly Putty, the Silly Putty egg, and other small objects that can be used with the Silly Putty.

We can think of just effects and help find methods, or help refine some pieces, whatever. I think Silly Putty is a great little tool for magic.

I'll be posting an effect I came up with at Canada's Wonderland a few years ago (I was scared of Top Gun and didn't feel like riding, so I sat fvor over an hour with my Silly Putty and had a field day).

Anyways, get to brainstorming!!!!

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Michael Kras
Forum Administrator

Ben Train · Joined: 03 Jul 2008 Posts: 268

Lol.

My friend Brett Bishop has a great routine, but it's not my place to post it. '

I guess he wins...

Also, Joel Given's has a fun idea, as do David Roth and Paul Harris. Lastly, if you have COLORED silly putty then Josh Jay has a cool thing.

But I'm guessing you want mine. How's this:

You EAT the putty. If that's not enough (though I kinda think it is) you regurgitate it in the shape of a dog.

You have two people choose simple geometric shapes. One is named, a ball for instance, so you roll it into a ball. Not so impressive. The next person names a triangle- and you immediately smash the ball onto the table. When you lift your hand, boom, it's squished flat in the shape of a triangle.

You open the putty egg (two pieces) and place one down, with a specs hand on top, and under the other you place the putty. You snap and show the putty has vanished from your half of the egg and appeared under the other.

I've got about 10 more like this... lol...

You show the pink putty which is placed in the egg. You then introduce some different color markers, one of which they choose (say blue). You write "blue" on the side of the egg with the marker, then have the spectator shake the egg. They open it, the damn putty is now blue! Not only that, the marker writes in pink ink! The colors have transposed!

Alright, back to work.

Ben

Michael Kras · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 1:27 am Post subject:

Great ideas Ben!

Method-wise, very difficult, except for the Ball to Triangle thing. You'd have to figure out some special way to mold a duplicate piece of putty into the named shape, and then changing it could simply be a Han Ping Chien sort of thing.

My idea (method coming soon!): You state that you want to show your audience the world famous Vanishing Ball Trick in which the magician places a ball in his hand, waves a magic wand over it, and makes it disappear without a trace. But, all he has is his companion egg of Silly Putty. What to do? Improvise! The magician removes the putty from the otherwise empty egg, and breaks off about a quarter of it. He rolls this small piece of putty into a ball, and that ball is squeezed securely in his fist. He then molds the remaining piece of putty into a long stick-like formation, to represent the wand. The putty wand is waved over the putty ball and, incredibly, the putty ball vanishes!

This means Mr. Magician has lost some putty right? Wrong! Suddenly, on the other side of the table, the Silly Putty Egg mysteriously wiggles as is tapped by a ghostly force. This is a very creepy moment. The egg is opened and the putty ball has impossibly rematerialized inside!!!!! All is examinable!

I have a method for this which in and of itself is rather interesting. I'll post it soon.

Keep brainstorming!
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Michael Kras
Forum Administrator

Ben Train · Joined: 03 Jul 2008 Posts: 268

Method's aren't hard at all- in fact I have for every single effect I listed.

You're effect is cute, and I like it.

Ben