Freezing Ice in the Hand
By Long Tack Sam
THIS is a favorite trick of Chinese magicians and is very old, though. I believe, entirely unknown to the performers of other countries. The effect depends upon the trick being worked neatly and upon the assurance of the magician, but this is very largely true, of course, of every bit of magic either Occidental or Oriental. The Chinese magician is taught while an apprentice to learn the routine and patter of a trick thoroughly and not to vary its performance.
Unless every move is the result of studied effort the trick cannot have its full effect. With a bow to Lu Tsu Bing, the patron saint of the Chinese magician, I begin.
The effect is good not only because it is mystifying, but also because it is surprising. From a bowl filled with water, the magician dips out a handful and changes the water into a small block of ice. The hottest weather and the most iceless small town are no hindrance.
The ice is made from a heavy colorless piece of plate glass, chipped to look like an ice block. It should be about an inch and a quarter thick, and must have no sharp edges, so that it can be palmed like a billiard ball.
In performing the trick, the magician has a bowl of water on a small table behind which he stands. Any small opaque bowl will do. The ice is palmed in his right hand. He shows the left hand empty and pulls up the right sleeve. Chinese sleeves have tight cuffs. The sleeves are pulled up, in effect to keep them out of the water, but in reality as a means of showing the hands empty. The left hand is again shown empty after the sleeve is pulled up and the ice, by a change- over palm, is transferred to the left hand. The right hand is shown empty and the left sleeve is pulled up. All this is done without any apparent trickery, the purpose seems to be to keep the sleeves dry, and It is done with slow enough motions so that the audience win not suspect that either hand holds anything.
The left hand is now palming the ice. The right hand is cupped and dipped into the water. A handful is brought out with a flourish, then poured back into the bowl. This should be done to make as big a show as possible of the quantity of water you dip up. This is done several times. Finally the motion of dipping is repeated, but no water is taken up. This time the "water" is apparently poured into the other hand. The left hand is closed around the ice and held thumb up so that the water seemingly goes into the hole made by the curved thumb and first finger. Again, apparently, water is poured into the hand. There will be enough water on the right hand from its previous wettings to shake off a few drops after giving the effect of filling the left hand.
The left hand now seemingly squeezes the water so that it forms the ice block and slowly opens to reveal the ice. You must give the effect of the cold ice freezing your hand. To do this put it first on one hand then the other. each time rubbing the fingers of the free hand over that hand. This should not be overdone. It is well to try this with a piece of real ice to see what you would do naturally. The ice is finally dropped into the bowl of water. The Chinese magician then walks amongst his audience with the bowl so that the ice may be seen. A piece of chipped glass looks like ice at any time, but in the water it may be shown with safety right among the spectators. As I said before, this is an old effect in China, but it is very effective and audiences like it. It is pretty safe to say a trick found to be effective in one part of the world can be used to advantage in any other part.