The Phantom Flame
By Carlos H. Colombi and Graciela N. Avendaño

The effect about to be described requires a precisely made gimmick and a certain amount of presentation ability so that the various movements blend into an integrated whole. This is a trick that will astonish any audience and leave it without a logical explanation for what has occurred.

The magician lights the candle in a candlestick on his table. He takes it out of the candlestick with his left hand, and removes the white handkerchief from his breast pocket with his right hand. He covers the candle. A few magical passes and the flame and a part of the candle are seen penetrating the handkerchief. The magician shows the covered candle on all sides and lights a cigarette from the flame. Immediately he pulls away the handkerchief. The lighted candle is as it was in the beginning. He replaces it in the candlestick. If desired, the handkerchief may be examined.

The gimmick is simple to construct. You need a 10-inch piece of galvanized iron wire, no larger in diameter than the load of a fine pencil. One end is soldered to a thumb tip, the other is bent as shown in Figure 1. The wire must be perfectly straight and rigid. The upper end is filed to a point and inserted into a piece of candle. The wire is painted dead white. The thumb tip is the usual flesh color. Also needed is a brass tube of the exact size of a common candle, some 12 inches long, the diameter of which will permit the end of the wire to fit neatly in cut as shown in Figure 2. The other end of the tube is closed and the whole tube is painted dead white to simulate a candle. The candle end, pierced by the sharp end of the wire, is inserted in the cut-out top of the tube so that the thumb tip lies at the base of the pseudo candle. The audience sees what appears to be just a candle in a candlestick.

Presentation: The magician takes the lighted candle from the candlestick with his right hand holding the candle and wire together. Passing it to his left hand. he inserts his left thumb into the thumb tip. The right hand removes the pocket handkerchief and displays it in front of the candle. At this precise moment the left thumb moves back and takes with it the wire to which the candle end is attached. The left hand doesn't move, only the thumb. The right hand covers the action, then places the handkerchief over the candle. The left thumb moves back to its original position and brings the lighted candle end on top of handkerchief. A slight magical pass of the right hand covers this. The audience sees the lighted candle end penetrating the handkerchief. The illusion is perfect. The whole set-up may be turned around because the white wire blends with the handkerchief and the thumb tip is, of course, flesh colored. The magician lights a cigarette, and, reversing his early moves, withdraws the handkerchief, leaving the candle still alight.

The faked candle may be made of wood instead of a brass tube. It is a pleasure to offer this original effect to readers of "The Sphinx." I hope they will have as much enjoyment in presenting it as I have had.