Magical Originalities
Ernest E. Noakes
Previous | Next | Contents
"Rice Bowls"ANOTHER very old favourite of mine is the "Rice Bowls." The first set I ever handled, the fake consisted of a glass disc. The trick could be done with this fake and no accident occur, if you were lucky. There was a great risk of the "glass gliding gracefully," and permitting the water to escape at an unexpected moment.
I have improved on the fake, little by little, until it has reached as near perfection as could be possible. Transparent xylonite of the thickness of two pennies was found to be the best material for the fakes. As I have made and fitted hundreds of these fakes to sets of bowls belonging to other performers, I found by experience just what was necessary, and the result is that the way the fake works gives assurance to the user. I have whirled a loaded bowl round at arm's length and thrown it up in the air many times, just to prove the safety. This result cannot be obtained unless every fake is fitted to the bowl that is to be used with it. The fakes on the market at the present day look very much like mine, as even the indentations on the outside of those are copied.
For the benefit of those of my readers who care, and tave the tools, to make their own fake, the points to ensure success must be noted. The bowl must be tested in the first place as to its "square edge"--or "ground" edge. After the bowl has been ground down, a piece of fine emery cloth should be laid on a piece of sheet-glass, and the edge of the bowl carefully finished off.
In order to describe the making of the fake, I must assume that my reader has a lathe of his own, or can obtain the use of one. A chuck must be made to carry the piece of xylonite. My plan is to use a piece of 3/8-inch rod, 4 inches long, threaded to take a nut. One nut is screwed on to act as a stop. A large stout round plate, almost the size of the necessary fake, is shouldered against this nut. The piece of xylonite to be turned has a 3/8-inch hole drilled in the centre, and is placed on the rod next to the plate, and a second plate and a second nut clamps the lot together.
The stem of the rod is now placed into the jaws of a self centring chuck, ready for turning. The tool rest is set up, and with a fine parting tool, a disc is cut about 1/4 inch larger than the finished fake will be. Next a square-edged chaser is used or a 1/2-inch wood chisel and a rebate turned about half the thickness of the fake. This must be nicely turned to just allow bowl to fit evenly over it, to ensure the fake not shifting when it is in use. You now turn off the superfluous outside edge until it is almost the size of the top of the bowl. Now a very sharp tool, perfectly square, finishes the smoothing of the thin or outer portion of the fake upon which the edge of the bowl will press to make the joint when in use.
The test for the fake at this point is that, if the bowl is applied to the fake, there should be a "sucking" feeling. When this is obtained the lathe portion of the job is finished by chamfering the extreme edge, so as to permit the performer's finger-nail to enter between the bowl edge and the fake, to break the suction when working the trick. The fake is now taken from the chuck, and the centre hole made good. For this a hollow punch, 3/8 inch, is necessary, and from the scrap xylonite a small plug is punched. To cement the plug in, use acetate of amyl. Unless the fake is made this way, and turned from the centre no perfect fit can be obtained. When the plug has set, which only takes a very little while, the fake is placed under a small press, which presses four slightly protruding "feet" to prevent the fake "sucking" to the tray to be used, or any other smooth surface hat the performer might inadvertently stand the loaded bowl upon, see drawings.
The reader not possessing this special tool can make the four "feet" by taking a steel bicycle ball from a ball bearing and pressing it in the vice into a thick flat piece of lead, making thereby a pair of "dies." The fake is laid on the lead; the ball nicelv warmed is placed on the fake over the indentation, and a piece of hard wood or metal placed on the top, and the whole gently tightened up in the vice.
When loading your bowl for use, see that the edges of both the bowl and the fake are quite free from grit. Fill your bowl nearly full with water, dip your finger in it, and moisten the edges of bowl and fake. Place the fake on, and with your thumbs press lightly on the fake, and you will hear the air pressed out. Listen carefully, and if no sound of air re-entering can be heard, your fake is "sure," and you need have no fear of giving your audience a watery present. A little addition of mine to the trick is to use wheat instead of rice, and the presentation is then as follows:--
I introduce a tray with the loaded bowl underneath the empty bowl, standing at one end of the tray, and seven linen bags of wheat at the other end of the tray. I take up one or two bags of wheat, and point out that the cheapest method of obtaining wheat is to visit the nearest corn exchange and obtain a few samples, "such as I have." You thereby get the best quality at the cheapest rate. Having obtained your wheat, you introduce a "magic mill" (empty bowl). This mill not only grinds the wheat into flour, but also causes the corn to double in quantity. Three bags are emptied into bowl, which fills the bowl to overflowing.
The superfluous wheat is "struck" off, and in order to keep the damp atmosphere from the wheat the other "empty" bowl is placed on the top. I then pick up the two bowls together and stand them on a chair whilst I put the loose wheat into one of the bags. This is only done in order to allow me to bend down to the chair to pick up the bowls, and by placing one hand each side I can very quietly reverse the bowls whilst pattering, without the audience noticing the turn over. The bowls are now replaced on the tray, the top bowl lifted off, and the "double quantity" discovered. Remarking that apparently we have now enough wheat for our purpose, I level again with the empty bowl, "striking" of course to fake, and leaving the top bowl in position. I now get right away from my table and suggest that I cannot make wheat into flour and flour into bread without a little water. I therefore use my mill as a watermill, and this enables me to produce water as well or "well water" (done).
The bowls are now placed aside, and an empty opera hat opened and passed for examination. This is placed on the table, mouth upwards. I now say that possibly many people have found little pieces of sacking in their bread, and that the reason is that some millers take their sacks of wheat, like this (using bags of wheat), and place them in the trough just as they are. (The bags are thrown openly into the hat.) I now suggest that I will show them the way to make bread quickly. A plate is laid over the hat, the hat lifted and held for a moment over a lighted candle, then the hat and plate are inverted, the hat is lifted up, disclosing a loaf of bread.
There is also another effect which I sometimes work in, that is to throw one bag of wheat into the hat, and point out that the "flower" from the wheat is of the variegated sort, and produce a number of "button-holes." The loaf is of course a faked loaf, and the flowers are packed inside. The load is on the small shelf under the table (see drawing) and is loaded into the hat in the usual manner, on taking the hat to place it on the table, after having had it examined. The first bag of wheat is thrown into the hat between the side of the hat and the loaf. The flowers are produced and thrown out to the audience, the bag of wheat is placed into the loaf, and the other bags of wheat are then thrown in, and the plate placed on the top. The bags of wheat used for placing in the loaf are only partly filled, and then securely tied up, so as to be able to use as many bags as possible. In all "hat loading" I prefer to place the open hat mouth downwards a moment on the table, and in picking it up again, also lift up the load at the same time, and the hat naturally covers the load.
Previous | Next | Contents