Andi Gladwin - Going Nuts

Going Nuts by Andi Gladwin and Andy Leviss Effect: Our magician is once again on a mission to entertain. This time he displays a large bolt with a nut screwed on at one end; apparently he is a wannabe illusionist, but all he could afford was a bolt to hold an illusion together. Not one to be dismayed, he attempts to perform the impossible by taking a washer and making it somehow penetrate onto the bolt, even though the nut is still attached to the end. After displaying the washer on the bolt, Mr. Magician removes the nut so that the washer can be removed. With the audience still screaming for more, the performer once again makes the washer penetrate onto the bolt. "That's not a bad trick," He tells his audience, "The real trick however, is how this could possibly be done when the nut is permanently attached to the bolt." An audience member checks it out to find that the nut cannot even be moved a little, let alone unscrewed! Requirements: 1) A Nut, a Washer and a Bolt This will require a little work on your part, but we hope you agree that it's worth it. Take the washer and place it on the bolt (which should be around three inches long) and finally screw the nut onto the end of it. The nut should be screwed about a quarter of an inch onto the end of the bolt. Once it's in position, you will need to permanently attach the nut by applying a modest amount of superglue. 2) A Duplicate Washer Method: Before we continue, we feel that it is important to give a basic outline of the method employed, that way it will be much easier for you to learn. Basically, the washer that is attached to the bolt is concealed in a number of ways and then brought into view when the time is right. As this washer is brought into view, the single washer is concealed. It's that simple! Take the bolt and hold it pinched between your finger and thumb at the nut with the bolt protruding behind it. This position basically helps in concealing the washer by making it rest against the head of the bolt due to the slight angle that the bolt is held. Relax this hand to your side as you display the single washer in your left hand. As you cause attention to the single washer, reposition the bolt in your right hand so that you are holding it on the side with the bolt; this is accomplished with a simple pivoting action. During this movement try to ensure that you do not make any noise with the washer clinking against the bolt and that it stays at the head of the bolt. Ensure that the washer is sitting on your extended left fingers and that the bolt is pinched on the nut between your right finger and thumb with your palm up. In an instant, move the bolt down to the left palm and execute David Williamson's "Striking Vanish" from his book, "Williamson's Wonders" to make it appear that the washer penetrates itself onto the bolt. We will not be explaining this vanish online, although we have described it in detail in the book that this preview comes from, "Brainstorms (And Other Mental Disturbances)" as well as "A Striking Change" which is Andy's method for using the popular vanish to change a coin. The loose washer should now be finger palmed in your right hand and because of the way the bolt is displayed this looks perfectly natural. After your audience have clearly seen the bolt, take it between the left index finger and thumb and hold it parallel to the floor as before. With your right hand, take the washer and pull it along the bolt until it reaches the nut. Ask a participant to hold out her hands, and as she does, use your fingers to cover the washer and bolt

and then mime that you are unscrewing it. After you have apparently taken off the bolt, drop the finger palmed washer into the participant's awaiting hands, and then mime putting the nut back onto the bolt as you say, "Take a look at the washer for me." The previous piece of miming relies heavily on the fact that you believe that you are removing the bolt; if you don't believe it, there is no chance that your audience will! Also, notice that the miming is actually done when you are paying attention the participant and not on yourself or the bolt so don't feel bad if you can't act! Take the washer from the participant and once again perform the "Striking Vanish," however once you have shown the audience that the washer is attached to the bolt, tell them, "That's not a bad trick, the real trick however, is how this could possibly be done when the nut is permanently attached to the bolt." Openly show that you cannot undo the bolt and then hand it to a participant to try and remove it herself. As the participant is examining the bolt, you have plenty of time to ditch the individual washer into your pocket so that it is ready for your next performance. Notes: Going Nuts! is a true example of joint creativity, the basic idea initially come from Andi but after a number of discussions Andy suggested that the bolt should become permanently attached, so the pair set about creating a suitable handling. Since creating this routine, Andi has been playing around with discreetly marking both washers so that the more observant audience members may notice the mark, hence creating a small convincer that only one washer is used. Suitable marks could be a tiny nick in the side of the washer or a little dab of paint. However, the real secret is that you should not pay attention to the mark; just leave it there for the more observant spectators to notice. Darwin Ortiz, in Strong Magic picked up on the fact that maybe only two or three spectators will notice such discrepancies, but because using them takes little effort they should continue to be used just for the astonishment of those two or three people. Those who wish not to ditch the washer in your pocket; may like to place a strong magnet in your back pants pocket. That way, you could simply place the washer onto the magnet as you reach forward to hand the bolt to the participant with your left hand. This will only be suitable if you have quite a jacket that hangs over the top part of your pocket. Finally, in "Brainstorms (And Other Mental Disturbances)," this routine is taught with a large number of excellent illustrations from Tony Dunn. You also get an extra finale that Andi uses when performing in the real world.