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Contents
Part 1: Seeing with fingertips
Effect
Background
Development aims
The Method
Method part (a): Preparation
Method part (b): Detection
Method part (c): Disguising the detection
Presentation and routine
Additional throw-offs
Afterword on the SWIFT Challenge
Extending the SOT system
Detecting suit and value
Sherwood's Two-Phase Routine
Diminishing the challenge element
Leoni's Touch
Part 2: Related effects
Interlude: Of marks and methods
SOT with Blank Cards
Hot Or Not
A Touch of Graphometry
Lover Hater
SOT with Printed Cards
Tel-ESP-athy
Self-ESPression
Tarot Touches
SOT with custom-made card designs
Chromatouch
Bonus Idea from Phanthomas: A Softer Touch
Final notes
Using someone else's deck or cards
Patter
Protecting the Secret
A note about originality
Credits
Appendix
Sales Boost Section
Sense of Touch
Part 1: Seeing with fingertips
Effect
Sense of Touch is a versatile principle, rather than one particular effect. To
illustrate its potential, I will first of all describe a 'test conditions' routine which I
have performed for many years, called the SWIFT Challenge ('SWIFT' = Seeing
With Finger Tips).
The performer offers to demonstrate 'seeing' with his fingertips, and gives a pack
of cards to a spectator. While the performer looks away, the spectator chooses a
handful of red and black cards and mixes them. The performer takes back this face
down packet of cards. By lightly feeling the face of each card with his fingertips, he
is able to tell whether it is red or black.
The performer senses that the spectators are not very impressed. They may
suspect the cards are marked on the back or that other 'trick' methods are in use.
The performer offers to repeat the demonstration
under any conditions the
spectators want to impose.
He does so and is still 100% successful.
The performer is also able to differentiate high cards from low, or odd from even, or
court cards from spot cards, using his fingertips to 'see' or 'sense' these
differences.
The spectators may impose any controls or conditions they want.
yet the performer
is always successful (or as successful as he wants to be). The effect can be
repeated as often as required. Everything - including the performer's hands and the
cards - can be examined at any time. The performer can even give the cards away
at the end.
In Part One of this booklet, I will explain the SWIFT Challenge routine in detail.
Later, in Part Two, I will describe related effects which use the Sense of Touch
principle but do
not
use playing cards.
Please read Part One before reading Part Two.
Background
I have long been fascinated by psychic and paranormal claims. Occasionally,
writers covering these subjects describe an impressive 'psychic' feat and then add
a comment to the effect that 'there was no possibility of trickery'. In some cases,
the writer lacks any specialized knowledge of deception, but is assuming that
shrewd and intelligent observation
alone
is sufficient to preclude trickery. This is
untrue.
Skeptics sometimes illustrate this point by demonstrating a particularly baffling
magic trick. Opponents tend to dismiss such demonstrations, arguing that magic
tricks only work when the magician controls the procedures, whereas 'genuine'
psychics subject themselves to independent controls. This is not entirely accurate,
but the point about magic tricks has some validity. In virtually all magic tricks, the
magician has to control the conditions and procedures involved - at least at critical
points.
Fascinated by this theme, I wanted to devise a close-up 'psychic-flavored' illusion
where the spectators could impose
any controls or conditions they want.
Sense of
Touch is the result. It is not perfect, but
it
will do until something better comes
along,
Development aims
I set myself the following aims:
1. the effect is easy to follow and pseudo-psychic in nature
2. it can be repeated as often as desired, under close scrutiny
3. the spectators can impose any conditions or controls they wish
4. everything can be examined, at any time, and to any extent
5. no stooges or confederates
6. it is easily carried around, and always ready to perform
7. it is low-tech with nothing to go wrong
Once I had hatched the Sense of Touch principle, I discovered it has many uses
beyond debates about psychics. It provides the basis for some first-rate and very
entertaining Mentalism. Please
guard the secret well.
and resist the urge to share it
with every other deceiver you know.
The Method
Sense of Touch is a very subtle marking system. It does not rely
on
visual marks,
but on marks you can detect by sense of touch (hence the name). These marks
allow you to tell red cards from black by touch alone. You can use the same
marking method to differentiate high from low values, or to tell even values from
odd (we will look at further possibilities later).
The marking system is very well hidden. I suppose it would be wrong to say I can
guarantee
that no spectator will ever detect the secret. What I
can
say is that over
the past twelve years I have performed Sense of Touch countless times to lay
audiences, mentalists, magicians, specialist card-workers, scientists, reporters and
fairly drunk people at parties. None has ever discovered the secret. In fact, the
secret is so well-hidden that - in my experience - even if people
suspect
the cards
are marked, and want to examine them closely for precisely this reason, they
still
never discover the marking system.
When you have marked a deck using Sense of Touch, you can use it for any other
purpose including other card tricks (although it will be best to perform the other
tricks
after
Sense of Touch, rather than before).
To explain how it works, 1 will assume for the time being that you are going to
perform the SWIFT Challenge effect described earlier. In Part 2 of this booklet we
will look at other possibilities, including routines for those of you who would rather
saw your right leg off than use playing cards.
I will explain the method in three parts:
(a) preparation: how to mark the cards you are going to use
(b) detection: how to detect the marks using a secret move
(c) how to disguise the secret detection move
Method part (a): Preparation
You will need:
·
a brand new deck of cards
·
some spare, unwanted cards to practice
on
·
a clean white wax candle
·
a clean dry cloth
Ideally, choose a brand of cards that will be well-known and easily recognized by
your spectators. Let me emphasize this point. Usually when I'm performing
close-up magic I use 'Bicycle' playing cards, like countless other magicians.
However, here in the UK these cards are not on general sale and hence are
unfamiliar to most lay audiences. Therefore when I perform Sense of Touch I tend
to use 'Waddingtons No. 1' cards which, in an impressive testament to the
marketing skills of Waddingtons Games, are sold on every high street in the land.
Whichever cards you use, they should be of reasonable quality
but
cheap enough
to give away.
The cards must be brand new. This is partly because new cards will
give
the best
and most reliable results. Another reason is that during the SWIFT Challenge you
encourage
spectators to examine the cards for any kind of 'secret marks'. Cards
pick up all sorts of marks and blemishes through normal wear and tear, and
spectators tend to seize upon these as somehow being part of the secret. It can be
very difficult to persuade them that this is not the case!
The candle must be white wax. It should be about half an inch in diameter and
fairly hard at room temperature. Beeswax is too soft.
Sorry to sound like your mother, but before you start you should wash and dry your
hands thoroughly.
Marking the first practice card
To learn the marking method, first try it out on some spare cards or unwanted
jokers from another deck.
Take your first practice card. Hold it face down, lengthways, as shown. Your
fingers should extend almost to the far short edge of the card, but stop a little way
short.
You must not buckle or bend the card at any time.
At the end of the
marking process, you still want the card to look like it is brand-new.
Touch the short edge of the card to the surface of the candle, about one third of
the way along the card's short edge (measuring from the corner nearest you). I'll
call this the 'one third point'.
Apply just enough pressure to register the card against the candle's surface. Do
not apply so much pressure that you bend or buckle the card. Now move the card
away from you at a moderate pace, applying even pressure, so that you deposit a
thin layer of wax along the card's
edge
from the 'one third point' to the corner.
(Note that the arrow in the photo is showing the
card
moving, not the candle).
The wax only extends from the corner about one third of the way along the short
edge, as indicated by the black line.
You do not want any wax on the card's face or back. The wax is only applied to
the card's
edge.
To check this, scrape along the card near the waxed edge with your left thumbnail
on top (the card's back) and left forefinger nail underneath (the card's face).
Scrape away any wax which may have ended up on the face or back of the card.
Do not pinch the card too tightly when you do this - remember
the card must still
look brand-new once you have finished.
Study the card closely to make sure you
have removed any stray wax on the face or back.
Turn the card end for end, still face
down. so that you can repeat the
identical procedure along the other
short edge. Mark it with the wax, then
make sure no wax has adhered to the
card's face or back.
Congratulations - you have marked
your f
i
rst card! This first one probably
took a while. Do not worry. Once you
get the hang of the procedure, it will
not seem quite so time-intensive.
Having had lots of practice, I can
usually mark up all 26 red cards in
about 20 minutes.
You may want to prepare several
practice cards before proceeding to
the next page.
Method part (b): Detection
Make sure both your hands are clean and dry, especially the pads of the
fingertips. Hold your marked card
face down
in your right hand (obviously you can
adjust these instructions to suit your own handedness and preferences).
Place the pad of your left forefinger tip against the short edge of the card,
approximately half-way along, as shown. There is
no wax
at this
point.
Apply
just
enough pressure to keep the pad of your fingertip in contact with the
card's edge. Now slide your finger smoothly along the card's edge, all the way to
the near corner. I will call this action the 'detection move'. The action should be a
single smooth stroke, taking less than a second. You are trying to detect the
difference
as your finger passes from the non-waxy section to the waxy section.
You should detect a distinct difference in
friction.
This difference tells you the card
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