I have been looking for a new set of 20th century silks since my set is starting to become old so I was wondering if y'all could give me some suggestions! thanks!

The best in the business is by Silk King Studios.

http://www.silkkingmagic.com/Rice's%20R......tury.htm

Ask if they have any irregular available. I can tell you that what they consider irregular is perfect to all others. So you will save a lot of money with an email.

You may be interested in their Douglas 20th Century.

http://www.silkkingmagic.com/Rice's%20D......tury.htm

Or their Baffling Bloomer's 20th Century, scroll down the page for that description.

http://www.silkkingmagic.com/Rice's%20B......mers.htm

I have an use these and they are wonderful.

I make solid color silks if you are interestested. Happy to talk with you.
Richard

Right!

There is no reason that a "rainbow silk" MUST be used!

There were two "spin-offs" of 20th century silks that I always liked.
One was "Improved, Visible '40th Century' Silks" in Albenice's _Reel Magic_.
The other was Marconick's "Prisoner Silk" in _Marconick's Original Magic_, which Scott Alexander adapted for "Hanky Panky" as seen in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WfqDMIrS9I

There have been previous discussions of the Marconick trick on the Café like this one:
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=54
where I mentioned my own ideas about it.

I also remember Joe Smiley doing a version of 20th Century Silks in the 60's using a space travel theme.

----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez

Don't forget the Douglas 20th Century.

Master Payne has a great and funny routine that he presented at the 2013 Magi-Whirl convention in Alexandria, VA. Not sure if it is in any of his publications (I think so), but well worth it!! I also have the Scott Alexander & Puck 21st Century Silks. Great routine, but I really have not had time to play with it.

Sadly, that version does not enter my thoughts when the 20th Century question is raised. It is a great version. Can be played with comedy or seriously. And the whole outfit is still available from Rice Silk King Studios.

Sorry, sadly, the Douglas 20th Century is no longer available from Silk King Studios!
That effect is all sold out. Other Rice's 20th Century effects are still available.
http://www.silkkingmagic.com/Rice's%20R......tury.htm

Hi Ruth,

Could you post a photo of the middle rainbow silk? What choices of colours do you have for the two side silks?

I used Rice's 20C for about 50 YEARS. (BEAUTIFUL!) I used it next to closing. It got a "show stop" LAUGH, and a BIG MITT. The routine was geared to elementary students, but, when I had a Kdg. thru Senior High audience, the high school kids liked it, too. I wouldn't use it for high school or college groups, though.
I wrote up the routine in my book. It uses a 20C "set" of silks, and a TT with a "decoy" scrap of silk ("Hull's "Elusive Silk"). It runs 3 minutes, and can be padded out to as much as six minutes with extra silks and/or a Demon Wonder Box.

One of the two "side" silks was always blue (to match a corner of the "rainbow" silk. The other "side" silk was usually red.

As Bill mentioned above, ask about "irregulars". About 30 years ago, I bought a 72" DRAGON, from Harold, for $12.50!!! It looked perfect to me!!!

Ah the Decoy... none of the kids know what that is, better PM Dick for the details.

When I was 16 I bought a 6 foot draggon from Swoger for 32.00. My father made me take it back because he couldn't see how I could make money with it.
This time of year, about 25 years ago, I found the same silk in Jims silk collection, in the envolope (where I looked at his request) and he said he had saved it for me all these years then he gave it to me.
I still use it in my Kuma Tubes routine (another routine you should PM dick about) and it's held up all these years.

Here is the same silk with Jim standing in front of it about 1970.

Dick, you might need to write a second book.

Click here to view attached image.

Hi Jay!
Egad, my fingers have callouses from pounding this infernal electrisch peckenclacker, to produce the first book!

Now, Racherbaumer is asking when I'll start on the second! (Are you and Jon going to gang up on me??!!

When I was in the Carlsbad area in the early '90s, I spent a half a weekend with Frank Herman. We visited Jim Swoger on Saturday afternoon. I hadn't seen him since an MAES convention in Lancaster, PA, in 1953!

When Frank and I said 'Down the road!" I drove to San Diego to visit J.P. Jackson. It was a GREAT weekend!!!

Thanks for reminding me of "Regow's House of Enchantment"!

But you still have to tell them about the decoy.
Such a small thing yet.

I used to use it with an Abbotts Visible Silk Pull or a Silk Wand.
Now that's magic.

I only remember seeing the late ROY MAYER do the Burling Hull "Elusive Sllk vanish in his school show about 60 years ago. He used it with the CANDLE TUBE.

I think that "nobody" uses it because Hull's routine involved p*lming a loose silk. (About like p*lming a bar of wet soap!) In the '60s, I wanted to use the 20C silks, but did not want to use a ch*ng* b*g to vanish an 18" silk. I developed a handling which didn't need the p*sming of the silk. I wrote it up in the book.

I think I may still have one of Percy's visible pulls. (good idea!) I also have a skinny wand (P&L???) that used a scrap of silk for a vanish.

The Elusive Vanish has 'puzzled" a "few" magicians, who only know what they buy from a catalog!

Yep

I also have 4 sets of the Douglas 20th and that fools anyone under 45.
Too bad everyone buys from the net and doesn't want to support Brick & Morter. I used to tell them. the extra 2 dollars was the landlords money but I guess they didn't like my lamdlord.

The fact that Jim and I would take 20 minutes for that extra 2 doillars meant nothing and that's why all the stuff today is plug and play. Most only know tricks.

Oh well..... back to welding.
Happy new year..... for 2022... I want to be the first !

The bag is blue with corners to match the rainbow silk corners and the solid is usually yellow. The middle silk is a diagonal with a red center.

Click here to view attached image.

The artwork on Rice silks is always beautiful!

Thanks Bob!
A nice compliment from you, a great silk guru, is always appreciated!

Quoting Anatole, in his post above...

"There were two "spin-offs" of 20th century silks that I always liked.
One was "Improved, Visible '40th Century' Silks" in Albenice's _Reel Magic_. "

For those Magicians who have never seen this particular version of the 20th Century Silks performed, I reccomend either digging out or buying a copy of Albenice to look it up.

This is THE ONLY version of the 20th Century Silks I have ever done to get GASPS from the audience....Jack Bridwell (R.I.P. Jack) used to call me up on stage in the dealer's showroom at Abbott's get-togethers to Demo this........2 minutes later (or less!) Abbott's SOLD OUT of the necessary something needed to perform this.

I HIGHLY reccomend this version!!!

Trust me, it even FRIES Magicians!