Here is a fun little thimble sequence I learned from Buddy Farnan many years ago. I'm a little rusty. http://youtu.be/qg0_FANp_ls

You can do a lot of things with a finger ring also, or the cap off of a marker.

It is worth studying these "old" moves for fun and inspiration

I agree. To see a thimble in Buddy Farnans hands was to see real magic.
What a great magician he was.

I highly recommend Thimble Magic by Jean Hugard. It has all the basics, some really nice routines, and you can easily find it for well under $10. I think it's a great investment for anyone interested in performing with thimbles.

Joe Mogar's book Digital Effects is great for thimble work

You say that Farnan WAS a great magician! Has he passed away? I hadn't heard. In fact, I haven't heard his name in a very long time.

I have a few minutes of Buddy on a video tape. I think it was an "add on" or "P.S" to a video on Eddie Fields. I think Billy Bishop's dad was on it,too, doing Sympathetic Silks with two kids. Buddy did a short thimble bit.

Didn't look so rusty to me!

Thanks, Dick! Much appreciated. Did you mean Glen Bishop's dad? Billy Bishop was indeed on that tape. Buddy Farnan also did the silk through microphone stand if you can recall. I was young then and his magic had a profound effect on me.
And yes, I believe he is still alive and well.

I agree funsway, I think sleight of hand with a small object is great magic.

Very nice it's a all to over looked branch of magic these days. With the huge resurgence in crafting maybe we will see a rise in thimble magic. It is quite topological now, if you want proof look at all the hobby lobby's going up.

Ya never know, bigfoot. It's great to know some thimble magic because it can be applied to other things like marker caps , rings, or any other small object on the finger.

That looked really good! I'm going to have to look into Hugard's book if it has this kind of routine, especially if it can work with a marker cap or something that a spectator might have on them.

Hey magicfish!

I don't know why, but, somehow I did not get back to this thread.

Yes, I remember Farnan did the silk thru, but, it was a broom stick.

I remember Billy Bishop being on the cover of GENII in the early '50s!

Hey, Dick. Both great magicians.
I was an adollso escent when I saw that vhs tape and it changed my life. As did a Derek Dingle basic card tape that ive never been able to track down.
I also had a table magic vhs by Bob Mcallister.
Great memories.
Ive heard Glenn Bishop talk about Buddy Farnan fondly.
As a youngster, Buddy Farnan represented what a real magician should be.

Hey...I knew Bob McAllister from his high school days!

We both worked the Castle the same week.

We both also worked Abbott's the same week on the same bill.

He was a VERY FINE ENTERTAINER, who died too soon. I miss him.

Bob had a huge influence on me and really helped me delve deeper into impromptu table magic.
Were you guys both into magic in high school?

I joined the Navy in '51, and was sent to Norfolk, VA, for school after boot camp. Earl Edwards and Milford Martin had the EdMar Magic Shop at 418 Boush St. I met Bob there shortly after I arrived in NorVa. He was in high school. I was 19. He was about 16. We were close enough in age, so we buddied up. He was the funny one. I was still trying to do my white tie and tails act. (I dropped THAT fairly quickly!)

I remember when an old building across from the shop, was imploded. It was there in the morning and gone in the afternoon! Bob made a sign that "said": "This building vanished by Bob McAllister the Magician"!!!

The old guys in the IBM Ring, who were "box, tube, and pan, Magicians" never appreciated Bob.

Good old Bob. So enthusiastic. Such joy he shared.
I wish I could talk to him now. But I'm glad to be talking to you, Dick. I'm interested in reading your new book.

Thanks for your interest in my book. I get, almost daily, good comments on my literary efforts!

I am especially happy when professionals (who "eat off it")tell me that they're using some of my material in their working acts.

Thimble magic is so impressive when done well. Audiences love it and most everyone knows what they are. It seems like these days to be accepted as a novelty type thing because so few do it I guess that makes those who do stick out a bit.