Anyhow, I also like it. Restoring thread often has a lack in premise, and this can, at least in a Bar be sold in a funny way.

Review of Waxed by Lonnie Chevrie

Lonnie Chevrie's Waxed is an updated version of the old Gypsy Thread trick. The magician brings out a small box of dental floss, cuts off several short pieces one by one, and then rolls them into a miniscule bundle at his fingertips. After blowing on the cut pieces, the magician restores them into one long piece, which is handed out for inspection.

This is one of my favorite pieces of close-up magic. The bits of floss appear to be in plain sight up until the moment they are restored at the magician's finger tips. The effect appears completely impossible and spectators are amazed by it. I use the trick for walk-around, even though it means I must carry several small boxes of floss in my pocket. The effect is well worth the expenditure of pocket space.

Waxed is available from Penguin Magic for only $10, which in my opinion is a bargain. However, instead of buying Waxed as a stand-alone trick, I suggest purchase of either Lonnie Chevrie Live (a video recorded lecture available from Penguin) or Wanted: The Outlaw Magic of Lonnie Chevrie #1. Both contain Waxed (under the name of "String 'Em Up") and several other great tricks. Chevrie is an excellent teacher. His tricks tend to be very strong, and very practical, well within the reach of intermediate magicians.

A wonderful Effect & a Joy to perform audiences love this trick !!!

Which issue of ReelMagic had Waxed by Lonnie Chevrie?

As said earlier, Kozmo nixed (rightly IMO) including it in Reel Magic magazine so as to not undermine Lonnie's sales.

Interesting.... I just saw Waxed advertised.
But, I remember learning, what appears to be the same or very similar, handling with dental floss at least 25 years ago at a magic lecture.

Not sure if Lonnie ever lectured in New York...but, this handling looks almost identical.

Reality is that it looks good and clean regardless of who invented the idea of using dental floss.

It is a good enough effect that Rick Lax did not have to "lie" and "cheat" doing the ditch off camera so that he could show his hands "empty". That is deceptive and dishonest for those who buy "secrets" and do not know how it is done. However as a longtime professional of 37 years I do not buy "secrets" I buy magic that I know I will use, and that I know my audiences will love. That is why I like the old school demos, they show you EXACTLY what you get and EXACTLY how the trick looks in real life, no loud music, no editing, no screaming hot girls in empty parking lots, no BS. That is why I said many years ago that I can't stand these new demos today that sell "secrets" to unsuspecting beginners, and blatantly lie in the demo making an effect look cleaner than it is really is.

But luckily I am not fooled usually regardless, even if they use editing and misleading info. But I also know in the end that is what it will look like anyway if done correctly. But using a camera angle to your advantage to misrepresent how clean a trick is, is a scumbag move. But I know they cater to those mostly who buy secrets, beginners and amateurs usually and at least I already know what I am getting anyway as someone who has done "Gypsy Thread" and "Dragon Thread" for a long time.

In fact I do not even need to buy the trick, and I have seen this done before with dental floss as well long ago. Also with glow in the dark string tubing on "World's Greatest Magic" I believe back in the 90's. But I like to support creators also, but I am not sure who actually created this first, and I also do not like these deceiving demos that blatantly mislead beginners and even professionals. Rick Lax seems to make a habit of that. The trick is good enough though as it is so he did not have to "cheat" and misrepresent it. But it seems that the other demos by the "creator" were done in real time with no BS, so for that reason I may just purchase it for the ideas.

I live in the uk, I have tried two different waxed dental flosses the oral b essential floss and the wisdom waxed floss. Neither of them hold together when rolled. They don’t seem tacky enough. What are people in the uk using.

Have had this for a while, if in the UK, I recommend ordering the floss he mentions online through amazon. I personally have gotten amazing reactions with this great take on a classic of magic.

I agree , order this stuff he recommends, I ordered in a pack of 10 on Amazon ages ago , last ages , sticks well , you won’t find any other the same .
I initially went to boots but the 3 I got didn’t work , it’s the only way .

Carl

I remembered seeing this before, but not remembering why I never purchased it...until I watched ALL the trailers.
For whatever reason, the trailer showing it being performed to several different sets of people is what didn't impress me.
I think it's the patter/presentation personally, but the people just didn't seem wowed or impressed, and maybe it's because of HOW it was presented?

I don't know.

If you own this, do you perform it often, and get great impressions from it?

I'm interested, but on the fence...

I liked those best actually, as it actually was shown live and unedited mostly. Not everyone is gonna jump up and down screaming over a magic trick, and the ones that do are usually overacting for the sake of the demo. Some do in real life but many just stand there in shock staring, or are burning up with amazement and joy on the inside. But not everyone shows it. So you really can't go by just outward reactions. You just have to do it yourself and see how it plays over time. I was never one to jump up and down either, but was on the inside. Not everyone wants to admit that they were amazed either, but most are. So reactions all vary from person to person.

I understand that, but their reactions seemed a lot more muted, than anything. Not even really checking it out much after it was handed to them (I think 1 sort of did?). Not even one seemed super surprised. They just seemed to me like, "Oh. Kind of cool."

But after I watched it again, it's exactly why I didn't get it the first time. I will say I don't like his patter though, so maybe they didn't either?

Well as I said you can't go by a demo anyway, or another person's performance. I do not go by reactions because I know they can be fake anyway, and I know many do not show their true reactions outwardly as I said. I am one of those types, I may be amazed and overjoyed but I do not show it since I have a lot of self-control and I am not the over-emotional type. I buy magic based on the effect itself, and if I think or know that it will entertain and astound others. Some effects do not need to astound though as they are entertaining regardless, but I like to do both as a magician.

The only thing you can really do is buy an effect and make it your own, and do it with your own style and see how it plays over a period of time. Usually a great performer can make even the weakest of effects amazing and entertaining. It is more so the presentation though than the effect, but having a solid effect helps a lot. But when you get down to it, it all comes down to personal preference and doing magic that you and your audience loves. If you are not passionate about it yourself that will hurt the performance also. So if you don't like it going in you are already fighting a losing battle.

For me though I like it as I have done Gypsy Thread for a very long time, and to me this is just a variation, more impromptu looking, pocket version of that effect which I may do occasionally. Also the magician is not the audience, and most take for granted what they see based on their previous knowledge, and forget that it is all new to the laymen audience.

Most beginners only buy "secrets" that fool them, but if they are not fooled based on their previous knowledge they think no one else will be fooled either. WRONG! Also seeing magic live is far different than watching it 3rd person on a screen. So I am experienced enough now after about 37 years of performing to know what works for me and my audiences.

Rarely am I ever outright fooled anymore, and if I am that is something to be cherished. But I stopped buying secrets long ago. But I can view magic as a layman as well which is hard to do, but I learned to do it long ago and turn off my critical "magic eye" the first time to see how it plays before analyzing it again as a magician to see if I like it or can use it.

But I am not the audience as a magician, and they do not have the knowledge that I do. But if I like it to start with chances are they will also, and most do usually. But still not everyone jumps up and down screaming, some do some don't. Some will just sit there in shock staring but you can tell they are fried. So you just have to try it yourself and see how it works, and don't always expect overreactions as it does not always happen.

Some do not like to let their guard down or admit to being fooled as well, I never go by just "reactions" because they are not always accurately displayed. Also by you saying that you buy effects based on "over-emotional reactions" only further encourages demo makers to make fake ones, in which you may then buy it simply because of that. So really you can't go by that solely. You just have to try it out or not get it if you don't like it yourself. But your audiences may in fact love it, so you won't know until you try it.