I am a street magician, but recently, I have wanted to do some stage work too.
I have a few effects that are really good for stage, but I need some more. I have been looking around on the internet for a while for good illusion plans, but I haven't found any good ones for sale. Can anybody point me to a website that sells a lot of illusion plans? Also, I have been looking for plans for a shadow box. Can anybody help me there?

Check Google for a list of sites. Assuming you know how a shadow box works, you could simply design your own and incorperate the wiring, light placement, and base system that would be customized for your needs. I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for and maybe you don't even know yourself, but there is a variety of materials and elctronics out there to assist you with whatever vision you have. There's Glow Wire and Electric Motors and dozens of lightweight materials and fasteners that it's really satisfying to making your own customized props. Some Illusion books don't even have specific dimensions, so determine your skills as a designer as well as a builder when selecting your project. Some props might require additional lighting or a mini fog machine so keep those in mind when determining your total building costs.

You should check on top of the Grand Illusion section (topic: Paul Osbourne illusions).

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......7&82

Thanks. I know the basic workings of a shadow box, I just need something to guide me.
And I remember Paul Osborurne Illsuions, I saw the site a while back, but my computer crashed when I came to it and I never went back. Thanks for the help!

Also, in some of Copperfield's illusions (Imploding Building) he appears on a table at the end. I read somewhere how this table was built, but I forgot. Is there anywhere to purchase the plans to build this type of table?

This two book sets has blueprints for most of the illusions if I remember good.

The Great Illusions of Magic


by Byron G Wels

1 The Lester LAKE Guillotine
2 Substitution Trunk
3 Larsen’s Vanish of a Caged Parrot
4 The Asrah Levitation
5 The Mummy Case
6 The Devil’s Torture Chamber
7 Larsen’s Girl Without a Middle
8 The Famous Barrel Escape
9 Walking Through a Ribbon
10 The Triangle Illusion
11 The Spider Girl Illusion
12 Eclipse Vanishing Lamp
13 The Sword Box
14 Improved Sawing a Lady in Two
15 Confusion in the Ark
16 Two Trays, Twelve Glasses of Beer
17 Improved Shang- Hi Dove Production
18 Jack Gwynne’s Box, Tray, and Screen
19 Spook Room
20 The Zenith Water Fountain Act
21 The Birds Fly Home
22 Reincarnation
23 Dynamic Dove Vanish
24 Triple Escape Mystery
25 The Spirit Screen
26 Fire and Water Illusion
27 Stroubeika Escape
28 Ressurection
29 Jack-O-Lantern Girl
30 The Mystery of Three
31 The Artist’s Dream
32 The Buzz Saw
33 The Elastic Lady
34 The Decapitated Princess
35 The Phantom Cage
36 The Birth of Chloris
37 The Brooks Trunk
38 Rip Van Winkle
39 Houdini Pillory Escape
40 The Pillars of Fear
41 Altar of Fate
42 Temple of Buddha
43 Haddes’ Card Frame
44 Alexander’s Materialization
45 Micky Hades “Run Rabbit Run”
46 Improved “Aga” Levitation
47 Boxes of Buddha
48 Murder in the Telephone Booth
49 Sack Escapes
50 Michy Hades “Inimi-Table”
51 In Again-Out Again
52 New Burning Alive Illusion
53 Waller’s Screen of Life
54 Packing Box Escape
55 Flash Appearance
56 The Doll’s House
57 Strange Disappearance
58 Where is the Lady?
59 Improved Noah’s Ark
60 The Phantom Aviary
61 The Famous Spike Mystery
62 The Cross Escape
63 Seeing Through a Man
64 Flight of the Rodent
65 Girl in the Drum
66 The Chest of Chu-Chin-Chow
67 The Broom Suspension
68 The Enchanted Tent
69 Fireplace Illusion
70 The Tent in the Desert
71 The Boxes of Choy Fong
72 Improved Vampire Illusion
73 Living Half Lady
74 The Scimitars of Baghdad
75 The Ghost Chest
76 Spirit Pictures
77 Drop Model Production Cabinet
78 The Mysterio Cabinet
79 The Monster Guillotine
80 The Costume Trunk
81 The Glass-Lined Trunk
82 From Bombay to London
83 The Vanishing Lady and Trunk
84 Morritt Cage Illusion
85 Startling Vanish of a Girl in Mid-Air
86 Where Does the Head Go?
87 Boy to Rabbit
88 The New Flyto Illusion
89 Lady from the Light
90 Byron’s Balloon Production
91 The Mignon
92 Mysterious Duck Production
93 Multum in Parvo
94 Germain Flower Growth
95 The Egyptian Talking Vase
96 The Substitution Trunk
97 The Cannon (and Crystal Box)
98 The Princess of Thebes
99 The Haunted Cabinet and Blocks of Quong-Hi
100 The Hong Kong Mystery Pigeon Production
101 The Boudoir of a Dancing Girl
102 Ghost Show Illusion
103 The Goddess and Reptile
104 The Dream of a Coolie
105 The Crystal Box
106 Okito’s Floating Silver Shere
107 Thin Model Sawing a Woman in Half

There are some illusion plans throughout the Tarbell Course.

Hi Hey what do you want to know about Shadowbox or need to know so that you can build one? And that table that Copperfield uses is not that hard to build but you will not be able to use that one on many occasions. Perhaps it is better to tell an expert what you have in mind so that he can give you a better way to achieve that effect...
EVI

So is there no zig zag or mismade girl illusions in the Wels book? Kind of odd to have a "great illusions of magic" book without one fo those? Plus, you listed the Substitution trunk twice?

The Byron Wels books are comprised primarily of plans that were stolen from the Thayer catalogue, and those pre-date the Zig-Zag and Mismade girl illusions.

Also, the Substitution Trunk is detailed twice in the text volume, and there are two separate Sub Trunk "blueprints" in the second volume that are nearly identical. No explanation is given for this overlap.

TW

The Thayers plans were NOT stolen from the catalogue! In the 70's I went to Tannen's to buy some of the plans, as I was collecting them, Louis told me to wait a few months, as he was publishing them all in book form. There was to be two books, one, the fold out plans, and and the directions in the other. Byron G.Weils was to write some text He also restored them as they were in bad shape, it was a huge labor of love, to say they were stolen is unbelieveable. They even put Louis's partner, my dear pal Tony Spina on the cover! Both Louis and Tony signed the books to me, which I cherish. If you like I'll have Tony speak!

Abbotts also has a few plans as well. I just ordered some not to long ago and I am impressed. Don't let the small price fool you...they are pretty good.

I also agree on the Abbott's plans. While they might not be as fancy as some of the others, they do provide ample information to build from, or to develop your own version. I have built from most of their plans.

http://themagiccafe.com/forums/viewtopic......orum=7&5

You are right, and I mispoke when I said the Wels prints were stolen from the Thayer catalogue. They weren't... rather, they were taken from the Carl Owen prints, which can be found in the Owen book "Keep The Wheels Turning..." (featuring many of the prints from the Thayer catalogue). That's the story I've been told.

Owen Magic Supreme's Les Smith, one of my sponsors in S.A.M. many, many years ago told me this story, and side-by-side comparisons of the original Wels books and the Owen book will make the similarities quite apparent. In fact, as a result of a copyright infringement suit successfully brought by Owen publication of the Wels books ceased and a monetary settlement was arrived at.

The original Thayer plans were apparently "public domain", but Owen re-drew them, improving their readability. Wels (et al) reportedly took these drawings for their own use - without permission - and published them under the Wels authorship. I'm told that, when queried in court as to why they would do this (rather than use the original Thayer prints), they replied: "...the Owen plans were better." That, anyway, is how the story is told from the Owen camp.

I'm not sure, but I believe the Wels books were later re-published in one volume, using the original [inferior?] Thayer prints.

As a disclaimer I should point out that I wasn't there when all of this happened (in the 70's, I think). But I did get my information originally from Les Smith, who was there. Additionally, I just got off the phone with Alan Zagorsky, who currently runs Owen Magic Supreme, and he substantiates the story.

So if you're going to ask Tony to speak to anything, ask him to speak to that.

TW

Osborne illusion system web site:
http://www.osborneillusionsystems.com/

TW- I have heard the copyright infringement story in conjunction with Burling Hull's Encyclopedia of Stage Illusions (which was allowed to be sold as part of the settlement with existing print run but not to be reprinted.) Was there also a lawsuit over the Wels book?

M.ruetz, Yes there was a lawsuit, I merely objected that,he said that they were all stolen from the Thayer catlogue. I have all the original Plans, the old faded blue ones and if you look in the Weils book, they are exactly the same. Sad, as Louis Tannen and Tony worked so hard to get the out.

The lawsuit was over the Lloyd Jones Encyclopedia of Stage Illusions. Remaining copies unsold of the original 500 copies were destroyed making the remaining very valuable.

Rai, great story on the Tannens reissue. It is odd that Owens did not sue Tannens as many of the plans are Owens.

As both books are concerned, they are good overview though somewhat dated in the decorations and construction methods.

Richard

Thank you Richard, Your right, The Encyclopedia of Stage Illusions, was a ripoff. I could not understand how this book was published, I originaly saw it at Phil Thomas's shop and it was in a white zippered folder. all seperate pieces, some typed others written out, a real mess. Then the book came out and it was much better, I remember it was $100.oo, a large sum in those days. You won't believe what I sold my copy for. Give me a buzz as I have more to say about this matter, Rai

Rai,
send via email your phone number. I'll give you a call sometime next week.

I have a copy of the original Burling Hull book it was very crude to say the least.

Now, if you really want to talk crude plans look at the Brill stuff. It was really bad. The work was there, kind of. But you had to know the work before it made any sense at all. So then why buy it?

Richard