The other night I was going on different web sites and came across a tear-apart dove vanish. I really liked the way this one looked, and I have been toying around with the idea of getting one. My problem is that I can't find the site that it was on. I have gone through all my favorites and haven't found it. It uses a metal band instead of tape to hold the newspaper on. Has anybody seen this effect? Thanks

Michael, is this what you were looking for?

http://www.tilfordillusions.com/tear-A-partNewspaper.html

You might also want to get in contact with Tom (1906Alpha1906) here on the Café.

I know that he builds his own Tear-Apart Boxes (in regular and stage size) and they look fantastic!!

Best,
-Vinnie

WOW! This looks like a beauty! Based upon today's market, the price seems reasonable, too.

Let us know if you wind up with this one.

Best wishes,

Julie

According to Jim Gerrish, you guys are all missing the point of the newspaper tear-apart box. In his Tear-Apart and Take-Apart Dove Vanishes article (from Hardboard and Duct Tape Magic Show Book 2 on my site) he shows you how to make two different versions, one of which can be handed piece by piece to a spectator or smashed around a spectator's arms instead of your own. But his point is, why would anyone cover a fancy expensive-looking box with cheap newspaper, and then smash the paper all up to make the box look like garbage? Make the box out of undecorated hardboard, and tape the paper on with visible masking tape (yes, he shows you how to make a box that clamps the paper between double sides, but why bother?). At the most, paint the box frames flat black, according to Jim. He says, "Do NOT call attention to the box. It is the DOVE or the SPECTATOR that is the star of the trick, NOT the box you paid hundreds of bucks for! The box should be as inconspicuous as you can make for under $5.00."

Well, I don't think we're missing the point. That's Jim's opinion, and there's nothing wrong with it. But personally, I would rather see a nice-looking prop on the stage than a prop that looks homemade. After all, the point of the trick is to vanish the dove and show there is no possible place for it to be hiding. I don't think I would use newspaper on a prop that looked as good as this, however. I think I'd use tissue paper, black or white maybe. The newspaper might be OK, but I don't think so.

Not to belabor the point, but that's stating what YOU would rather see on a stage, speaking from a magician's point of view. To quote Jim from his article: "You will probably wish to decorate the outsides of the frames (or the tear-apart box), but try not to go 'overboard' with too much decoration. Do NOT decorate them in imitation of most magic store props, which are designed to attract you, the magician, as a buyer, and have no relevance to the effect on the audience."

Any magician who has ever entered a magic store and been dazzled by the shiny colorful props surrounding him knows the feeling. But there is a difference between being enticed into buying a prop for hundreds of dollars, and being entertained into watching a magic show for free (at least, the kids in the audience are seeing it for free). For them the enticement is the magic and the entertainment, not the glitz and glitter and knowing how much you paid for the box.

OK, I've made the point. Now go out and buy the expensive box, or make one from hardboard and duct tape. Either one will vanish the dove. Either one will show that there is no possible place for hiding. Jim's version, where he hands out the pieces to the spectator, will really convince them that there is no possible place for hiding. It's your choice, and I will say no more on the subject.

When I said "I", I was basing that on comments I've heard in the past from audience members when a less-than-professional-looking prop was used and not necessarily from a magician's point of view. There is Mr. Magician, all dressed up in a tux with professional-looking equipment and just looking professional in every sense of the word, and now he introduces a box held together with duct tape.

This might be acceptable for a young magician just starting out and performing his first shows, but not for a seasoned pro possibly making a living out of performing. Also, this effect does not necessarily have to be performed for children as Jim stated. In most shows, at least the ones I do, there is a mixed audience of children and adults, and my aim is to please everyone, not just the kids. Now, if the entire act uses homemade looking props and is not presented quite so formally, that might make a difference.

With all due respect to Jim, because he said what a box should look like does not necessarily mean that he is totally correct. It's his opinion, based on experience I'm sure, but an opinion non the less, just as the other posts in this forum are the opinions of those contributing.

Let's remember the initial post here was from a member looking for a prop he had seen on a web site. No one has said they are going to go out and buy this one.

Thanks, Dave, that's the one I have been looking for. I can't tell you how many times I have looked on Tilford's site. I kept punching dove magic, and that wasn't enough. WOW, what a relief! I knew I had seen it somewhere. As everyone can see if you look at my avatar, that's how I dress for every show I do. I was looking for a dressier looking prop. I will say I bought one from a magic dealer, and I have never used it. Now, I have seen the one on Abbott's; nice prop and I believe that it's only $80. So is the one from Misdirections Magic Shop. I love the way they look. I may just go with one of those, I don't know yet. Myself, personally, I don't believe the look of the box has to be real plain. I don't think the way the illusion looks takes away from the trick. Just my opinion. Thanks again, Dave, for your help!