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Mikael Eriksson Inner circle None of your business 1064 Posts |
I have recently started stopping peoples watches, and I must say that it´s one of the best things I have ever done in magic/mentalism. But I have read/heard that the watch can be destroyed. A magician collegue destroyed his friend´s watch when doing this.
Opinions? Mikael |
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Thoughtreader Inner circle Calgary, Alberta, Canada 1565 Posts |
I personally am leary about it for the fact that a wrist watch can be a very expensive proposition to repair if something happens to it or worse, if they claim that you are responsible for it. It is the same reason I shy away from using ring flight too. All it takes is one loose diamond and the owner to claim you damaged it. Lawsuits are no joking matter and neither is a "can't happen to me mentality". Happens to hypnotists, mentalists too just by people claiming they haven't been the same since, same thing can go for borrowing potential expensive items.
I just wouldn't recommend it. PSIncerely Yours, Paul Alberstat Quote: On 2002-05-13 08:04, Mikael Eriksson wrote: |
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Mr Amazing Special user 617 Posts |
Quote:
Mikael Eriksson wrote: Sounds like your very last sentence answers all the thoughts there can be, no? /Matias |
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Jonathan Inner circle Oklahoma 1223 Posts |
Where's the best info on watch and pulse stopping? The former seems dangerous because of possible destruction and the latter seemed too bizzare for me. But the post about combining the two has me really intrigued and has flooded me with ideas. So I'm looking in for more information.
Where can I get the dirt on these two? Jonathan Grant PS. Is it mentioned in Corinda or MMM? |
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Ramsay Special user England 638 Posts |
Personally I agree with Paul. To muh of a risk...I do however sometimes start a broken watch. In my mind a much more pleaseing effect. (I use the one from Gellerism Revealed by Ben Harris)
L. |
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Drewmcadam Inner circle Scotland 1239 Posts |
<<Where's the best info on watch and pulse stopping? The former seems dangerous because of possible destruction and the latter seemed too bizzare for me. But the post about combining the two has me really intrigued and has flooded me with ideas. So I'm looking in for more information. >>
Where can I get the dirt on these two? Jonathan... (1)First get a six inch nail - one with as sharp a point as possible. (2)Obtain a good, heavy hammer. (3)Place the point of the nail to your skull (it's important that it's the SHARP end) (4) Give the blunt end a really hard dunt with the hammer. (5) Don't forget to bow as they cart you off to the ambulance. |
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Greg Arce Inner circle 6732 Posts |
I stop watches all the time, but have given up all the Ravens,, Bats and large PK magnets. I stick with a small fingertip sold by the same guys that sell the LOOPS... I think they still can be reached in Tel Aviv at 973-3-6874581 or write to:
P.O. Box 12093 Tel Aviv, Israel I bought several when they were in Miami because I knew I would use them constantly... I've lost several over the years. They put a magnet that's just strong enough to stop it, but do little or no damage... I haven't damaged one yet and I've been using there product for five years now. Greg
One of my favorite quotes: "A critic is a legless man who teaches running."
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Andy Leviss Inner circle NYC 1179 Posts |
If it's a modern battery op watch, it should be okay to stop it using the standard method; if it's a spring wound watch, don't even think of doing it. It'll screw it up so that it needs to be fixed by a watch repairman. It's not a hard fix, but, among other things, it'll likely reveal the method. And it'll cost, and not make you look so great.
Note: I have PMs turned off; if you want to reach me, please e-mail [email]Andy.MagicCafe@DucksEcho.com[/email]!
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Mikael Eriksson Inner circle None of your business 1064 Posts |
Not necessarily Matias, when he described it it almost sounded like he attached the gimmick to the watch and let it sit there.
Maybe that was too much? Mikael Quote:
On 2002-05-13 08:51, matias wrote: |
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Greg Arce Inner circle 6732 Posts |
One other thing about stopping watches: you do it only for the neccessary time it takes to say, "Look! The hand has stopped moving...I'll get it to go again. Look! It's moving!" That's it. You don't stop it and then show it around for everyone to see... it should be a second or two in the stopped position. I've been doing it for years and haven't run into problems yet... it doesn't mean I won't because anything is possible.
Greg
One of my favorite quotes: "A critic is a legless man who teaches running."
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Drewmcadam Inner circle Scotland 1239 Posts |
As written in an earlier thread...
Don't do it with mechanic watches, and don't stop it for more than a few seconds. Out of the hundreds of times that I've done this, it has never screwed up a single watch... However, if there IS a problem, get the participant to leave their watch on a compass overnight, and this will sort it out. (You can give him some nonsense about making sure it faces due East overnight on top of the compass.) |
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Mikael Eriksson Inner circle None of your business 1064 Posts |
To my knowledge there is no difference between mechanical watches or battery watches as far as their workings. What did I miss?
Mikael Quote:
On 2002-05-14 14:06, Drewmcadam wrote: |
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mysticz Special user D.C. metro area 680 Posts |
Perhaps I miss the point completely...where is the entertainment value in stopping someone's watch, either physically or psychicly.
Mysteriously causing the watch's hands to move ahead or backwards a certain number of minutes according to the spectator's whim (i.e., Psychokinetic Time) is more of an entertaining concept than stopping (and possibly screwing up)someone's timepiece.
Joe Zabel
"Psychic Sorcery" There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. -- Shakespeare's Hamlet I.v. 174-175 |
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Tony Razzano Inner circle South River, NJ 1600 Posts |
Mikael,
What is referred to as a "mechanical watch" is simply a watch that one had to wind up. The wearer of the watch would wind the watch's stem. This would tighten a spring inside the watch. As the spring loosened ( I don't know the actual mechanics and technical workings) the hands would turn at a standard regulated speed. These watches had to be wound once a day (or more depending on the watch). If you forgot to wind it, it would stop. Later on, some company or other( I believe it was Timex, but I am not sure) came up with a "self winding" watch. In this one, there was a weight inside the watch that swiveled when the wearer moved his wrist, thereby, tightening and retigntening the spring, as opposed to hand winding the watch. This caused a lot of people to shake their wrists a lotduring the day to make sure the weight was moving around. It wasn't necessary to do this, but I guess people wanted to be sure. It was a rather funny sight, sometimes. Fortunately, someone devised the battery watch and saved us all a lot of grief. Best regards, Tony Razzano
Best regards,
<BR>Tony Razzano, Past President, PEA Winner of the PEA"s Bascom Jones and Bob Haines Awards |
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Jonathan Inner circle Oklahoma 1223 Posts |
A good mentalist can make it very entertaining. Anything with that much supposed power can be made entertaining if presented right.
Jonathan Grant |
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mysticz Special user D.C. metro area 680 Posts |
I beg to differ. Even a "good" mentalist (or any competent magical entertainer, for that matter) would have a problem effectively selling a meaningless miracle, no matter how strong it may appear to the "wonder worker" presenting it.
Stopping a watch is basically a negative construct, and a poor way for an entertainer to prove his/her so-called mental prowess. It may prove to be momentarily startling, but I doubt that a spectator will be as affected by the feat as he/she would if a performer started a broken watch (re: Uri Geller) or moved the hands of a watch to match a chosen hour. Stopping the watch (and possibly damaging) the spectator's property is hardly an intellegent premise, both practically and aesthetically. Just my two cents...
Joe Zabel
"Psychic Sorcery" There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. -- Shakespeare's Hamlet I.v. 174-175 |
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Sam Haine Regular user San Jose, CA 159 Posts |
Greetings,
Interesting contention over the value of watch-stopping. Since I like to stop mine (and I don't use a magnet - heheheh), I employ a presentation involving psychokinesis. "PK is a very weak force. I can't move cars or lift houses. However, something as delicate as a glass bulb filled with pressurized gas, or as intricate as the machinery in a watch is very subject to subtle forces. For example..." The bulb *****ters. The watch stops. It all makes sense. And no one can ask you to make them float in mid-air. Sam Haine
Magical entertainment for charities www.sam-haine.com
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Jonathan Inner circle Oklahoma 1223 Posts |
What's with the asterisks? And yes, you can make stopping a watch into a pretty strong effect. For a completely DIFFERENT example, you could use it as a spirit-thing where if you can make people cry from PK touches, you can at least drop jaws using the right build up and presentation.
I think you are putting too much limitation on mentalists' ability here. Jonathan Grant |
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Philemon Vanderbeck Inner circle Seattle, WA 4694 Posts |
One of the aspects of genuine PSI, is that some people are extremely gifted when it comes to machines, and others seem to be cursed.
Think about it... surely you know people who have major problems with technology; their computers never seem to work properly, and their VCRs routinely break down. Others seem to be able to get machines do things that don't seem possible. You could present watchstopping as a 'gremlin' or 'jinx' type of effect.
Professor Philemon Vanderbeck
That Creepy Magician "I use my sixth sense to create the illusion of possessing the other five." |
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Greg Arce Inner circle 6732 Posts |
I stopped a couple of watches and moved a couple of them just recently at the Hollywood Underground Festival... let's just say that it was the topic of conversation for the next two day. Everyone kept holding up their watches and showing them around by saying, "He made it stop! It was amazing!"
So for those that think it is a pointless effect I implore you to stay away from it. Greg
One of my favorite quotes: "A critic is a legless man who teaches running."
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