I just started to learn the basic 360 move in Kam's website. I need some help whoever knows this basic move. As I look at the video of the move being done, I'm not to sure if I'm doing it right. As I push with my middle finger it supposed to go around my thumb and end back into position. Is that right? Any help would be appreciated.

Yes that is correct. I did not learn this from any video or site, I just started doing it one day. But I cam across this site called http://www.pentrix.com and saw the way they were doing it is the same way I am. I think it is a neat little flourish.

Matt

I have been working on this for a few days now. Dang it tough. At least for me. I am learning you need to have the pen off set when you start.Like have the cap almost touching the thumb.
Are you finding this also?
Shawn

I screwed that up. You need the cap part in front of the thumb for the weight to make it spin.

David Williamson has a wand spin that you can do with pens. Not easy though.

Dave's spin is actually called the Drummer's Spin and was developed by rock drummers, if I recall correctly. It's described in the 2 Cups routine in Williamson's Wonders by Kaufman.

Another fun thing to do with pencils is the paddle move. I used to use it all the time when I was Magician In Residence at the lamented Michael Jordan's restaurant in Chicago. I used it to make the logo on the pencil vanish, appear and jump from one pencil to another.

If you are working with a longer pencil, Fl!p Stick can be a killer routine and there's a really good routine in the Journal of Magical Arts issue titled Arcane (for the European magical journal). Even though it uses pens, the routine looks good, but will take a lot of work.

Jay Marshall's "The Loop" can be used for some fun pencil stunts, as well as a lot of other stuff, as can the Al Baker hook up for the Erectile Bill (use the set up to move the pencil on the table, etc.).

Even a cigarette vanisher can make an immense impression if you are hooked up for it!

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.
http://www.leedarrow.com

Check out this link

I also learned this by just doing it my way, so it may not be the way others do it!! But hope this helps:

Have the pen cap on the back of the pen, this makes the overall length longer therefore easier to rotate. I hold the pen with fingers 1+2 on one side and thumb on the other side, roughly between my two fingertips. I also push with my ring finger and move 1+2 back for a split second. The pen seems to fall naturally back into place after a revolution.

That sounds a bit complicated! Sorry.

I found the hardest part was judging the strength of the push as at first the pen kept flying off my finger!!

Enjoy, though this may take some practice!!!

P.S. Anyone ever managed two revs? I did 1+1/2 by accident and never done it again!!

About this spin: it is VERY easy to do it (according to the fact that you actually can do it) with a classic palmed coin. It is a nice subtlety to do that reinforce the "empty hand" idea.

Do a fake throw/false transfer, take your magic wand-pen, spin it to make the magic happen, and reveal the vanish (and make the coin appear from the pen cap, but that's another story).

Jonathan

Check out superhandz.com

I love the pen spin. After watching Gregory Wilson's On The Spot it was the first thing I had to learn. But the pen you use has to he evenly weighted, to make the spin as easy as it can be. And he says you should flick the end of the pen with your index finger; however, I found that make the pen fly out of your hand. Like you said it is more pushing the pen with your middle finger around your thumb. The index finger is really just letting go. And you have to hold hte pen high up near the end. I found that if you hold a pen like you were going to write with it, then rotate it with your other hand around your thumb to find the spot where to position your thumb for the initial spin. Kind of reverse engineering I guess.

I found there are two ways to spin the pen as well. Holding it so your thumb is horizontal with the floor, and the pen is verticle spinning like that. Or with your thumb on a sleight upward angle and the pen on an angle opposite to that. The only difference is the angle of the pen when spinning around your thumb.

Gregory wilson's one works for me but I push with the middle finger

I push with the middle finger too its the easiest way

There's a great 3-DVD set I picked up online called 'The Book of Cool' that shows how to do several different pen spins. It also has sections on gun twirling, card manipulation for both gambling and magic, rope tricks, and other stuff that might be of interest to Magic Café folk. There are numerous other sections on skateboard moves, Frisbee, etc. that are fun to watch, too. It's a steal for $40.

http://www.bookofcool.com/

Here's a site that has some great "how to" information. This link tells you how to spin a pencil:

http://www.wikihow.com/Spin-a-Pencil-Around-Your-Thumb