There’s a just-released floating card effect simply called "Float" -- anyone tried it yet? It’s another top-card-floats-off-the-deck type effect, but according to the ad copy, a spec can not only look under the card but pass their hand under it as well, AND there are no threads, wires or wax involved. I’m wondering if all this is actually true, and how it compares to Flight Case, Fearson’s Easy Float, the various IT versions, etc. Any opinions?



Quinn

Check out’s JB magic’s website.

There’s a clip showing The Float.

Don’t have the address now.



From the clip, the first finger and thumb is placed on the top card of the deck, when the thumb and finger is lifted, the card is still stuck on the finger and thumb. Apparantly no threads/magnets were used.

The effect doesn’t look very appealing to me.



Check the clip for details.

Saw the clip on http://www.jbtv.co.uk

The site of Joke Box Magic in Blackpool.

Easiest the best shop in the town.

Everybody stops by after the Blackpool convention. The effect is good but because it’s soooo clean, I reckon it’s self explanatory as to how it works. You’d have to ascertain if it suits your performing meter though. Maybe the best way to float cards is an ITR and scrape the daub off afterwards as it flies into the hand...

I’m going with my man Bernard on this one Quinn. It doesn’t even compare to any of the card levitations you mentioned because the card is still in your hand. If we are allowed to hang onto things as we "float" them then you should see me levitate my dog (actually my wife’s dog, a Welsh Corgi).



If you watch the video it’s actually kinda funny. "No threads, no wires, no gizmos.."

True, all I saw was YOUR HAND!!



I dunno, perhaps I’m missing the point. I give it my highest recommendation.



It really isn’t my dog. Really.

Allright. I thought I was being a little unfair earlier so I took another look at the video.



"This card really, really is suspended."



Yeaaa wellll it might be except that it’s stuck to YOUR HAND! (Sorry.)



So I rigged up my own "float" and showed it to my wife. She gave me one of these looks:



(Her eye twitched and everything.)



"Look hon, it’s floating! No wires, no gizmos."



"It’s stuck to your hand you a**."



"Well yea, that but... there’s no need be a potty-mouth."



That concludes this little glimpse into my private life. I hope you enjoyed your stay.



Actually she did enjoy it when I floated the dog. (She meaning my wife, not the dog. The dog looked a little *****-off.)

I watched the video..... later discovered that if I licked my fingers, I could do the same thing!!

I’ll sell ya the idea for 35 bucks! (No spit included)



Bengi

Thanks for money-saving the input, everyone. Yakandjak, my wife’s cat hates being levitated that way too. I guess I can’t blame it; the duct tape does leave some pretty unattractive bald spots.



Quinn

Hey that gives me an idea Quinn. What if we used duck tape to levitate a duck?



"Look hon, the duck (pointing to the sky), it’s flying. No wires, no gizmos."



"That’s what ducks do you a**. And what’s with all that tape on your hand?"



"Oh that, well..."



I’m working on levitating a whole flock of ducks, possibly arranging them in a little chevron shape. Any inputs would be helpful.

Thanks a lot for letting us know what float is, being in england I was planing not to buy anything from JB magic again.

:stare:

Very impressive ads -- and then I watched the video, as you all recommended.

I'm with yakandjak's wife on this one!

cheers,

Peter Marucci

showtimecol@aol.com

YakandJak:

Just don't look up!



Bengi

Thanks for being so agreeable Peter but you DO know my wife thinks I’m an *** right? (And in other posts an idiot and a freak.)





And it’s never a good idea to publicly agree with a wife. Just look what happened to John Belushi.

OUCH!

Hey, gimme a break. I haven't had a chance to read the new Pro Files yet.



But I'm heading there right now.

Hi,

I looked at the video and I see what you mean about the contact, the ad says no gizmo’s, and I think this is meant to be a bit vague. I would wager a small bet by the handling of the deck, the way the card is reversed, by turning it over and it kind of pops to his fingers that the thing uses two magnets in half of the deck and small mags in the card. The fingers are just to stop the repulsing magnets making the card shoot off. he definitely only fans less than half the deck and the rest looks a bit blocky

phillip

I checked out the video of this one, and the one question I have is,

"What is the effect? A card sticking to your fingers or a card floating?"

I know what it’s supposed to be... but I’m afraid it doesn’t look that way.



Mark does have some cool items in his lecture, but I’ve yet to find something stunning that he markets.



--Andi





_________________

Check out - A2 Productions my all new website - http://www.asquaredproductions.com

Mark does have some cool items in his lecture, but I’ve yet to find something stunning that he markets.



I Think "Club Sandwich" is very cool. Future Zone is also very strong. As is his Mirage Wallet. I think with the right performance these can all be stunners.

Axman mentioned "Club Sandwich" being good. I liked that when Andrew Normansell let me have one, prior to him selling the rights to J. B. Magic. I gave him some additional ideas to his original instructions, but as far as I know he didn’t pass these on to Mark Mason (but I wouldn’t have minded). The ideas follow, I titled the additional instruction page for Andrew "Singles Club"

Obviously a lot of magical hobbyists may only be showing the effect to one person and you have probably already made that logical leap that one person can select the two cards! However, the approach is the thing. Have the one spectator select the two cards as before, but point out it is not easy to remember two cards so you will have him remember one card and forget the other. Have him sign the none force card then tell him he has no need to remember that one as he will recognize his signature later and know it is his, but that you want him to remember the other as you are dealing with that one first. Conclude the routine as before.

Yet another approach, and one I prefer, is as follows. Just have the force card selected initially. After the first part of the trick (the jokers have found the selection) and you cleanly place the selection back into the deck immediately hand the deck to the spectator to shuffle. Taking back the deck have him select a card (free choice this time) saying that you are going to break the unwritten rule of magic never to repeat the same trick twice. Have him sign the card (because you want to do this under test conditions?) and return it. You immediately control it to the top (by your favourite method!).

In an informal situation it is quite possible the spectator will jokingly suggest you cannot find the first card now! (They just shuffled the deck containing it remember?) So you are in a position to knock their socks off should that happen. More than likely they won’t but bear it in mind, things like this happen in the real world. The shuffling of the deck by the spectator always makes the effect stronger in his eyes.

Add the jokers on the top of the deck face down and request him to think of his card. Show the first card again between the jokers. Comment, “That first card must still be in your subconscious or were you thinking of it?”

The card sandwich (the required moves being done) is placed to one side. Request he thinks just of the second card then snap your fingers, spread the jokers to show the signed card in between.

Alternately, before the revelation comment it must have been his shuffle and hand him the cards to shuffle again requesting he shuffle the cards back into the same order they were in before he shuffled them before. Take the deck back, riffle the deck over the packet commenting, “Perfect, you did it!” then spread the jokers.

As for Float, yep, I e-mailed Mark and told him it just looked like something sticky on his fingers, but he replied "No sticky stuff!" I think it is a case of something perhaps being overthought.

Magic said he was planning on not buying anything from J.B. again, why Magic? Have you been disappointed in other stuff? He does import some good stuff to the UK. Like any purchase, one has to be selective.


Best wishes,
Paul.

I saw the video of FLOAT, I realize that it might not be done with sticky stuff. However, I started doing the trick using sticky stuff and accomplished the same effect. It either blows em away, or they figure it out. There are other tricks out there that are similar. For example, the haunted key. Some people figure it out right away, and others are freaked out by it. If you establish enough credibility before you do the trick, it shouldn't be a problem. If they do figure it out, you are a magician, think of something. I still think that it can be pulled off for certain people.

Bengi,
Why is your spit that sticky? I couldn't get the trick to work with spit. One idea I use, which I got from Gregory Wilson in a lecture (i dont know if it is original to him though) is to take a chapstick tube and fill it with paste. I can't reveal secrets here, but I am pretty sure you could figure out what to do.