Magical Graffiti

by

Adam Grace

Adam’s Rubbers

Rubix Tubes

Birthday Card

Marked Cards

Feet of Magic

Make it Snappy

The Taper

Special Thanks to:

Amanda Mills Grace

Shawn Satterfield
Aaron Fisher

Copyright 1998 Adam Grace. No material may be published or copied without written
consent from Adam Grace.
Third Printing

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 ADAM’S RUBBERS
Effect: A rubber surgical glove is placed on the hand. The middle finger is cut,
removed, and completely restored. The glove is handed out for examination.

Setup: You will need a Vernet finger tip, two surgical gloves, and a dull knife. This
trick requires you to make a gaff rubber piece from one of the gloves. To do this, cut the
middle finger from one of the gloves. You want to cut the piece so that it is about a
quarter inch longer than the Vernet finger tip. Once you have made the gaff, throw away
the cut glove. You will not need it for the trick. (Fig. 1)

Figure 1

Stretch the gaff rubber piece over the Vernet fingertip. The gaff should hang past the
edge of the Vernet finger tip just slightly. (Fig 2)

Figure 2

Place the rubber glove and the gaff finger tip inside your right pocket. The knife goes
into your left pocket.

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Performance: Start shaking a few hands in the audience stating something queer like,
“Nice for you to meet me.” Stop at a perfectly normal gentleman and start to shake his
hand but stop before you touch him. Say, “May I see your hand please… oh one
moment.” Reach into your right pocket and remove only the rubber glove. Place the
glove on your right hand explaining, “One can never be too safe in this day in time.”
Shake a few more hands and explain, “Some magicians are not practicing safe magic! If
you are going to be turning tricks you might as well be protected.”

Insert both hands into your pockets searching for the knife. Your right hand secures the
gaffed fingertip in position on your right middle finger. This secret movement is done
with your hand in your pocket. Your left hand finds the knife and removes it from your
pocket, as your right hand comes out also. Turn the left side of your body towards the
audience and extend your right hand with the palm of your glove facing the audience.
This will be called position one. (Fig. 3)

Figure 3

Keep your right fingers slightly bent and this will hide the crease formed by the gaffed
fingertip. With your left hand place the blade of the knife on the crease where the gaffed
fingertip ends. Cut in a circular motion around your middle finger. Obviously, DO NOT
push the knife hard enough to actually cut anything. (Fig. 4)

Figure 4

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When you are finished cutting the glove replace the knife in your left pocket. State, “I
must make sure that the quality of the rubber is excellent so that it does not break mid
performance.”

Now, face the audience with the back of your right hand toward them and remove the
gaffed rubber piece (the piece on top of the Vernet fingertip). However, before you
remove the gaff rubber piece you should pinch the bottom of the gaff piece with your
right thumb. When you pull the gaff off, it will stretch and seem to still be attached.
(Fig. 5)

Figure 5

Then let go with your right thumb and let the gaff piece “pop” into your left hand. It will
appear as though the little piece that was attached finally broke. (Fig. 6)

Figure 6

State, “This is not good quality rubber… much too flimsy. I’m glad I tested it because I
could have caught something even Houdini could not have escaped.”

Replace the gaff rubber piece back onto the Vernet fingertip very slowly. (Fig. 7)

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 Figure 7

When the gaff is almost all of the way back on the Vernet fingertip, your left hand steals
the entire package (Vernet fingertip with gaff stretched on top) off of your right finger.
The left hand hides the gaff/ fingertip as you turn your body back to position one. This
should be one fluid motion. (Fig. 8)

Figure 8

The left hand now goes to the left pocket to retrieve the knife (The magic wand) … and
the left hand leaves the gaff in the pocket. Wave the knife over the right hand stating,
“Fortunately I may need to use this later so I’ll just put it right back together again.”
Display the mended glove to the audience and even hand it out for examination.

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 RUBIX TUBES

Effect: Twelve small, separate tubes are handed out for examination. These resemble
small drinking straws. A rubber band is wrapped around the tubes and is placed on the
table. Six cards are displayed that have the standard ESP symbols written on them. A
spectator is asked to place the tubes on one of the six cards. The card is revealed to be a
square. The tubes are then unwrapped and thrown into the air. When they land on the
table, they have linked together to form a square.

Setup: You will need two identical rubber bands, six ESP cards, and twenty- four tubes.
Make the tubes by cutting drinking straws. Each tube should be 3 inches long. Next,
string twelve of the tubes together using a black stretchable cord that you can purchase at
a hobby shop. You will need three long pieces of black cord. You could also use a few
long skinny rubber bands that are tied together. The following text and figures show the
correct way to string the tubes. (Fig. 9)

Figure 9

Insert end F into point B. Once end F emerges from point C, tie it to end G. Next, Tie end A to end E.
Then, tie end D to end H. Make sure everything is pulled very tightly and you should have a 3D cube.
(Fig. 10)

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 Figure 10

This “tube cube” will form a square when uncompressed. Now, compress the “tube
cube” and wrap a rubber band around it to keep it together. This package goes in your
lap. The ESP cards are just pieces of construction paper (3” x 3”) with these shapes
drawn on one side: Square, Circle, Wavy Lines, Triangle, Star, and Cross. (Fig. 11)

Figure 11

The other twelve identical pieces of tube and six ESP symbol cards are sitting on the
table. Place the other rubber band on the table as well.

Performance: You are seated at a table. Display the separate pieces of tube to your
audience and let them hold the pieces. Gather them back and explain, “Each of these are
like family members, they are like my little jewels …my mom, dad, sister, brother, uncle,
aunt, girlfriend, dog, and of course me. My little jewels …my family jewels.” Wrap the
rubber band around the separate tubes and hand it to the spectator.

Introduce the six ESP cards and display them face up on the table. Explain, “My family
has a history of mental ability. For centuries we have been correctly guessing which one
of these shapes that someone chooses.” Turn the cards face down and mix them, but

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keep up with where the square is located. Position them in a straight line in the typical
order for the magician’s force. The card with the “square” is located third from the left.
Ask the spectator to name a number between one and six. If they say “one” then spell the
letters O-N-E counting one card for each letter starting from the left. If they say “two” do
the same. If they say “three” count 1-2-3 from the left. If they say “four” count 1-2-3-4
from the right. If they say “five” spell F-I-V-E from the right. If the say “six” spell S-I-
X counting from the left. No matter what number that the spectator picks, they will
always “choose” the square.

Once the square is “chosen” ask the spectator to lay the tubes on top of the card. (Fig. 12)

Figure 12

At this point lean back in your chair letting both hands fall to your lap. State, “I will now
go into a deep trance and contact my family members in hopes that they will divine which
card you selected.” While your hands are in your lap secure the gaff “tube cube” in a
right finger palm position. With the left hand reach out and pick up the “regular tubes”
from the table and place them to your forehead. Make funny faces. Groan a little.
Announce that you have contacted your family! Place the “regular tubes” on the edge of
the table closest to your lap. Say, “My family tells me that you selected the triangle.
Let’s see if I am right.” With the left hand pick up the chosen card facing only you so the
audience can not see it. Here comes the switch. Raise the card up to eye level. At the
same time, flip the card over so the audience can see it. All eyes will naturally follow to
see what is written on the card. This provides enough misdirection so that the right hand
can come from the lap, palming the “tube cube”, and move in front of the “regular tubes”
knocking them off of the table and into your lap. (Fig. 13)

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 Figure 13

Next, your right hand lifts the switched gaff tubes into the air along side the chosen card.
This happens in a fluid motion. The left hand then slaps the card face up on the table and
the right hand sets the gaff tubes back on top of the card.

State, “Well it seems as though my family has embarrassed me again. Thankfully, my

family always sticks together in tough times.” Pick up the gaff tubes, remove the rubber
band, throw the tubes in the air, and let them hit the table… forming a square.

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 BIRTHDAY CARD
Credits: Hats off to Doug Bennett who invented a version of this trick using a small
business card wallet. When I was playing around with this idea in 1997, I was not aware
of his published trick. In 2003, Daniel Garcia showed me a similar idea using a deck of
cards.

Effect: A pocket calendar is displayed and a card is removed from between its pages. A
spectator is told that this card will be written beside their birth date inside the magic
calendar. The page, with the spectator’s birthday, is located, and the name of the card is
written next to it. In fact, all of the dates have the same card written beside it. Then, in a
vain attempt to restore faith, you place the card on the back of the calendar. You visible
rip a piece from the corner of the card. The piece is then visually restored back onto the
card and handed out for inspection.

Setup: Get a small pocket calendar (about 6” by 3.5”). Next to each date in the
calendar, write, “Six of Clubs”. Now, use a razor knife to cut a slit about 1.5” long. Do
this on the back of the calendar around the top right hand side. (Fig. 14)

Figure 14

Get a six of clubs from any deck and lay it on the back of the calendar. Insert the card,
face down, into the slit and it will appear as though a piece is cut from the card. With a
pencil, trace a line on the back of the card where the slit is. Then remove the card from
the calendar and cut the corner off of it, following the lines that you just drew. Be sure
that you have a duplicate of this card to perform the trick. Attach this gaff piece, with
wax, on the back of the calendar just above the slit. (Fig. 15)

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 Figure 15

Place the calendar, with gaff in place, face up on the table. The gaff should be face down
and not seen by anyone. Insert the duplicate six of clubs face down into the pages of the
calendar.

Performance: Introduce the calendar as you say, “I have a calendar that keeps up with
birthdays for me. I do not think I have yours in my calendar yet. Before you tell me your
birthday I want to go ahead and give you your present.” Pull the face down card out of
the calendar and lay it on the table. Say, “Do not open it yet. First, tell me your birthdate
and I will magically make the name of that card appear next to your date in my
calendar.” The spectator answers, “December 21st”. Now flip the pages open to
December 21st being careful not to expose the gaff piece stuck on the back of the
calendar. (Fig. 16)

Figure 16

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Every date will have the six of clubs written next to it. Ask the spectator to open their
present (turn their card over). Magically it matches their birthdate … and everyone else’s
in the room. The card is a six of clubs. Say, “Pretty anti-climatic, just like most
birthdays... huh?” Close the calendar and hold it in front of you so that the front of the
calendar faces the audience. Take the card from the spectator saying, “Well if you do not
like it then give me my present back.” Keeping the back of the calendar tilted away from
the spectator; insert the card into the slit on the back of the calendar. (Fig. 17)

Figure 17

Now tilt both hands forward to expose the card lying on the back of the calendar. At the
same time, rip the gaffed piece off and perform the Mouth Move*. (Fig. 18)

Figure 18

Say, “I’m just going to open your present myself.” Look at the gaff piece in your right
hand and position it to the right side of your palm. Say, “Oh it is just another birthday
card.” Now turn the right hand over as you retain the piece with your thumb and pretend

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to rub the piece into the rest of the card. At the same time, your left thumb moves the
card out of the slit. Then, move the card back up to cover the slit. (Fig. 19)

Figure 19

This is done under the cover of your right hand. It will seem as though you rubbed the
corner onto the card and completely restored it. This is very visual and with a little
practice you can make it look very magical. Dump the card off of the calendar onto the
table with the left hand. Then, place the calendar in the right hand, covering the gaff
piece, and place the calendar and gaff into your pocket. Say, “I’ll just rewrap this
present and maybe the next person will appreciate good magic.”

*The Mouth Move. The mouth actually makes the ripping sound by expelling air
between the bottom lip and top front teeth. This move was invented by Randy
Malcolm in the early 1970’s.

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 MARKED CARDS

Credits: The color change used in this trick is inspired and almost identical to “The
Shape Shifter Change” by Mark DeSousa.

Effect: A deck of cards is displayed and the audience is told that they are marked cards.
When the audience exclaims that they cannot see the markings on the cards, one card
magically shows its identity. Then all of the cards are shown to have this bold, black
writing. For a kicker, the cards are fanned over the card case and the words “Card Case”
magically appear.

Setup: Use a deck of Bicycle cards. Keep the cellophane on the deck. Write the name
of each card on the backs with black permanent marker. Write on every card except the
two jokers. Take the cellophane off of the card case. On the card case write the words
Card Case. This is to be written on both sides of the card case. Now put the cellophane
back on the card case and place one joker, face down, between the cellophane and the
card case. This joker should hide the written words and appear to be just the back of the
card case. Arrange the deck of cards so that the other joker is on top, face down, and
another card (prepared with writing) is face up second from the top. Place the cards into
the card case and in your pocket.

Performance: I am a lefty. I hold the cards in a right- handed mechanics grip. If you do
not, then prepare to translate the handling of this trick. Remove the cards from the card
case being careful not to remove the extra joker lodged between the cellophane. Put the
case on the table with the back of the joker facing up. Perform a face-up Hindu shuffle
retaining the top stock of cards. (Fig. 20)

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 Figure 20

After a few cards are shuffled into the left hand, turn the right hand over to expose the
back of the regular joker. (Fig. 21)

Figure 21

Ask, “Have you ever seen marked cards before? These cards are marked and if you look
very closely you can see the markings.” After they gaze at the back of the joker for a
moment, Hindu Shuffle a few more cards into the left hand just like before. Again turn
the right hand over and display the same back again. State,” Maybe the light is not
right… look closer… do you see the markings?”

Repeat this process until your right hand has only a few cards left. Display the same
joker- back one final time and let the audience in on the “secret”. State,” The markings
are invisible.”

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Now, rotate your hands up and turn the cards so that their faces are toward the spectator.
(Fig. 22 from spectator’s view)

Figure 22

Say, “Do you know why they don’t put the markings on the faces of the cards?” Wait for
a “No”. Then say, “They do…that’s how you can tell what your card is.” Now replace
the right hand stock of cards onto the top of the left-hand stock. Square them into a right
handed mechanics grip and tilt the back of the deck into the audience’s view. (Fig. 23)

Figure 23

Get a right pinkie break under the top two cards. (The top joker and the upside down
card) Now perform a double left with the left thumb on the bottom left corner of the
cards and the left middle finger on the top right corner of the cards. (Fig. 24)

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 Figure 24

As you double lift the cards up, tilt the right hand back so the top of the remaining deck is
not visible to the audience. (Fig. 25)

Figure 25

State, “If you know where to look you can see the markings.” With the left hand perform
a secret pivoting action that will spin the two cards on their axis, exposing the card with
writing on it. Do this action while raising and lowering the left hand. (Fig 26)

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 Figure 26

As the left hand moves up, the first finger rotates the card around. When the left hand
has come back down to rest, tilt the deck forward to reveal that the top of the deck also
contains writing. (Fig. 27)

Figure 27

Replace the left-hand cards to the top of the deck and spread them in your hands to
expose the true markings. Be careful not to expose the second card from the top.(Fig. 28)

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 Figure 28

Close the spread and pick up the card case with the left hand. The open end of the card
case should point down with the back of the joker, inside the cellophane, facing the
spectator. (Fig.29)

Figure 29

Fan the cards in the right hand and cover the card case momentarily with the fanned cards
while your right middle finger steals the joker that is under the cellophane. This should
look as though you just waved the fan over the card case and the words “Card Case”
magically appeared. (Fig. 30 & 31)

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 Figure 30

Figure 31

I have named this move the “Fantom Move”. Now state, “I cannot put marked cards
back into an unmarked case.” Close the fan with the stolen card hiding behind and place
back inside the card case.

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 FEET OF MAGIC

Effect: This is a “card stab” using your toes instead of a knife.

Setup: Take a card (one that will be forced later) and put it on the back of your foot so
that the back of the card is against your foot. Stick the top left corner of the card between
your big toe and your second toe. The top right corner of the card is inserted between the
second and third toes. Wrap a strip of tape around your second toe and the corners of the
card. Lift your foot so that the bottom of it faces the audience. (Fig. 32)

Figure 32

Put your sock and shoe back on.

Performance: Force a card that is identical to the one on your foot. Let the spectator put
his selection back into the deck and let them shuffle. Sit in a chair and remove your shoe.
Remove your sock half way off of your foot. The sock should still cover the card on the
back of your foot. Do not expose the card yet. Say something like, “This trick really
sticks!” Take the cards from the spectator and raise your half-naked foot in the air
towards the spectator. With your left hand remove the rest of the sock exposing the
bottom of your foot to the audience. With the right hand spring the cards in the air and as
they flutter to the ground bend your toes forward to expose the selected card. Rip the
tape loose as you remove the card from your foot. This is basically a back palm with
your foot.

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 MAKE IT SNAPPY

Effect: A card is selected and returned to the deck. The magician makes an attempt to
pull their card out of the deck, but he chooses the wrong card. Amazed at his
miscalculations, he offers to take a picture of the card. A Polaroid camera is introduced
and a picture is snapped of the card, which is the wrong card. The picture comes out of
the camera and it is a photograph of the correct card.

Setup: Go to Wal-Mart and purchase a Polaroid One-Step Express camera and film.
This will cost around $40. Switch the camera to close up mode. Cover a large table with
a black cloth. Take a picture of the card, you will force, laying face up on the table.
Make sure the picture does not show anything besides the forced card and the black
background. Use the rest of the film and pull the empty cartridge out of the camera. You
will notice that you can insert your picture back into the cartridge. Insert the picture of
the forced card first. Then insert another picture on top of this. This picture is not
important and will just shoot out of the camera after you load the cartridge. Load the
gaffed film into the camera and dispose of the first picture that shoots out of the camera.
Now you have a camera loaded with the picture of the forced card. The next picture that
you take will come out as a picture of the forced card.

Performance: Force the card. Find the wrong card after a bit of by-play. Say, “I’ve
never messed this trick up before. Do you mind if I take a picture to prove to my magic
buddies that even I can make a mistake.” Get the camera, set it to close up mode, and
snap a picture of the wrong card lying on the table. Make sure that you have the table
covered in the same black cloth as pictured in the gaffed picture. When the picture starts
to come out of the camera, quickly position the camera so that the audience cannot see
the picture. Lay the picture face down on the table to “develop”. Ask the spectator to
concentrate on their card. After about 30 seconds reveal the miracle.

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 THE TAPER

Effect: Two rolls of tape are displayed. A quarter disappears when dropped through the
center hole of one roll of tape. Next, your hand disappears when pushed through the roll.
Finally, a pencil melts through seven layers of the tape. No one can pull it out!

Setup: You will need two duplicate pencils, two rolls of large black or gray duct tape,
and a quarter. Unroll about four feet of one of the rolls of tape and place one of the
pencils against the roll of tape. Make sure that the pencil doesn’t extend pass the end of
the tape. (Fig. 33)

Figure 33

Wrap the tape back onto the roll around the pencil. Make sure the pencil is only visible
at one end of the roll of tape. Set the roll of tape on the edge of the table with the pencil
hanging down towards the floor. (Fig. 34)

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 Figure 34

Set the other roll of tape on top of the first roll. It hides the pencil from the top view. Put
the other pencil on the table.

Performance: Pick up the top roll of tape and display it saying, “I found out that there is
another dimension inside some rolls of tape.” Set the roll on the table and pick up the
quarter. Place the quarter in your right palm. Turn your right hand over as though you
are dumping the quarter into your left hand, but secretly classic palm the quarter in your
right hand. The left hand closes as the right hand picks up that roll of tape. The back of
the right hand should be towards the audience. Appear to drop the quarter into the magic
roll of tape. It does not come out of the bottom.

Pick up the duplicate pencil and say, “Sometimes things can get stuck in the other
dimension, and you have to poke it out.” While holding the tape with your right hand,
insert the pencil through the middle of the roll and let the quarter fall out of classic palm
position and hit the table. It will appear to have just fallen out of the other dimension.

Still using the first roll of tape, hold it in your left hand and insert your right hand through
the middle of the roll. If you curl your fingers back while you are doing this, it will
appear as though your fingers disappeared. (Fig. 35)

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 Figure 35

This will take a little practice to get the timing.

With the left hand, set the first roll of tape down and pick up the pencil. With the right
hand, pick up the black roll of tape so that the pencil falls along your right arm. Your
arm hides the pencil from the spectators view. (Fig. 36)

Figure 36

Say, “Be careful and do not poke the tape too hard because you may disrupt the flow of
time and space and get caught between dimensions.” The left hand places its pencil into
the right hand under the duplicate pencil. (Fig. 37)

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 Figure 37

The left hand now pulls the roll of tape forward about 4 inches exposing the gaff pencil.
Now pretend the gaff pencil is melting into the roll of black tape. Make sure the
duplicate pencil is hidden from the audience’s view. (Fig. 38)

Figure 38

Now with the left hand, toss the roll of black tape, with the gaff pencil melted into it, onto
the table. The duplicate pencil in your right hand goes into you lap or up your sleeve
depending on preference. Ask a spectator to try to the pencil out of the tape. He will not
be able to.

THE END

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