MagicGizmo

These books by Micky Hades are quite unique and are some of the few that address magic apparatus from the perspective of the builder. Aside from the somewhat confusing title, this book covers the design and construction of magic apparatus.  There are numerous tips and also various principles and methods explained.  There are 2 versions of the book where The New Make-up of Magic includes added material.

The Make-up of Magic, 1962 - 72 Pages

 “Part 1” of the book begins with a basic discussion of some of the principles of magic apparatus which are camouflage, secret movement, and mechanical transformation.  Each is well illustrated with examples of classic apparatus from a jap box to a card sword to a checker cabinet.

The section of “Misdirection of Design” and “Psychoptics” shows how the construction and decoration of the apparatus can be emphasize or de-emphasize a particular dimension of the prop.  “Artistic Artifice” gives some tips on decoration and the chose of design that fits the proportion and shape of the prop. “Hiding the Load Chamber” shows virtually every idea on the placement of production loads.  “There’s Magic in Color” covers which colors and color combinations are most effective

Part Two of the book goes into the use of tools and techniques for working with wood, plastic, and metal.  Techniques such as cutting identical shapes and the construction of metal are just some of the techniques that are covered. “Finishing Methods” covers painting techniques from brush to spray and also covers such “novelty” finishes such as the popular crackle finish. Techniques for stenciling and silk screening are also covered.

“The Ways to Magical Invention” is a philosophical discussion techniques for inventing new and variations of magic effects.  The final section also includes some plans for effects to build such as the “Tricky TV Set” , “Suitable” (a foldable magic table), “Santa’s Dilemma”, and “The Double Wonder Nite Club Illusionette” for the production of a boy.

The New Make-up of Magic, 1974 - 132 Pages

This is an expansion of the original work “Make-up of Magic” so the focus will be on material added. The section on “Psychoptics” has some new material added including a discussion of how the decoration of Harbin’s ZigZag makes for an important part of the overall illusion. A section on Black Art section was added which includes a bibliography. There is a significant addition on “Hinges and Supports”  on the construction section covering different type of hardware including spring hinges, cloth hinges, and different types of supports.

There are a significant number of different magic table plans added for a total of 12 to choose from including the Hughes Su-Table. Although this book contains more material than the original version, it should be noted that the “Tricky TV Set” trick was omitted from this edition.

• Related:
  • Magic Stencil Techniques - Magic Builder Series
  • Kid's Show Tips, Tricks, Secrets and Apparatus (3 Books in One)
  • Ingenious Magic Apparatus & Illusion Patents