Magician floats a table all around the stage showing underneath and all angles, and he lets a spectator help him too... he even lets go of the table to relite the candle sitting on it...
#31 Losander Floating Table Illusion
Uses these magic procedures: Misdirection, Special Props
The Table is actually made out of styrofoam, and so are the rest of the items... the Candle (except for the tip), and Candle Holder... and the Table is painted and finished to look like wood (some versions are coated with metalic plastic to give the impression they are solid metal)... but it actually (along with the Candle and Holder), weighs only a few ounces!!!
Located slightly below the Tables top visible surface (just off center) is a round flat piece of steel (about the size of a quarter)... it's underneath the top surface within the table top and it cannot be seen... and passing from the rear edge to the front edge, also withing the table, is a thin metal tube (about 3/16 inch in diameter)...
The Cloth has within it a permanently bent (at about 120 degrees) steel rod (about 1/8 inch thick, with the end tip curled over for gripping by the fingers of the Magician's right hand) ... it is sewn into the cloth (up to the bend) and cannot be seen or visibly dectected... the rest of the rod sticks into the thin tube that runs thru the top of the table ... enabling the rod to be freely swung upwards or downwards as the cloth is lifted up or dropped down...
The Candle Assembly has a PK Magnet (very powerful rare earth magnet) within it's bottom side...
As the Magician grasps the right corner of the Cloth, he holds the end of the rod with his fingers and thumb and forces the table to rise or fall by moving the rod upwards or downwards... the rod can be swung both upwards or downwards while raising or lowering the cloth and holds the Table up into the air... this allows the audience to see under the cloth and see that "nothing" is attached... much practice is required to make these moves while moving the whole assembly around thru the air and keeping it horizontal... to give the audience the illusion that nothing is connected to the Table underneath... in fact it can't be seen anyway since it is sewn into the Cloth...
When the Magician lets go of the Cloth with both hands to relight the Candle, he first grasps the Candle with one hand, therby suspending the Table with just his hand, since the Candle assembly is magnetically "bonded" to the Table near the center point (the Candle can actually be tipped over slightly while still holding the magnetic bond)... this action totally convinces any doubting viewers that "no strings are attached" so to speak...
Music, lights, background scenery and the actions of the performer add to the misdirection away from these hidden aspects of this piece of Magic...
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