Finger Exercise!

This is a really good finger exercise as well as effect. The magician patters along the line that many people ask him just how he goes about to keep his fingers so nimble. In answer to this much asked question he will show them his finger exercise. Two thimbles are shown. One is red and on the right index finger, and the other is blue and on the middle finger of the same hand. The hand is given a slight wave and the red one is seen to have jumped over the blue and is now on the fourth finger. The fingers of the left hand take it off and put it back on the index finger but on waving the hand again, the thimble jumps back to the fourth as before.

Repeating this once or twice again, the magus says that the hardest thing to do is to make both thimbles change places. Waving the hand the blue is now on the index finger and the red one on the middle finger. This is repeated a time or two and for a finish, when working close enough, the closest spectator may remove the two thimbles and try it for himself.

Use three thimbles for this. Two reds and one blue. The extra red is thumb palmed to start while the other is on the index finger and the blue is on the middle finger. It should be unnecessary to say that the back of the hand is kept towards the audience. The hand is held, fingers outstretched, and then the fourth and little fingers curl in, the fourth finger going into the thumb palmed red thimble. Wave your hand and at the same time open the fourth and little fingers thumb palming the index red thimble. This is done under the cover of a slight wave of the hand. Put the red thimble back on the index finger and you are all set to repeat. Do it three times. The last time the red thimble is put back on the index finger, the fourth finger of the left hand goes into the thumb palmed thimble (red) and steals it away. It may be dropped into the left coat pocket during the last part of this effect.

Describing this last part will be rather hard, so try it with thimbles on your fingers. First, thumb palm the one on your index finger. Then with the aid of the thumb and fourth finger, the thimble on the middle finger is lifted off and put on the index finger. The middle finger now goes into the thumb palmed thimble. Repeat this several times to the finish. The idea of letting a spectator remove the thimbles is to prove him wrong should he have been thinking you had three thimbles. However, never mention using two thimbles as it is sure death. The first thing a magician should do is learn to talk — and when.

Editor’s note : This is an excellent trick for anyone and by a fellow who is rapidly coming up in night club entertainment. I can’t do many sleights (if any) but this is simple because it uses only the simplest thimble steal. What makes it good is that there is no vanish and it serves as an admirable interlude on any program.